Jackie Walorski Maternal and Child Home Visiting Reauthorization Act of 2022

Floor Speech

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Ms. SEWELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer my support of the bipartisan Jackie Walorski Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Reauthorization Act, or MIECHV.

This legislation represents not only a commitment by me to the mothers, children, and families in my district, but it also reflects a sincere love and respect that this committee has for our late, great, wonderful colleague, Jackie Walorski, and the work that she did on the Ways and Means Committee as chair of this amazing subcommittee.

Currently, over 1,800 pregnant women and new mothers throughout my district in Alabama receive services from the MIECHV program. The actions taken today by the House will ensure that these families will have access to the essential early childhood care that they so critically need for proper growth during a mother and child's early developmental years.

Increased access to home visitation services, including postnatal care and screening for postpartum depression, will guarantee that women, especially those women of color in my district, can continue to have regular access to medical professionals, thus giving them the opportunity to have the highest form of care offered.

Specifically, in my district, the women, children, and families of Dallas, Lowndes, Montgomery, Perry, and Wilcox Counties are poised to benefit from this reauthorization.

I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this. What a wonderful tribute to an amazing public servant. It was an honor not only to work with her but to call her my friend. Let's vote ``yes'' to reauthorize this amazing program.

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