Supporting Healthy Mothers and Infants Act of 2025
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Supporting Healthy Mothers and Infants Act amends section 17 of the Child Nutrition Act, which governs WIC. It replaces stigmatizing references to drug abuse with substance use disorder or harmful substances throughout eligibility, nutrition education, and advisory language. It creates a new WIC duty for the Secretary of Agriculture to develop and disseminate nutrition education materials for eligible individuals and conduct outreach to pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding individuals with substance use disorder. The materials must include information on the potential effects of substance use disorder on fetal, infant, and maternal health and must provide referrals to evidence-based treatment, recovery, and other support resources. The bill authorizes $1 million annually for fiscal years 2025 through 2030. The practical effect is to shift WIC's substance-use role from stigma-focused warnings toward education, outreach, and treatment referral for mothers and infants.
Who Benefits and How
Pregnant WIC participants with substance use disorder benefit from nutrition education and referrals to evidence-based treatment resources. Postpartum and breastfeeding WIC participants benefit from outreach focused on maternal and infant health effects. Infants in WIC households benefit if caregivers receive better support and treatment referrals. Substance use treatment providers benefit from referral pathways connected to WIC nutrition services.
Who Bears the Burden and How
USDA Food and Nutrition Service staff must develop materials, disseminate guidance, conduct outreach, and manage authorized funding. State WIC agencies must incorporate updated terminology and referral resources into participant education. WIC clinics must adjust counseling language and connect participants to treatment or recovery resources. Federal taxpayers fund the $1 million annual authorization through fiscal year 2030.
Key Provisions
- Replaces WIC drug-abuse terminology with substance use disorder language.
- Requires nutrition education materials for eligible individuals.
- Requires outreach to pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding individuals with substance use disorder.
- Requires referrals to evidence-based treatment, recovery, and support resources.
- Authorizes $1 million annually for fiscal years 2025 through 2030.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Updates WIC substance-use language, requires HHS to develop and disseminate nutrition education materials and outreach for pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding participants with substance use disorder, requires referrals to evidence-based treatment and other support resources, and authorizes $1 million per year for fiscal years 2025 through 2030.
Key Policy Areas
Nutrition Assistance, Maternal Health, Substance Use
Primary Purpose
Updates WIC substance-use language, requires HHS to develop and disseminate nutrition education materials and outreach for pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding participants with substance use disorder, requires referrals to evidence-based treatment and other support resources, and authorizes $1 million per year for fiscal years 2025 through 2030.
Policy Domains
Resolution provisions
Identified Gains
- Pregnant WIC participants
- Postpartum WIC participants
- Infants in WIC households
- Substance use treatment providers
Identified Costs
- USDA Food and Nutrition Service staff
- State WIC agencies
- WIC clinics
- Federal taxpayers
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Vindman (for himself, Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania, and Mr. …
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Postpartum WIC participants, Pregnant WIC participants
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology