H.R. 2521 · 117th Congress

To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a study on the feasability and advisability of furnishing doula services to certain veterans, and for other purposes.

Introduced on Apr 14, 2021 by Brenda L. Lawrence (D-MI-14). 7 cosponsors, 3 of them from another party. Latest action (Dec 5, 2022): Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Stage
Passed one chamber
Introduced
Apr 14, 2021
Cosponsors
7
3 from the other party
Policy area
Armed Forces and National Security
Open in the Congress explorerCongress.govAlert me

Progress

The furthest stage the measure reached. Simple and concurrent resolutions do not go to the President.

  1. Introduced
  2. Reported by committee
  3. Passed one chamber
  4. 4Passed both chambers
  5. 5Sent to the President
  6. 6Became law

Official title

To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a pilot program to furnish doula services to veterans.

Subjects

  • Congressional oversight
  • Department of Veterans Affairs
  • Health facilities and institutions
  • Health personnel
  • Mental health
  • Sex and reproductive health
  • Veterans' medical care
  • Women's health

Summary

By the Congressional Research Service (Passed House, Dec 1, 2022). Public domain.

Delivering Optimally Urgent Labor Access for Veterans Affairs Act of 2022 or the DOULA for VA Act of 2022

This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to study the feasibility and advisability of furnishing doula services to pregnant or formerly pregnant veterans (with respect to postpartum care) who are enrolled in the VA health care system.

Sponsor and cosponsors

Cosponsors by party as of the day they signed on. Original cosponsors signed on the day of introduction.

Brenda L. LawrenceD-MI-14Sponsor

Democrats · 4

Republicans · 3

Roll calls

Recorded votes on the measure. Most measures move by voice vote or unanimous consent, which record no individual positions.

  1. On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended
    Dec 1, 2022· House· Passage· Passed 376–44

History

Every action as published, oldest first. Roll calls link to how each member voted.

  1. Apr 14, 2021Introduced in House
  2. Apr 14, 2021Introduced in House
  3. Apr 14, 2021 · HouseReferred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
  4. Apr 14, 2021 · HouseReferred to the Subcommittee on Health.
  5. Apr 15, 2021 · HouseSubcommittee Hearings Held.
  6. Sep 20, 2022 · HouseSubcommittee on Health Discharged.
  7. Sep 21, 2022 · HouseCommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
  8. Sep 21, 2022 · HouseOrdered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
  9. Nov 29, 2022 · HouseMr. Takano moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
  10. Nov 29, 2022 · HouseConsidered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H8600-8602)
  11. Nov 29, 2022 · HouseDEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 2521.
  12. Nov 29, 2022 · HouseAt the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
  13. Dec 1, 2022 · HouseConsidered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H8701-8702)
  14. Dec 1, 2022Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 376 - 44 (Roll no. 497).House · Roll call 497
  15. Dec 1, 2022 · HouseOn motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 376 - 44 (Roll no. 497). (text: 11/29/2022 CR H8601-8602)House · Roll call 497
  16. Dec 1, 2022 · HouseMotion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  17. Dec 1, 2022 · HouseThe title of the measure was amended. Agreed to without objection.
  18. Dec 5, 2022 · SenateReceived in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Committees

Committees and subcommittees the measure was referred to.

Agencies in its committees' jurisdiction

Analisa's mapping of committee jurisdiction to federal agencies; the bill may touch others, or none of these.

Sources and method

Every figure on this page traces to these records.

  • Bill status: bills and resolutions, sponsors, actions, subjects and CRS summaries (U.S. Government Publishing Office (GovInfo), from Congress.gov (Library of Congress))GovInfo Bill Status bulk data (Congress.gov; summaries by the Congressional Research Service) · data current to Oct 8, 2026 · loaded Oct 8, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Members of Congress, their terms, committees and identifiers (The @unitedstates project (from the Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress, the House and the Senate))unitedstates/congress-legislators: legislators, committees and current committee membership · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: CC0 1.0 (public domain dedication)
  • House roll-call votes (Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives)Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, roll-call vote records · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Senate roll-call votes and DW-NOMINATE scores (Voteview (UCLA Department of Political Science))Lewis, Jeffrey B., Keith Poole, Howard Rosenthal, Adam Boche, Aaron Rudkin, and Luke Sonnet (2026). Voteview: Congressional Roll-Call Votes Database. https://voteview.com/ · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Free to use with the required citation
  • Lobbying disclosures (LD-1 registrations, LD-2 quarterly reports, LD-203 contribution reports) (Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives)Clerk of the House, Lobbying Disclosure Act filings (organizations only; lobbyists' names are not loaded) · data current to Oct 7, 2026 · loaded Oct 7, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Positions are shown only where a roll call recorded them; voice votes and unanimous consent record none.