Arkansas 2025 Regular Session

Arkansas House Bill HB1252 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
2		-	Act 965 of the Regular Session
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4		-
5		-	State of Arkansas As Engrossed: H2/13/25 S4/3/25 1
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	3	+	State of Arkansas 1
6	4		95th General Assembly A Bill 2
7	5		Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1252 3
8	6		4
9	7		By: Representative L. Johnson 5
10		-	~~By: Senator Irvin~~ 6
	8	+	6
11	9		7
12	10		For An Act To Be Entitled 8
13	11		AN ACT TO ESTABLISH THE CERTIFIED COMMUNITY -BASED 9
14	12		DOULA CERTIFICATION ACT; TO CERTIFY BIRTH AND 10
15	13		POSTPARTUM DOULAS IN THIS STATE TO IMPROVE MATERNAL 11
16	14		AND INFANT OUTCOMES; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 12
17	15		13
18	16		14
19	17		Subtitle 15
20	18		TO ESTABLISH THE CERTIFIED COMMUNITY -16
21	19		BASED DOULA CERTIFICATION ACT; AND TO 17
22	20		CERTIFY BIRTH AND POSTPARTUM DOULAS IN 18
23	21		THIS STATE TO IMPROVE MATERNAL AND 19
24	22		INFANT OUTCOMES. 20
25	23		21
26	24		BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 22
27	25		23
28	26		SECTION 1. Arkansas Code Title 17, is amended to add an additional 24
29	27		chapter to read as follows: 25
30	28		CHAPTER 108 26
31	29		27
32	30		CERTIFIED COMMUNITY-BASED DOULA CERTIFICATION ACT 28
33	31		29
34	32		Subchapter 1 - General Provisions 30
35	33		31
36	34		17-108-101. Title. 32
37	35		This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Certified 33
38	36		Community-Based Doula Certification Act”. 34
39	37		35
40		-	17-108-102. Definitions. 36 ~~As Engrossed: H2/13/25 S4/3/25~~ HB1252
	38	+	17-108-102. Definitions. 36 HB1252
41	39
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45	41		As used in this chapter: 1
46	42		(1) "Certified community -based doula" means an individual who is 2
47	43		a trained professional and provides nonclinical emotional, physical, and 3
48	44		informational support to women, before and during pregnancy and continuing 4
49	45		through the postpartum period; and 5
50	46		(2) “Health benefit plan” means an individual, blanket, or group 6
51	47		plan, policy, or contract for healthcare services issued or delivered in this 7
52	48		state by a healthcare insurer, health maintenance organization, hospital 8
53	49		medical service corporation, or self -insured governmental or church plan in 9
54	50		this state. 10
55	51		Subchapter 2 - Certification 11
56	52		12
57	53		17-108-201. Certified community -based doula — Certification. 13
58	54		(a) The Department of Health shall issue a certification to be a 14
59	55		certified community-based doula to an individual who: 15
60	56		(1) Is eighteen (18) years of age or older; 16
61	57		(2) Submits evidence of: 17
62	58		(A) Maintaining a certification from a doula certification 18
63	59		organization designated by the department under § 17 -108-203; or 19
64	60		(B) Holding a certificate as a doula by the Doula Alliance 20
65	61		of Arkansas; and 21
66	62		(3) Submits an application with an application fee of fifty 22
67	63		dollars ($50.00). 23
68	64		(b)(1) A certification under this section is valid for two (2) years 24
69	65		after the date of issuance. 25
70	66		(2) To renew a certification, a doula shall: 26
71	67		(A)(i) Complete ten (10) hours of professional development 27
72	68		requirements and training over two (2) years. 28
73	69		(ii) The department, in conjunction with the Doula 29
74	70		Alliance of Arkansas, may adopt rules relating to the tracking by the 30
75	71		department of professional development and training; and 31
76	72		(B) Submit a renewal application with a renewal 32
77	73		application fee as determined by the department. 33
78	74		(c) The department shall create and maintain a registry of certified 34
79	75		community-based doulas to be made available to the public. 35
80		-	36 ~~As Engrossed: H2/13/25 S4/3/25~~ HB1252
	76	+	36 HB1252
81	77
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85	79		17-108-202. Suspension, revocation, nonissuance, or nonrenewal. 1
86	80		(a) The Department of Health may suspend, revoke, or refuse to issue 2
87	81		or renew the certification of a certified community -based doula for: 3
88	82		(1) Securing a certification under this chapter through fraud or 4
89	83		deceit; 5
90	84		(2) Unethical conduct, gross ignorance, or inefficiency in the 6
91	85		conduct of his or her practice; 7
92	86		(3) Using a false name or an alias in his or her practice; 8
93	87		(4) Violating any provision of this chapter; or 9
94	88		(5) Failing to comply with any of the requirements for issuance 10
95	89		of the certification. 11
96	90		(b) Proceedings under this section shall comply with the Arkansas 12
97	91		Administrative Procedure Act, § 25 -15-201 et seq. 13
98	92		14
99	93		17-108-203. Designated doula certification organizations. 15
100	94		(a) The Department of Health, in conjunction with the Doula Alliance 16
101	95		of Arkansas, shall establish criteria for an organization to be designated as 17
102	96		a doula certification organization. 18
103	97		(b)(1) The department, in conjunction with the Doula Alliance of 19
104	98		Arkansas, shall periodically review the doula certification organizations 20
105	99		designated by the department. 21
106	100		(2) The department, in conjunction with the Doula Alliance of 22
107	101		Arkansas, may: 23
108	102		(A) Designate additional organizations as doula 24
109	103		certification organizations for the purpose of certifying doulas for 25
