Two years after expanding Medicaid coverage for pregnant women and mothers, a bipartisan group of senators is ready to take the next step.

Spearheaded by Bedford Republican Sen. Denise Ricciardi – whose district includes Greenfield, Jaffrey, Lyndeborough, Sharon and Temple -- Senate Bill 246 would increase health care access and job protections for new moms. Lawmakers have coined it “Momnibus 2.0” after the first installment, which was signed into law in 2023.

It seeks to reduce behavioral health issues, including substance use, which are the leading cause of pregnancy-associated deaths in New Hampshire.

“Senate Bill 246 is going to improve maternal mental health screening and address barriers to accessing that mental health care,” Ricciardi said at a press conference before the public hearing. “The bill gives resources to our providers so they can feel prepared to address maternal mental health with their patients.”

It would allocate $150,000 over the next two years to train emergency medical providers in the state’s more rural areas on how to deliver a baby in emergencies and complicated cases. In rural areas, Democratic Sen. Sue Prentiss said, pregnant women often have to go farther away from home for care.

“Some of them don’t even have the transportation they need to get where they need to go,” Prentiss said. “So, should they face an emergency, it is incumbent upon us – and this bill addresses this – to make sure our incredible EMTs and paramedics … have the additional training and support they need.”

The bill would also order further study on barriers to the sustainability of independent birth centers, as well as the consideration of a new perinatal peer support program.

The Health and Human Services Committee unanimously approved the bill, sending it to the House floor, where state representatives will vote on it in a few weeks.

Charlotte Matherly is the statehouse reporter for the Concord Monitor and Monadnock Ledger-Transcript in partnership with Report for America. Follow her on X at @charmatherly, subscribe to her Capital Beat newsletter and send her an email at cmatherly@cmonitor.com.