Information for Legislators

MAWS' Legislative Priorities 2026:

Maintain the cap on midwifery professional licensing fees

Preserve the current fee cap of $525 annually. Without this cap, licensing fees would be dramatically higher and risk the loss of Licensed Midwives (LMs). This is critical to preserving access to patient-centered, high-quality, cost effective care with a family’s chosen provider. Under state law, professional licensing fees are required to cover the regulation of the profession; this burdens categories with a small number of providers. Thank you to legislators for the support on this longstanding provision!

Unfortunately, our bill, HB 2329, to enable midwives to direct and hire Medical Assistants, stalled on the House floor during a busy short session, even though it came out of committee unanimously! It was not brought up for a vote this session by the deadline so was unable to move over to the Senate for their consideration. There is interest in reintroducing it in the future.
This bill, led by Rep Barnard, authorizes Licensed Midwives to delegate tasks to medical assistants (within their scope of practice), and continue to collaborate with lactation consultants. The bill will support midwives’ clinical operations, strengthen team-based care, sustainability, and practice growth will especially help assist rural health care providers. Midwives can already direct RNs. This is simply adding LMs to a long list of provider types that can direct MAs.

Cap Birth Center Licensing Fees

Without the passage of a budget proviso (Rep Skyler Rude), Birth Center (BC) license fees would increase by 400% (from $731 to $3,000 for small BC). This is a prohibitively expensive increase and puts our smallest birth centers at risk, especially centers that are rural who are serving maternity deserts and the underserved. Because the current statute requires self-sustaining fees, the governor has commissioned a fee study to examine this recurring issue.

Looking Ahead: Sunrise Review to enable Licensed Midwives to care for clients for routine gynecological care

We will be asking for a Sunrise Review for licensed midwives to be able to offer routine sexual and reproductive healthcare across the reproductive years. This increased access would improve preventative and interpregnancy care, with emphasis on supporting rural communities & the urban underserved. Midwives already provide this care during pregnancy & postpartum.

HB 2429/SB 6224 Supporting Children & Youth Behavioral Health
Restore funding for Perinatal Psychiatry Consultation Line for Providers (Perinatal PCL)
HB 5906 SAFE Act: requires a warrant to access non-public health care areas
SB 6212 Creating a families with children benefit pilot program