SB0385 - Home Birth Safety Act Summary

• Creates licensing and regulation of midwives by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation through a new Illinois Midwifery Board, establishing qualifications, scope of practice, and disciplinary procedures for Licensed Midwives (L.M.) practicing in out-of-hospital settings.

• Sets educational requirements including associate's degree or equivalent with specific coursework, completion of NARM-approved midwifery program, passage of national certification exam, and CPM credential from North American Registry of Midwives.

• Specifies permitted medications and procedures (oxygen, vitamin K, oxytocin, antibiotics, IV fluids, lidocaine) with detailed dosing and administration guidelines, while prohibiting prescription pain management drugs, labor induction drugs, vacuum extractors, forceps, and care for patients with serious maternal conditions or prior cesarean sections without subsequent vaginal birth.

• Requires licensed midwives to maintain formal collaborative relationships with physicians or certified nurse-midwives, obtain informed consent from clients including disclosure of experience and emergency protocols, and consult or refer for specific antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum risk factors.

• Establishes the act to expire January 1, 2020 under the Regulatory Sunset Act, and amends the Medical Practice Act and Nurse Practice Act to recognize licensed midwives and exempt them from other regulatory requirements.