During remarks on the Senate floor Tuesday, Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) spoke in support of the MOMS Act.
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00:00legislation that goes to the heart of what I believe the Republican Party
00:03stands for. We are the party of life, the party of parents, and the party of
00:08hard-working Americans. This, among many reasons, is why I believe the Republican
00:14Party won so resoundingly in November. We ran on a promise to strengthen and grow
00:20American families, and this is another promise that we are going to keep. My
00:26legislation, the Moms Act, is further proof of that commitment. Alongside my
00:33friends Senator Eric Schmidt and Kevin Kramer, I am honored to introduce this
00:38pro-life, pro-woman, and pro-family legislation. I'd also like to thank so
00:44many of my Republican colleagues for already jumping on and co-sponsoring
00:48this. The Moms Act is straightforward. It stands for more opportunities for moms
00:54to succeed. First, the Moms Act would establish pregnancy.gov. This new
01:01website would feature a wide range of resources available to expecting and
01:06postpartum moms, as well as moms and families with young children. We're
01:12providing necessary resources and support to women throughout their
01:18pregnancy journey. While being a mom is the most rewarding experience, I think I
01:25can speak for most moms when I say that it's a challenging one as well. When I was
01:31pregnant with my first child, I felt like I had no idea what I was doing. I
01:36remember actually being in the hospital room, them waiting, you know, to discharge me
01:42and me thinking, you're gonna send me home with her. What do I do next? Fortunately, I
01:49had the support of my friends and my family that helped me through this
01:53exciting journey of bringing new life into the world and bringing that baby
01:58home. However, I know that many moms may not have the incredible support that I did.
02:04That's why the Moms Act is so important. This would help the most vulnerable, the
02:11most isolated women the most. Resources available to moms would include
02:18mentorship opportunities, including pregnancy and parenting help, health and
02:23well-being services, including women's medical services like OBGYN services, primary
02:29care, dental care, and mental health services. Financial assistance, work
02:35opportunities, childcare resources, foster care resources, adoption services, and
02:42educational opportunities for parents would be included. I could go on and on and
02:47on. It also includes material or legal support. So when you think of what material
02:53support would be, it's transportation, food, nutrition, clothing, household goods, baby
02:59supplies, housing, shelters, maternity homes, help with tax preparation, and more. When
03:08you think about legal services, what it would include is child support, family
03:13leave, breastfeeding protections, and custody issues. Next, I want to talk about the
03:20grant portion of the bill. This part would actually be separated into two
03:25different grant programs. The first one would help purchase necessary tools for
03:30prenatal and postnatal telehealth appointments, including medical
03:35equipment and technologies for those in rural areas and others in medically
03:41underserved communities. And the second program would establish a grant program for
03:47nonprofit entities to support, encourage, and to assist women through their
03:53pregnancies and to care for their babies after birth. This grant program would be
04:00funding many of the resources that I just named for mental health services, other
04:05medical care, childcare, housing assistance, education and employment
04:11assistance, and nutritional assistance. Finally, the third part of my bill is Senator
04:18Kevin Cramer's Unboard Child Support Act. It would require for states to apply child
04:26support obligations to the time period during pregnancy, if requested by the mother. This
04:34could be requested retroactively, and state-level requirements involving proof of
04:39paternity would still apply. When I think about what this bill means to me, I
04:46immediately think of my own two children. They are why I'm here today. They're why I
04:52chose to step up and run for the Senate. Their future, and the future of the next
04:56generation, is absolutely what I'm fighting for. As parents, our children are at the
05:03heart of every decision we make. We want them to have the greatest opportunity to
05:10succeed and to thrive. As a senator, I want that for children across our nation, from
05:18coast to coast. They're at the heart of this common sense legislation. Building a
05:24comprehensive culture of life starts with building blocks just like the Moms Act. To
05:33all the moms across my great state of Alabama and across our incredible country, I
05:39could not be more proud to stand with you. I am committed to growing and
05:45strengthening families and ensuring parents have the opportunities and
05:49resources needed so that they and their children can thrive and live their
05:54American dream. And I am committed to getting the Moms Act signed into law so that we can
06:02ensure that the comprehensive culture of life, that the next generation, is ready,
06:07is prepared, and that women, as they go through their pregnancy journey, all the
06:12phases of it are supported as a work to bring life into this world. Thank you, Mr.
06:18President. I yield the floor.