MIDWIVES' ASSOCIATION OF WASHINGTON STATE (MAWS)
2010 LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

MAWS Annual Lobby Day took place on Thursday, January 21 in Olympia. The following are our 2010 agenda items. The legislative session is nearly over, and we'll report on the outcomes soon!

Licensed midwives are a key part of the solution to escalating health care costs. Midwives provide comprehensive, high-quality prenatal care, have excellent birth outcomes, and promote and support breastfeeding—all at significant savings to the state.

Preserve the Midwifery Advisory Committee - Oppose HB 2617& SB 6426
Although the Governor’s rationale for eliminating boards and commissions in a tight budget year is clear, MAWS requests that the Midwifery Advisory Committee (MAC) not be among the entities slated for elimination. This important, multidisciplinary committee advises the Department of Health about regulatory issues that affect licensed midwives. The committee has taken steps not to consume state resources by meeting via teleconference, and even more importantly, midwives that are on the Midwifery Advisory Committee voluntarily review complaints that come into the Department to determine whether the complaints meet threshold criteria for investigation. If the MAC is eliminated, the DOH will have to hire outside experts to do this initial review of complaints, which will drive up costs rather than control them. The Governor wants to “cut bureaucracy,” but the presence of the MAC is actually a cost-saver. We encourage removal of the Midwifery Advisory Committee from the Governor’s request legislation.

Give midwives access to HEAL-WA – Support HB 2435
When HEAL-WA, the UW health resource for health care providers, was established in the Blue Ribbon Commission bill in 2007, licensed midwives were inadvertently overlooked. HB 2435 would add licensed midwives to the list of health care professionals that have access to the resource, allowing them to practice evidence-based care no matter where they are located in the state. This is a health and safety issue for consumers and midwives, and we urge your support of the bill.

Maintain the current cap on midwifery licensing fees
In 2009, MAWS successfully obtained a budget proviso to cap midwives’ licensing fees at $450 a year for the 2009-2011 biennium. Licensing fees were projected by the Department of Health to be approximately $1500, which would have forced some midwives out of their profession. Using a 2007 independent study commissioned by the legislature, plus updated data from the Department of Social and Health Services First Steps Database, we were able to demonstrate that licensed midwives save the state $3.1 million per biennium. The $118,000 budget proviso clearly provides excellent value as it allows the approximately 100 currently licensed midwives to remain in practice, enables more midwives to enter the profession, and allows consumers and the state to continue to reap the benefits of this safe and cost-effective care. In this exceedingly difficult budget year, we simply ask that the current proviso not be eliminated as the final 2010 supplemental budget is written.

Support anti-shackling legislation - Support HB 2747
Incarcerated women are commonly shackled during labor and childbirth in our state. A bill by Sen. Karen Fraser would prevent this inhumane practice. Laboring and birthing women are not a flight risk and it is potentially harmful to the woman and her child to keep them shackled.