The "Expanding Access to Family Planning Act" increases funding for Title X family planning clinics and ensures nondirective pregnancy counseling.
Tina Smith
Senator
MN
The "Expanding Access to Family Planning Act" aims to increase investment in family planning clinics by establishing the Title X Clinic Fund, managed by the Department of Health and Human Services. The fund will provide significant annual appropriations for grants, contracts, and infrastructure improvements for Title X clinics from 2026 through 2035. The act ensures that all pregnancy counseling is nondirective, offering patients comprehensive information on all options, including prenatal care, adoption, and pregnancy termination.
Bill Proposes $562 Million Annual Boost for Family Planning Clinics, Mandates Nondirective Counseling
This proposed legislation, the "Expanding Access to Family Planning Act," sets up a dedicated funding stream to significantly increase support for Title X family planning clinics over a decade, starting in 2026. It aims to pump an extra $512 million annually into grants and contracts for services, plus another $50 million each year specifically for clinic infrastructure like construction and renovations. The core idea is to bolster these clinics, which often serve as a key healthcare provider for low-income individuals seeking reproductive health services.
More Than Just Money: The Counseling Requirement
Beyond the funding boost, the bill lays down specific rules for pregnancy counseling in clinics receiving these funds. Section 2 mandates that any counseling offered to a patient with a positive pregnancy test must be nondirective. This means clinics have to provide the opportunity for patients to receive neutral, factual information about all their options: prenatal care and delivery, infant care including foster care and adoption, and pregnancy termination. If a patient asks for details on any of these paths, the clinic must provide unbiased information and counseling, including referrals, unless the patient explicitly states they aren't interested in a particular option. This requirement ensures patients get a full picture without being steered in one direction.
Keeping the Doors Open and Accessible
That $50 million annual slice for infrastructure is earmarked for tangible improvements – think building new facilities, renovating existing ones, or upgrading equipment. This could help clinics expand their physical capacity or modernize their operations. The bill also includes a provision stating that entities managing these funds can't block a qualified provider from receiving a subaward just because they offer certain services, aiming to keep participation broad. Finally, the allocated funds are designated to remain available until they're actually spent, giving clinics more flexibility in planning and executing long-term projects or service expansions without facing a 'use it or lose it' deadline each year.