Maternal and Family Transportation Program; create.

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To: Youth and Family
Affairs; Appropriations A
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representatives Anthony, McLean

HOUSE BILL NO. 1681

AN ACT TO ESTABLISH THE MATERNAL AND FAMILY TRANSPORTATION 1
PROGRAM TO REDUCE TRANSPORTATION BARRIERS FOR PREGNANT WOMEN, 2
POSTPARTUM MOTHERS AND FAMILIES WITH YOUNG CHILDREN; TO PROVIDE 3
TRANSPORTATION TO MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS, WIC SERVICES, PHARMACIES, 4
GROCERY STORES AND CHILD CARE CENTERS; TO REQUIRE THE STATE 5
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO ADMINISTER THE PROGRAM; TO PROVIDE SAFETY 6
AND INTAKE REQUIREMENTS FOR TRANSPORTATION PROVIDERS; TO PROVIDE 7
REPORTING REQUIREMENTS AND FUNDING MECHANISMS; AND FOR RELATED 8
PURPOSES. 9
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 10
SECTION 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the 11
"Maternal and Family Transportation Equity Act of 2026." 12
SECTION 2. Purpose. The purpose of this act is to: 13
(a) Reduce maternal and infant health disparities in 14
Mississippi; 15
(b) Eliminate transportation barriers for pregnant 16
women and mothers up to eighteen (18) months postpartum; 17
(c) Provide reliable transportation to prenatal and 18
postpartum appointments, pediatric visits, WIC appointments, 19
grocery stores for WIC benefit redemption, pharmacies and licensed 20
childcare centers; 21
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(d) Ensure that transportation providers maintain 22
appropriate child safety seats and accommodate multiple young 23
children traveling with the mother; and 24
(e) Support rural and underserved families statewide. 25
SECTION 3. Legislative findings. The Legislature finds 26
that: 27
(a) Mississippi has among the highest maternal and 28
infant mortality rates in the United States; 29
(b) Transportation access is a leading barrier to 30
prenatal care, postpartum care, WIC benefit usage and pediatric 31
well-child visits; 32
(c) Existing transportation programs do not cover 33
certain essential needs such as WIC grocery trips, pharmacy 34
pickups or transportation to and from child care centers; 35
(d) Many families with infants also have additional 36
young children who require transportation alongside the mother; 37
and 38
(e) A statewide, family-centered transportation program 39
will improve maternal, infant and early childhood health outcomes 40
across Mississippi. 41
SECTION 4. Definitions. For the purposes of this act, the 42
following terms shall be defined as provided in this section: 43
(a) "Department" means the State Department of Health. 44
(b) "Eligible mother" means any pregnant woman or 45
mother within eighteen (18) months postpartum. 46
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(c) "Eligible child" means any child under the age of 47
six (6) years who resides in the same household as the eligible 48
mother. 49
(d) "Family transportation services" means 50
transportation for an eligible mother, eligible child, or eligible 51
caregiver to: 52
(i) Prenatal and postpartum medical appointments; 53
(ii) Pediatric visits and immunizations; 54
(iii) WIC clinic appointments and nutrition 55
classes; 56
(iv) Grocery stores for WIC benefit redemption; 57
(v) Pharmacies for prescription pickup; or 58
(vi) Licensed child care centers. 59
(e) "Qualified transportation provider" means an entity 60
approved by the State Department of Health that complies with the 61
safety, training and equipment requirements of this act. 62
Qualified transportation providers may include nonprofit 63
organizations, faith-based organizations, community-based 64
organizations, ride-share providers, public transit agencies, 65
licensed child care centers, or other entities determined 66
appropriate by the department. 67
(f) "Eligible caregiver" means the father of the child, 68
a legal guardian, or an adult residing in the same household who 69
is responsible for transporting the child to necessary 70
appointments when the eligible mother is unavailable. 71
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SECTION 5. Establishment of the Maternal and Family 72
Transportation Program. (1) The State Department of Health shall 73
establish the Maternal and Family Transportation Program (program) 74
to administer family transportation services under this act. 75
(2) The department may enter into agreements with: 76
(a) Nonprofit transportation providers; 77
(b) Public transit authorities; 78
(c) Ride-share providers; 79
(d) Community health centers; 80
(e) Licensed childcare centers; and 81
(f) Other entities deemed appropriate by the 82
department. 83
(3) The department shall establish written eligibility 84
standards for all qualified transportation providers to ensure 85
compliance with safety, training and operational requirements. 86
(4) The department shall develop, procure, or contract for a 87
mobile application or technology platform that provides real-time 88
ride tracking, estimated arrival times, driver identification, 89
communication regarding delays, and appointment reminders for 90
eligible mothers, eligible caregivers, and eligible children. The 91
department shall ensure that the application is accessible, 92
user-friendly, and compliant with all applicable privacy and 93
security standards. 94
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(5) All providers shall comply with application 95
requirements, safety standards, driver reviews, child-seat 96
requirements and training mandates as established by department. 97
For Medicaid patients, providers must also comply with the 98
requirements of the Division of Medicaid for non-medical emergency 99
transportation (NMET). 100
SECTION 6. Authorized transportation services. (1) 101
