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Committee gives favorable report to midwifery housekeeping bill after amendment on hospital discharge information
Summary
HB128, a housekeeping bill for midwifery licensure, removes obsolete references, aligns rules with the North Alabama registry of midwife licensees, and allows grants/donations to stabilize fees; the committee attached an amendment about hospital discharge information and gave the bill a favorable report as amended.
Marilyn Lance introduced HB128 as a housekeeping measure to update the state’s midwifery licensing statute. Lance said the bill would remove the term 'nonconsecutive,' delete a reference to an organization that has since folded, align state rules with the North Alabama registry of midwife licensees, and permit grants and donations to help stabilize fees and fund public education about midwifery and scope of practice.
Lance said the current requirement that costs are spread among very few licensees can, in some circumstances, produce sharp fee increases. She told the committee that allowing grants and donations could provide alternative funding to reduce financial barriers for new midwives.
A committee member offered an amendment to replace lines on page 9, proposing that "all information required to be provided to new mothers before discharge by hospitals as defined in section 22-21-20" be used; the amendment was read, and the committee voted to attach it. A subsequent exchange clarified that the defunct Midwives Alliance (referred to in the record as 'Manna') had previously collected more extensive statistics but has folded; the sponsor and staff explained that the board is required to collect the basic statistics now referenced in statute and the bill removes the outdated reporting instruction.
At the appropriate time a motion was made for a technical report and the committee moved to give the bill a favorable report as amended; a second was recorded and the committee voted 'aye.' The chair announced HB128 had been given a favorable report "as amended." The committee adjourned thereafter.
Why it matters: The bill updates statutory language and reporting references for midwifery licensure and opens a mechanism (grants/donations) that supporters say could stabilize fees and support education; the amendment clarifies that information provided at hospital discharge must follow hospital-defined requirements under section 22-21-20.
