HB0226 - Home Birth Safety Act

• Creates the Home Birth Safety Act establishing licensure for midwives through the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, with an Illinois Midwifery Board composed of 7 members including 4 licensed midwives with CPM credentials, 1 obstetrician or family practice physician, 1 certified nurse midwife, and 1 public member.

• Sets qualifications requiring applicants to hold an associate's degree or higher with specified coursework, complete NARM-approved midwifery education (3-5 years), pass national certification exam, and hold valid CPM credential; includes grandfathering provision for those certified before January 1, 2004 with 5+ years practice experience.

• Requires licensed midwives to maintain collaborative relationships with physicians or advanced practice nurses, provide informed consent disclosures, offer specific prenatal testing and newborn screenings, and administer approved medications including oxygen, vitamin K, oxytocin, and others for maternal and newborn care.

• Prohibits midwives from inducing/augmenting labor, prescribing medications, using forceps/vacuum extractors, and managing patients with serious maternal conditions (cardiac disease, diabetes requiring insulin, active infections, etc.) or prior cesarean sections without subsequent vaginal births.

• Establishes grounds for disciplinary action by the Department and sets repeal date of January 1, 2020 under the Regulatory Sunset Act; amends Medical Practice Act and Nurse Practice Act to reference licensed midwives.