HB344 - Safe Birth Options Act Summary

• Creates the State Board of Registration for Lay Midwifery with five members (three registered lay midwives, one physician, one certified nurse midwife) to regulate and oversee lay midwife practice.

• Authorizes registered lay midwives to provide services only at licensed birthing centers for low-risk pregnancies, with mandatory transfer protocols for 45 specified medical conditions requiring physician care.

• Requires lay midwife applicants to be at least 21 years old, obtain certified professional credentials from accredited programs, pass the American Midwifery Certification Board exam, and maintain $1,000,000 minimum professional liability insurance.

• Establishes criminal penalties of Class C felony for unlicensed individuals providing lay midwifery services and provides civil immunity to physicians, hospitals, and health care practitioners who treat patients after lay midwife services.

• Amends birth certificate filing procedures to allow registered lay midwives to file certificates for out-of-institution births and becomes effective three months after passage.