Bill Text: NY S00310 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Establishes the professional practice of community midwifery; defines as the management in the home, birth center, or community setting, of normal pregnancies, child birth, and postpartum care, including newborn evaluation, resuscitation and referral for infants; sets requirements for license and practice.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 16-9)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - REFERRED TO HIGHER EDUCATION [S00310 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S00310-Introduced.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                           310

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                       (Prefiled)

                                     January 4, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by Sens. SALAZAR, BROUK, JACKSON, KENNEDY, MAY, MYRIE, OBER-
          ACKER, PARKER, SEPULVEDA, SKOUFIS, WEIK  --  read  twice  and  ordered
          printed,  and  when printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher
          Education

        AN ACT to amend the education law and the public health law, in relation
          to the practice of certified professional midwifery

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1. The education law is amended by adding a new article 140-A
     2  to read as follows:
     3                                ARTICLE 140-A
     4                      CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL MIDWIFERY
     5  Section 6960. Introduction.
     6          6961. Definition of practice of certified  professional  midwif-
     7                  ery.
     8          6962. Practice of certified professional midwifery.
     9          6963. Use of title "certified professional midwife".
    10          6964. Requirements for a professional license.
    11          6965. Exempt persons.
    12    § 6960. Introduction. This article applies to the profession of certi-
    13  fied professional midwifery.  The general provisions for all professions
    14  contained  in  article  one  hundred  thirty of this title apply to this
    15  article.
    16    § 6961. Definition of practice of certified professional midwifery. 1.
    17  The practice of the profession of certified  professional  midwifery  is
    18  defined  as  the  management  in  the  home,  birth center, or community
    19  setting, of normal pregnancies, child birth, and  postpartum  care,  and
    20  shall   include  newborn  evaluation,  resuscitation  and  referral  for
    21  infants.   A certified professional midwife  may  also  provide  precon-
    22  ception  care  as  defined by the commissioner. A certified professional

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD00632-01-3

        S. 310                              2

     1  midwife shall have collaborative relationships with (a) a physician  who
     2  is  board certified as an obstetrician-gynecologist by a national certi-
     3  fying body or (b) a physician who practices obstetrics and has obstetric
     4  privileges  at a general hospital licensed under article twenty-eight of
     5  the public health law or (c) a hospital, licensed under article  twenty-
     6  eight  of  the  public  health  law,  that provides obstetrics through a
     7  physician  having  obstetrical  privileges  at  such  institution,  that
     8  provide  for  consultation,  collaborative  management  and  referral to
     9  address the health  status  and  risks  of  the  certified  professional
    10  midwife's  patients and that include plans for emergency medical gyneco-
    11  logical and obstetrical coverage. A certified professional midwife shall
    12  maintain documentation of the collaborative relationships and shall make
    13  information about  the  collaborative  relationships  available  to  the
    14  certified  professional  midwife's  patients. Failure to comply with the
    15  requirements found in this subdivision shall be subject to  professional
    16  misconduct provisions as set forth in article one hundred thirty of this
    17  title.
    18    2.  A  certified  professional  midwife  shall  have the authority, as
    19  necessary, and limited to the practice of certified professional midwif-
    20  ery, to prescribe and administer drugs,  immunizing  agents,  diagnostic
    21  tests  and  devices,  and  to order laboratory tests, as established and
    22  limited by the board of midwifery in accordance with the  commissioner's
    23  regulations. A certified professional midwife shall obtain a certificate
    24  from  the  department upon successfully completing a program including a
    25  pharmacology component, or its equivalent, as established by the commis-
    26  sioner's regulations prior to prescribing under this section.
    27    3. Any reference to certified  professional  midwifery,  or  certified
    28  professional midwife, under the provisions of this article, this chapter
    29  or any other law, shall refer to and include the profession of certified
    30  professional  midwifery and a certified professional midwife, unless the
    31  context clearly requires otherwise.
    32    § 6962. Practice of certified professional midwifery.  Only  a  person
    33  licensed or exempt under this article or authorized by any other section
    34  of law shall practice certified professional midwifery.
    35    §  6963.  Use of title "certified professional midwife". Only a person
    36  licensed or exempt under this article shall  use  the  title  "certified
    37  professional  midwife"  in  connection  with  the  practice of certified
    38  professional  midwifery  in  the  state,  provided,  however,  a  person
    39  licensed  under  article  one  hundred  forty  of this title and who has
    40  obtained the credentials pursuant to subdivision two of  section  sixty-
    41  nine  hundred  sixty-four of this article may also use the title "certi-
    42  fied professional midwife".
    43    § 6964. Requirements for a professional  license.  To  qualify  for  a
    44  license  as a certified professional midwife, an applicant shall fulfill
    45  the following requirements:
    46    1. Application: file an application with the department.
    47    2. Education: achieve and maintain the credential of certified profes-
    48  sional midwife from a  national  certifying  body  specializing  in  the
    49  certification  of  certified  professional  midwives and approved by the
    50  commissioner and  satisfactorily:
    51    (a) complete an educational program  for  the  practice  of  certified
    52  professional  midwifery  in  accordance  with  the  commissioner's regu-
    53  lations;
    54    (b) submit evidence of license or certification, the educational prep-
    55  aration for which is determined by the department to  be  equivalent  to

