Donor Breast Milk Bill Introduced By U.S. Rep. Houlahan Of Chesco

WASHINGTON, D.C. —U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, a Chester County Democrat, introduced the first-ever bipartisan bill in Congress Tuesday to improve access to donor breast milk, improving child health and combating the infant formula shortage.

The legislation, called the Access to Donor Milk Act, will expand access to and awareness of donor breast milk.

She was joined by U.S. Representatives María Elvira Salaza, a Florida Republican, and Stephanie Bice, an Oklahoma Republican.

“Today, we took an important step forward for families by introducing a comprehensive bill to improve access to donor breast milk – a safe and vital lifeline for many medically vulnerable infants across this country,” said Houlahan in a prepared statement.

“We are building a broad coalition of support in the House and Senate, and I will keep working to deliver results for those in need.

“ Especially in the wake of the infant formula crisis, we must be using all of the tools at our disposal to help children and families.”

Visit to Paoli Hospital

Houlahan visited Paoli Hospital’s Maternity Unit in May and discussed the value of pasteurized human donor milk for medically fragile infants as a low cost invention that saves lives and that this should be reimbursable by insurers, said Donna Sinnott, Lactation Consultant and Doula, and winner of the recent Chester County March of Dimes award.

“I am so proud it inspired this legislation,” Sinnott said.

Houlahan said it was community conversations with Main Line Health medical professionals that inspired her to introduce the Access to Donor Milk Act, but the support is widespread across industry and on both sides of the aisle down in Congress and comes amidst another baby formula recall in recent days.

“As a mother of two beautiful daughters, I am proud to co-lead legislation that will, especially in times of crisis, help suppliers meet demand for safe and healthy donor milk,” Salazar said.

Rep. Bice said fortunately the Fifth Congressional District has Oklahoma Mothers’ Milk Bank which provides safe pasteurized milk for families

“For a variety of reasons, not all mothers can breastfeed, which has critical health benefits for young children,: Bice said.

These are the provisions in the Access to Donor Milk Act:

• Allow state agencies to use Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children funding to promote the need for and benefits of donor milk, and allows WIC funds to support donor milk activities in states;
• Provide $3 million in emergency capacity for milk banks, in the event there is a rapid increase in demand for donor milk, as occurred during the 2022 formula shortage;

• Provide $1 million to create a donor milk awareness program at the Department of Health and Human Services and expand an existing program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to educate the public on donor milk and nonprofit milk banks, and to publicize the need for donor milk; and
• Require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, to issue a rule clarifying the regulatory status of donor milk provided by nonprofit milk banks.