MADISON — A package of seven bills designed to improve pregnancy, birth and postpartum care for Wisconsin families died without a committee hearing this year, even as the state continues to report one of the nation’s highest Black infant mortality rates. The proposals, introduced by Rep. Shelia Stubbs, D-Madison, and developed with the Foundation for Black Women’s Wellness, were intended to address barriers identified by Black mothers and families. The Republican-controlled Legislature adjourned its session early without holding a public hearing on any of the measures. Wisconsin recorded 12.5 deaths for every 1,000 live births among Black babies in 2024, compared with 4.8 deaths per 1,000 births among white babies, according to the state Department of Health Services. Nearly 850 Black infants died before their first birthdays between 2015 and 2024. During the first half of that period, premature birth and low birth weight accounted for nearly one-quarter of Black infant deaths. “Of all of the bills we introduced, absolutely none of them received a hearing,” Stubbs said. “It is very shameful and unacceptable in the state of Wisconsin.” The Birth Equity Act bills would have expanded access to services and protections, including Medicaid coverage for doula care before, during and after delivery; maternal mental health screenings; pregnancy-related dental care; and postpartum home visits requested by a new parent. Other proposals would have exempted breastfeeding equipment from the sales tax, prevented the state from seeking reimbursement for birth expenses from new mothers enrolled in Medicaid, and allowed people to enroll in health insurance after becoming pregnant. Rep. Clint Moses, R-, chair of the Assembly Committee on Health, Aging and Long-Term Care, did not respond to requests for comment. Committee chairs generally control which proposals receive hearings, often in consultation with legislative leadership. Sen. Dora Drake, D-Milwaukee, said the lack of action suggests the issue is not a priority for Republican leaders. Sen. LaTonya Johnson, D-Milwaukee, said lawmakers have faced resistance to policies specifically designed to reduce racial disparities, with some arguing that targeted programs are discriminatory. “A lot of the feeling in this building is that if something is targeted specifically, then it’s somehow discriminatory,” Johnson said. “It’s not discriminatory that it’s kids who look like us that are dying, but it’s discriminatory because we want to fix it?” For the five women in the Wisconsin Legislative Black Caucus who have repeatedly pushed the issue, the statistics are closely tied to their own medical histories. Johnson’s daughter was born nearly eight weeks early after Johnson spent two weeks hospitalized. Rep. Margaret Arney, D-Wauwatosa, and her twin sister were both born prematurely. Rep. Sequanna Taylor, D-Milwaukee, said a doctor once told her she was unlikely to carry a pregnancy to term without explaining why, and she later required emergency surgery after giving birth. Drake also carried the state’s grim data through her first pregnancy. She delivered a healthy baby in early September, but said the statistics made medical visits more frightening. “It wasn’t stressful carrying my child,” Drake said. “It was stressful going to the doctor.” The lawmakers describe experiences that include feeling dismissed by providers, receiving inadequate explanations and encountering mistakes in care. Stubbs said a nurse once mistakenly gave her another Black patient’s test results during her pregnancy. Those experiences, along with the history of medical experimentation on Black women, have deepened distrust in health systems, they said. The disparity persists across income and education levels, the lawmakers said, and cannot be explained solely by individual choices. Arney said her mother was college educated, but that did not eliminate the risks associated with being a Black mother in the United States. “This is a generational issue,” Arney said. “Our lives were at risk.” One recent state policy offers a partial step forward. Act 102, signed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers earlier this year, extended the period during which Medicaid covers postpartum services. About 76% of Black women who give birth in Wisconsin are enrolled in Medicaid, according to the lawmakers. But advocates and legislators say longer postpartum coverage alone will not resolve the crisis. They point to doula and midwife services, culturally responsive mental health care, dental care during pregnancy and stronger follow-up after delivery as additional tools that could improve outcomes and rebuild trust. Stubbs said support from Democratic colleagues, including bill cosponsorship, is important but insufficient without action from committee leaders. She argued that lawmakers must do more than express solidarity during Black History Month or Juneteenth. The bills’ failure to receive a hearing means they were never publicly debated or evaluated by the committees assigned to consider them, including the Assembly health committee on which Stubbs serves. “We have these stories, and we are telling them because we want to save the next life,” Stubbs said.