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Subcommittee funds community perinatal access program, sets doula and lactation rules
Summary
Senate Bill 692 was amended to create a community-based perinatal services access program, establish qualifications for doulas and lactation providers, require minimum doula/lactation service coverage, and include a $1 million general fund appropriation for program start-up.
On June 12, 2025, the Ways and Means Human Services Subcommittee adopted amendments to Senate Bill 692 to create a community-based perinatal services access program and add initial funding for implementation.
The measure directs the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) to establish a community-based perinatal services access program, create a community-based perinatal services access fund, and make grants to eligible entities. The bill requires development of qualifications for doulas, regulation of lactation counselors and lactation educators, and regular review of reimbursement rates for those providers. OHA and the Traditional Health Workers Commission must report biannually to the legislature on the status of doulas in Oregon.
The committee-recorded A4 amendments replace a blank appropriation with a $1,000,000 general fund deposit to the community-based perinatal services access fund and include additional technical fiscal language to facilitate program administration. LFO staff told the subcommittee the A4 amendments incorporate the costs outlined in the A3 fiscal impact statement; the subcommittee adopted the A4 amendment and moved SB 692 as amended to the full Ways and Means Committee with a due-pass recommendation.
The bill requires the state medical assistance program and health benefit plans to provide a minimum of 24 hours of doula or lactation services and directs the Department of Consumer and Business Services to annually adjust minimum commercial-plan coverage amounts for inflation and issue implementation guidance for commercial plans.
In committee remarks, Senator Gelser Bluein thanked organizers and doulas involved in the drafting process and noted stakeholder engagement via omnibus roundtables. No additional fiscal or implementation details beyond the A3/A4 package were added in the subcommittee record.
If enacted, SB 692 will establish statewide program infrastructure and initial funding for community-based perinatal services, set minimum coverage expectations for insurers, and create new regulatory and reporting duties for state agencies.
