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Senate committee advances certified midwife licensure bill to Judiciary amid bipartisan support
Summary
Senate File 832, the Minnesota Certified Midwife Act, was recommended to pass and referred to the Committee on Judiciary after the Senate Health and Human Services Committee hearing on March 6, 2025. Sponsors and testifiers said the bill would create a new licensure pathway for certified midwives (CMs) to expand maternal health access, especially
The Senate Health and Human Services Committee on March 6 recommended passage of Senate File 832 and referred the bill to the Committee on Judiciary. The bill would establish licensure for certified midwives in Minnesota, creating a non‑nurse pathway to midwifery education and practice intended to increase the midwifery workforce and expand access to maternal care.
Sponsor Senator Bolden described the bill as bipartisan and said it mirrors most of the existing certified nurse midwife scope of practice while providing a pathway that does not require becoming a registered nurse first. The sponsor cited maternal health shortages, racial disparities and “maternity care deserts” in Greater Minnesota as drivers for the proposal. He cited a March of Dimes 2023 report showing about 19.5% of Minnesota counties are maternity care deserts and cited Minnesota Department of Health data that 48% of pregnancy‑related deaths in 2017–2018 occurred in Greater Minnesota.
Testimony came from multiple clinicians and advocates. Mary Signe Hynotsky, on the board of the Minnesota affiliate of the American College of Nurse Midwives and a certified nurse midwife at Hennepin Healthcare, said certified midwife licensure would allow qualified candidates to enter graduate midwifery education directly after undergraduate prerequisite coursework and could relieve pressure on nursing education slots. Dr. Todd Stanhope, representing the Minnesota chapter of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said certified midwives meet the same national certification standards as certified nurse midwives and called the bill “a key legislative priority” to expand access to high‑quality maternal care.
Rebecca Polston, a certified professional midwife and owner of Roots Community Birth Center in North Minneapolis, testified about racial disparities in Minnesota maternal health and said licensed certified midwives could increase workforce diversity and expand culturally competent care. Kylie Saari, a certified nurse‑midwife practicing in southern Minnesota, described taking nine years and accruing significant educational debt to meet current RN‑first pathways and said licensed certified midwives could have practiced earlier in their communities.
Committee discussion included questions about education prerequisites (testifiers confirmed CM education is graduate level), workforce recruitment and whether the bill had previously passed the Senate. Chair Wicklund and several senators characterized the measure as a common‑sense way to broaden the midwifery pipeline. The committee approved the sponsor’s motion to recommend passage and referred SF 832 to Judiciary by voice vote.
Status: Senate File 832 was recommended to pass and referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
