{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://robinkelly.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-kelly-announces-wells-act-new-maternal-health-bill-honor-mercedes", "Rep. Kelly announces WELLS Act, a new maternal health bill, in honor of Mercedes Wells", "2025-11-25", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "House", "IL", "Robin L. Kelly", "K000385", "robinkelly.house.gov", "robinkelly", "https://robinkelly.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "DOLTON, ILL. \u2013 U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (IL-02) announced plans to introduce new maternal health legislation with Mercedes Wells, a constituent who was forced to give birth in her truck after being discharged from a hospital. The WELLS Act, named in honor of Mercedes, will urge hospitals and birthing centers to develop and implement a safe discharge plan.\n\n\u201cMercedes\u2019s courage to speak out about her experience and advocate for change propelled me to introduce the WELLS Act to ensure no other mother goes through the same pain,\u201d said Rep. Kelly, Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust. \u201cMercedes has given birth three times before and was telling the nurse she was in active labor, but far too often, Black women\u2019s pain is ignored, dismissed, and discharged. This cannot continue to happen. My legislation builds on my comprehensive CARE for Moms Act and aims to correct our healthcare system, so all Black women receive the care they need and deserve.\u201d\n\nLast week, Mercedes was discharged from Franciscan Health Crown Point in Indiana while in active labor. She said a doctor never treated her before a nurse discharged her, not even giving her husband Leon Wells the chance to warm up the truck. Minutes later, as she and Leon were driving to the closest hospital, Mercedes gave birth to her fourth child.\n\n\"I'll live with this experience for the rest of my life,\u201d said Mercedes. \u201cNo expecting mother should be visited by this kind of horror. I'm ready to Join Congresswoman Kelly in advocating for women like me. I'm ready to speak up and speak out so that one day, substandard medical care is a thing of the past.\u201d\n\nLeon pulled over to the side of the road to deliver his daughter with no medical training, knowledge, or proper equipment.\n\n\"My wife deserved better,\u201d said Leon. \u201cMy daughter deserved better. Congresswoman Kelly gives me hope that better is achievable.\u201d\n\n\"Congresswoman Kelly is a leader in this area so it's no surprise that she's taking this situation very seriously,\u201d Cannon Lambert, Sr., the family\u2019s lawyer, said.\n\nRep. Kelly plans to introduce the WELLS Act, or the Women Expansion for Learning and Labor Safety Act, once the House is back in session after Thanksgiving.\n\nThe WELLS Act urges any hospital that provides obstetric, emergency, or labor and delivery services to develop and implement a Safe Discharge Labor Plan. The plan, at minimum, must include a clinical justification for discharge, assessment of travel distance, an identified back-up hospital or birthing facility, verification of reliable transportation, and documentation of patient understanding. The bill also includes racial bias training for healthcare professionals, building on Rep. Kelly\u2019s Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, passed in 2022.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://robinkelly.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-kelly-announces-wells-act-new-maternal-health-bill-honor-mercedes"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5232800506055355, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}