PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · May 7, 2021
Military Moms Matter Act of 2021
This bill addresses Department of Defense (DOD) policies regarding parental leave and postpartum care for service members.
The bill authorizes primary caregivers to take 12 weeks of parental leave, and up to 6 weeks of medical convalescent leave (which may not be considered in calculating the 12 weeks of parental leave), in connection with the birth of a child. Additionally, primary caregivers are authorized to take up to 12 weeks of parental leave in connection with the adoption of a child.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
Under the bill, secondary caregivers are authorized to take up to 12 weeks of parental leave in connection with the birth or adoption of a child. The bill also removes the requirement that secondary caregivers must take such leave in one increment.
Among other requirements, DOD must also
provide at least four postpartum mental health assessments and other medical care in the year after a service member (or their dependent) gives birth,
ensure that a service member (or their dependent) who gives birth at a military medical treatment facility has the option to schedule a postpartum follow-up appointment concurrent with the date of the follow-up appointment for postnatal care for the newborn infant,
develop a standardized policy prohibiting each military branch from requiring a service member to take a physical fitness test until one year after giving birth, and
issue guidance on the development and implementation of standard protocols for the treatment of obstetric hemorrhages.
People & committees
Rep. Houlahan, Chrissy [D-PA-6] · D–PA
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Jun 6, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
AI Conversation Starters
Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.
Analyze H.R.3047 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
Examine H.R.3047 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.
Examine H.R.3047 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.
Examine H.R.3047 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.