Hawaii hearing on HB1194 exposes split between calls for accredited midwifery training and protections for traditional, apprenticeship pathways

The Senate Committee on Health and Human Services heard testimony May 16 on HB1194 HD2, a bill to revise licensure and regulation of midwives in Hawaii, with public commenters sharply divided over whether the measure should require accreditation-based education or preserve apprenticeship and cultural exemptions.

The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, represented at the lectern by Alexander Pang, executive officer for DCCA’s midwives program, told the committee it had submitted written testimony and was available for questions. "We stand on our written testimony and are available for questions," Pang said.

Why it matters: the bill would change who can be licensed and what education counts toward licensure in a state where many families rely on home- and community-based midwifery, and where speakers said access and cultural practice are at stake. More than 900 people filed written testimony and dozens of residents, midwives, nurses and doctors delivered one-minute oral comments during the hearing that stretched across islands and Zoom.

Supporters, including several medical groups and some practicing clinicians, said the bill would raise and clarify professional standards. "The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists strongly supports HB1194," said Dr. Ricardo Molero Bravo of ACOG, urging passage "with no amendments" and arguing that accredited education can improve maternal and newborn safety. Dr. Ronnie Teixeira, chief of obstetrics at Straub Medical Center in Kaneohe, testified that the bill "requires midwives to complete an accredited educational program and upholds the gold standard of midwifery training." Dr. Cassandra Simonson, a pediatrician on Maui, said she supported the bill…