        S. 310                              3

     1  the foregoing, from any state or country, satisfactory to the department
     2  and in accordance with the commissioner's regulations; or
     3    (c)  complete  a program determined by the department to be equivalent
     4  to the foregoing and in accordance with the commissioner's regulations.
     5    3. Examination: pass an examination satisfactory to the department and
     6  in accordance with the commissioner's regulations.
     7    4. Age: be at least twenty-one years of age.
     8    5. Character: be of good moral character as determined by the  depart-
     9  ment.
    10    6.  Fee:  pay  a  fee  of  one  hundred fifteen dollars for an initial
    11  license and a fee of one hundred dollars for each triennial registration
    12  period.
    13    § 6965. Exempt persons. Nothing in  this  article  shall  (a)  affect,
    14  prevent,  expand,  or  limit  any duty or responsibility of a physician,
    15  midwife, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner, acting  within  the
    16  professional's scope of practice, from practicing certified professional
    17  midwifery;  or  (b)  affect  or  prevent  a  medical  student, midwifery
    18  student, certified professional midwifery student,  physician  assistant
    19  student,  or  nurse practitioner student from engaging in clinical prac-
    20  tice in an educational program registered by the department,  under  the
    21  supervision  of a physician or board certified obstetrician/gynecologist
    22  or midwife, physician assistant, or nurse  practitioner,  acting  within
    23  the professional's scope of practice.
    24    § 2. Section 6953 of the education law, as added by chapter 327 of the
    25  laws of 1992, is amended to read as follows:
    26    § 6953. Use of title "midwife". Only a person licensed or exempt under
    27  this  article  shall  use  the title "midwife".   Only a person licensed
    28  under both this article and article  one  hundred  thirty-nine  of  this
    29  [chapter]  title  may  use  the  title  "nurse-midwife".   Only a person
    30  authorized to use the title "certified professional midwife" under arti-
    31  cle one hundred forty-A of this chapter may  use  the  title  "certified
    32  professional midwife".
    33    § 3. Section 6954 of the education law, as added by chapter 327 of the
    34  laws  of  1992, paragraph (a) of subdivision 2 as amended by chapter 328
    35  of the laws of 1992, is amended to read as follows:
    36    § 6954. State board of midwifery.   1. The state  board  of  midwifery
    37  shall  be  appointed  by  the  board of regents on recommendation of the
    38  commissioner for the purpose  of  assisting  the  board  of  regents  on
    39  matters of professional licensing and professional conduct in accordance
    40  with  section sixty-five hundred eight of this title. The board shall be
    41  composed of [thirteen] sixteen individuals. Initial appointments to  the
    42  board  shall  be  such  that  the  terms shall be staggered. However, no
    43  members shall serve more than two terms.  However, a vacant seat on  the
    44  board  designated  for  an individual licensed to practice under article
    45  one hundred forty-A of this title shall not be counted for purposes of a
    46  quorum until it has been initially filled.
    47    2. (a) [(1)] Seven members of the board shall be persons licensed  [or
    48  exempt] under this [section] article.
    49    [(2)] (b) One member of the board shall be an educator of midwifery.
    50    [(b)]  (c)  Three members of the board shall be persons licensed under
    51  article one hundred forty-A of this title.
    52    (d) Two members of the board shall be  individuals  who  are  licensed
    53  physicians  who  are  also  certified as obstetrician/gynecologists by a
    54  national certifying body.
    55    [(c)] (e) One member of the board shall be an individual licensed as a
    56  physician who practices family medicine including obstetrics.

        S. 310                              4

     1    [(d)] (f) One member of the board shall be an individual licensed as a
     2  physician who practices pediatrics.
     3    [(e)]  (g) One member of the board shall be an individual not possess-
     4  ing either licensure or training in medicine, midwifery, pharmacology or
     5  nursing and shall represent the public at large.
     6    3. For purposes of this article, "board"  means  the  state  board  of
     7  midwifery  created  under  this section unless the context clearly indi-
     8  cates otherwise.
     9    § 4. The article heading of article 140 of the education law, as added
    10  by chapter 327 of the laws of 1992, is amended to read as follows:

    11                   [PROFESSIONAL] MIDWIFERY [PRACTICE ACT]

    12    § 5. Subdivision 6 of section 571 of the public health law, as amended
    13  by chapter 444 of the laws of 2013, is amended to read as follows:
    14    6. "Qualified health care professional" means  a  physician,  dentist,
    15  podiatrist,  optometrist performing a clinical laboratory test that does
    16  not use an invasive modality as defined in section  seventy-one  hundred
    17  one  of  the  education  law, physician assistant, specialist assistant,
    18  nurse practitioner, [or] midwife, or certified professional midwife, who
    19  is licensed and registered with the state education department.
    20    § 6. Subdivision 6 of section 571 of the public health law, as amended
    21  by section 1 of part C of chapter 57 of the laws of 2022, is amended  to
    22  read as follows:
    23    6.  "Qualified  health  care professional" means a physician, dentist,
    24  podiatrist, optometrist performing a clinical laboratory test that  does
    25  not  use  an invasive modality as defined in section seventy-one hundred
    26  one of the education law, pharmacist administering COVID-19 and influen-
    27  za tests pursuant to subdivision seven of  section  sixty-eight  hundred
    28  one  of  the  education  law, physician assistant, specialist assistant,
    29  nurse practitioner, [or] midwife, or certified professional midwife, who
    30  is licensed and registered with the state education department.
    31    § 7. This act shall take effect eighteen months after  it  shall  have
    32  become  a  law, provided however that the amendments to subdivision 6 of
    33  section 571 of the public health law made by section  six  of  this  act
    34  shall  be  subject  to  the expiration and reversion of such subdivision
    35  pursuant to section 8 of part C of chapter 57 of the laws  of  2022,  as
    36  amended,  when upon such date the provisions of section five of this act
    37  shall take effect. Effective immediately, the commissioner of  education
    38  shall  make  regulations  and take other actions reasonably necessary to
    39  implement this act on the effective date of this act.
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