The bill amends several sections of the Code of Alabama 1975 to enhance the powers and responsibilities of the State Board of Midwifery. Key changes include the establishment of a seven-member board appointed by the Governor, which must include four certified professional midwives, a nurse practitioner, a licensed certified nurse midwife, and a user of midwifery services. The board is granted the authority to accept gifts and grants, regulate midwifery licenses, investigate complaints, and impose fines for violations. Additionally, licensed midwives are required to file annual reports detailing their practice statistics, which the board must make publicly available. The bill emphasizes diversity in board appointments and mandates that midwives maintain professional liability insurance. The board will also be subject to the Alabama Sunset Law, with a termination date set for October 1, 2021, and every four years thereafter unless renewed.

Further provisions focus on the regulations surrounding licensed midwives in the context of home births. Midwives are required to ensure clients sign an informed consent form, document an emergency care plan, and remain with clients during labor and the postpartum period. They must also instruct clients on administering eye ointment and newborn health screenings as mandated by the Department of Public Health, file birth certificates, and report to the Alabama Department of Public Health. Significant changes include the deletion of the requirement for midwives to collect clinical data for the Midwives Alliance of North America Statistics Project. New insertions clarify that midwives may order and administer a heel lance within 72 hours after birth but are prohibited from interpreting tests or providing care to newborns outside specified circumstances. The act is set to take effect on October 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 34-19-12, 34-19-14, 34-19-16
Engrossed: 34-19-12, 34-19-14, 34-19-16