Eligible families may receive transportation for: 102
(a) Prenatal health appointments; 103
(b) Postpartum follow-up visits; 104
(c) Labor and delivery post-discharge visits; 105
(d) Pediatric appointments; 106
(e) WIC appointments and nutrition education; 107
(f) Grocery trips for WIC benefit redemption; 108
(g) Pharmacy visits for prescription fulfillment; 109
(h) Transportation to and from licensed child care 110
centers; 111
(i) Trips for unexpected pregnancy symptoms; 112
(j) Emergency pharmacy pickups; and 113
(k) Trips for urgent but non-hospital needs recommended 114
by a provider. 115
(2) (a) Children under age twelve (12) may accompany the 116
mother even if they do not have a scheduled appointment. 117
(b) Eligible caregivers may accompany the eligible 118
child when the eligible mother is unable to attend the appointment 119
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due to medical recovery, work obligations, or other valid 120
circumstances. 121
(c) A support partner, such as the father or a partner, 122
doula, grandmother, may accompany the mother when needed. Support 123
partners can accompany women during labor triage visits, induction 124
appointments, or fetal monitoring visits. No additional fee may 125
be charged for including a support partner in the transportation. 126
SECTION 7. Safety requirements for transportation providers. 127
All qualified transportation providers must: 128
(a) Maintain properly installed infant, toddler and 129
booster seats in each vehicle, and for pregnant women, have 130
pregnancy-specific accommodations such as priority seating and 131
adequate space for comfort and options for low-step or low ramp 132
vehicles; 133
(b) Ensure that all drivers are trained in child 134
passenger safety, safe transport for infants, trauma informed 135
care, cultural competency, perinatal mental health awareness, 136
maternal sensitivity and proper car-seat installation practices; 137
(c) Maintain vehicles that are safe, cleaned between 138
riders, climate controlled, able to accommodate strollers, have 139
GPS tracking for safety and reliability, appropriate for 140
transporting multiple children, and are insured for the minimum 141
insurance requirements with clear liability protections for 142
program-approved providers; and 143
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(d) Conduct background checks and motor vehicle record 144
screenings on all drivers. 145
SECTION 8. Intake and scheduling requirements. (1) 146
Providers must ask the questions below before providing 147
transportation and must supply the required support based on the 148
responses. This includes providing car seats when needed and 149
allowing multiple stops for clinic visits, pharmacies, grocery 150
stores, or child care centers, as well as arranging a return trip 151
when required. 152
(a) Whether additional children will travel; 153
(b) The ages of all accompanying children; 154
(c) Whether a car seat will be needed for any child; 155
(d) Whether the trip includes multiple stops including, 156
but not limited to, clinic visits, pharmacies, grocery stores or 157
child care centers; and 158
(e) Whether a return trip is required. 159
(2) The department may authorize transportation scheduling 160
via mobile application, hotline or partnering community 161
organizations. 162
(3) For pregnant women, the provider must be able to provide 163
a timely response of no more than forty-five (45) minutes for 164
areas close to a municipality and seventy-five (75) minutes for 165
rural areas, and provide urgent scheduling when recommended by a 166
clinic or nurse line. 167
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SECTION 9. Accessibility and statewide coverage. (1) The 168
program shall be available statewide, with priority for rural and 169
medically underserved counties. 170
(2) No eligible family may be denied services on the basis 171
of income, insurance coverage or immigration status. 172
(3) Services shall include evening and weekend availability 173
to accommodate working families. 174
(4) The program shall seek to encourage participation by 175
rural transportation providers, such as church vans, ride-sharing 176
partnerships, local taxi companies, and hospital shuttle program. 177
(5) If adequate funds are available, the program may provide 178
incentives to providers such as small grants for vehicle upgrades, 179
child safety reimbursement, fuel reimbursement, and priority 180
licensing for program participants. 181
SECTION 10. Funding. Funding for the program may include: 182
(a) State legislative appropriations; 183
(b) Federal Maternal and Child Health Block Grants; 184
(c) Medicaid administrative match funds where 185
allowable; 186
(d) Public-private partnerships; and 187
(e) Grants from philanthropic and community health 188
organizations. 189
SECTION 11. Reporting. (1) The department shall submit an 190
annual report to the Legislature that includes: 191
(a) The number of families served; 192
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ST: Maternal and Family Transportation Program;
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(b) The number and types of trips provided; 193
(c) Prenatal and postpartum appointment compliance 194
rates; 195
(d) Geographic distribution of services provided; and 196
(e) Fiscal impact, cost savings and recommendations for 197
improvement. 198
(2) For Medicaid participants, providers must also track 199
whether the rider is Medicaid-enrolled, and whether the ride 200
purpose categories are aligned with requirements of the Centers 201
for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which shall be included in the 202
report required by subsection (1) of this section. 203
SECTION 12. This act shall take effect and be in force from 204
and after July 1, 2026. 205