HR5469-119

What This Bill Does

The SHINE for Autumn Act adds a stillbirth research and data-collection program to the Public Health Service Act. HHS may award grants to states to conduct surveillance and collect stillbirth data, including from Fetal and Infant Mortality Review datasets, for public-health and research purposes; build state and local public-health capacity to assess stillbirth data; and collect and report risk-factor data and quantifiable outcomes. Grant recipients must keep data deidentified, avoid disclosing patient or provider identifying information, and comply with federal and state privacy law. The program can support educational guidelines for health care providers and state or local health departments, awareness materials, and dissemination through public-health channels. The bill authorizes $5 million for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030 and requires HHS within five years to publish an educational-guidelines report on stillbirth and stillbirth risk factors on a public website.

Who Benefits and How

Families affected by stillbirth benefit because states can collect better data and develop education on preventable risk factors. State maternal health departments benefit from grants for surveillance, stillbirth risk-factor reporting, and public-health capacity. Perinatal researchers benefit from deidentified datasets that can support stillbirth research without exposing patient identities. Clinicians caring for pregnant patients benefit from HHS educational guidelines and awareness materials.

Who Bears the Burden and How

HHS maternal health staff must administer state grants, privacy conditions, education materials, and a five-year public report. State health data teams must deidentify stillbirth data and comply with federal and state privacy rules. Hospitals and fetal-infant mortality review programs may need to coordinate data submissions and risk-factor reporting. Federal taxpayers fund $5 million annually for fiscal years 2026 through 2030.

Key Provisions

• Authorizes HHS grants for state stillbirth surveillance and data collection.
• Requires deidentified data and bars disclosure of patient or provider identifying information.
• Funds public-health capacity, risk-factor reporting, clinical education, and awareness materials.
• Requires HHS to publish stillbirth educational guidelines within five years.
• Authorizes $5 million annually for fiscal years 2026 through 2030.