Get Involved

Help Maryland midwives with Legislative efforts that improve the status of women’s health care and of midwives across the state!

The Maryland Chapter Legislative Committee is devoted to working on legislation, both federal and state, that will benefit women’s health care issues such as breastfeeding and access to midwifery care. The Legislative Committee also strives to focus on bills that will improve midwifery practices in the state of Maryland and also nationally.

Current Legislative Efforts:

State:
Maryland House Bill 1407: The Birth Options Preservation Act (Currently for Summer Study)
This bill proposes to end the requirement that nurse-midwives practicing in Maryland have a written signed agreement with a physician through the Maryland State Board of Nursing. One of the main reasons for trying to pass this law is the redundancy of the written practice agreement requirement. The American College of Nurse-Midwives Standards of Practice, which are national regulations that all CNMs must abide by, already require nurse-midwives to have a written plan for consultation, collaboration and referral to medical care when appropriate. It is not necessary for a third party, the Maryland Board of Nursing to be involved.
This will go a long way to ensuring families greater access to nurse midwives throughout the state!

Final language of the bill is available at 
http://mlis.state.md.us/2008rs/billfile/hb1407.htm. This page will also have up-to-date public information on the bill throughout the legislative process.

Federal:
The Midwifery Care Access and Reimbursement Equity Act of 2007 – still a work in progress, this Federal bill seeks to increase the Medicare reimbursement rate for Certified Nurse-Midwives from 65% of the physician’s rate to 100%. In other words, CNMs would be paid the same as physicians for the same services.

Past Legislative Efforts:

Breastfeeding Bill – Passed in 2003, this State bill makes it a legal right for “a woman to breastfeed her child in any public or private place under specified circumstances and prohibits restrictions on breastfeeding”.

Legislative Co-Liaisons
Mairi Rothman – legislative@midwivesofmaryland.org
Tina Fisher – legislative2@midwivesofmaryland.org

Legislative committee members:
Coming soon

Get Involved!
ACNM members can become involved by visiting the ACNM Cap Wiz page which offers options for contacting your state and federal legislature as well as the media to voice your opinion of legislative efforts. Through this website you can easily discover the current status of a bill through updates and alerts.

ACNM members may also keep current with legislative efforts through it’s members only monthly publication The Advocate. This publication is written by the ACNM Government Affairs Committee, the Midwives-PAC, and ACNM staff.

Upcoming Legislative Events and Rallies
Coming soon