110	104		inclusion on the registry of certified community -based doulas; and 26
111	105		(B)(i) Remove the designation of a doula certification 27
112	106		organization previously designated. 28
113	107		(ii) If the department removes a designation, the 29
114	108		department shall provide notice of the removal by publication on the 30
115	109		department's website and specify the date after which a certification by the 31
116	110		doula certification organization no longer authorizes a doula certified by 32
117	111		the doula certification organization to be included on the certified 33
118	112		community-based doula registry. 34
119	113		(c)(1) A doula certification organization seeking designation under 35
120		-	this section shall provide the department with evidence that the doula 36 ~~As Engrossed: H2/13/25 S4/3/25~~ HB1252
	114	+	this section shall provide the department with evidence that the doula 36 HB1252
121	115
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125	117		certification organization satisfies designation criteria established by the 1
126	118		department. 2
127	119		(2) If the department designates a doula certification 3
128	120		organization under this section, the department shall provide notice of the 4
129	121		designation by publication on the department's website for the certified 5
130	122		community-based doula registry and specify the date after which a 6
131	123		certification by the doula certification organization authorizes a doula 7
132	124		certified by the organization to be included on the certified community -based 8
133	125		doula registry. 9
134	126		(d) This section does not prohibit an individual from submitting his 10
135	127		or her doula certification to the department without involvement of a doula 11
136	128		certification organization. 12
137	129		13
138	130		Subchapter 3 - Miscellaneous Provisions 14
139	131		15
140	132		17-108-301. Scope of practice. 16
141	133		A certified community -based doula under this chapter shall perform only 17
142	134		the following types of services: 18
143	135		(1) Providing childbirth education; 19
144	136		(2) Helping pregnant women navigate the healthcare system; 20
145	137		(3) Advocating for pregnant women before, during, and after the 21
146	138		birth of a child; 22
147	139		(4) Connecting pregnant women with community resources; and 23
148	140		(5) Supporting pregnant women with continuous emotional and 24
149	141		physical support throughout labor and birth and intermittently during the 25
150	142		prenatal and postpartum periods. 26
151	143		27
152	144		17-108-302. Patient and personal data and information. 28
153	145		(a) Patient and personal data and information accessed or attained by 29
154	146		a certified community -based doula under this chapter is exempt from 30
155	147		disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act of 1967, § 25 -19-101 et seq., 31
156	148		and is confidential and privileged as otherwise required by federal law. 32
157	149		(b) If a certified community -based doula under this chapter does not 33
158	150		maintain the confidential and privileged nature of the patient data or 34
159	151		information, the doula shall be subject to any penalty under state and 35
160		-	federal law for a breach of confidential patient data or information. 36 ~~As Engrossed: H2/13/25 S4/3/25~~ HB1252
	152	+	federal law for a breach of confidential patient data or information. 36 HB1252
161	153
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165	155		1
166	156		17-108-303. Certified community -based doula compensation. 2
167	157		(a) A certified community -based doula under this chapter shall receive 3
168	158		compensation for services provided from: 4
169	159		(1) The Arkansas Medicaid Program; and 5
170	160		(2) A health benefit plan. 6
171	161		(b) Services described in subsection (a) of this section shall include 7
172		-	~~support during a hospital delivery and during the prenatal and postpartum~~ 8
173		-	~~periods as defined through rules established by the Department of Human~~ 9
174		-	~~Services.~~ 10
175		-	~~17-108-304. Rules.~~ 11
176		-	~~(a) The Department of Health may promulgate rules relating to the~~ 12
177		-	~~certification and regulation of certified community -based~~ ~~doulas under this~~ 13
178		-	~~subchapter and relating to the designation of an organization as a doula~~ 14
179		-	~~certification organization.~~ 15
180		-	~~(b) On or before December 31, 2025, the Department of Human Services~~ 16
181		-	~~shall~~ promulgate rules relating to the ~~reimbursement of doulas under the~~ 17
182		-	~~Arkansas Medicaid Program.~~ 18
183		-	19
184		-	~~/s/L~~. ~~Johnson~~ 20
185		-	21
186		-	22
187		-	~~APPROVED: 4/21/25~~ 23
	162	+	without limitation: 8
	163	+	(1) Four (4) one-hour prenatal visits; 9
	164	+	(2) Two (2) one-hour postpartum visits; 10
	165	+	(3) Up to fourteen (14) hours providing support during a 11
	166	+	hospital delivery; and 12
	167	+	(4) Up to fifty (50) hours postpartum support during the day or 13
	168	+	night through sixteen (16) weeks. 14
	169	+	15
	170	+	17-108-304. Rules. 16
	171	+	(a) The Department of Health may promulgate rules relating to the 17
	172	+	certification and regulation of certified community -based doulas under this 18
	173	+	subchapter and relating to the designation of an organization as a doula 19
	174	+	certification organization. 20
	175	+	(b) On or before December 31, 2025, the Department of Human Services 21
	176	+	shall promulgate rules relating to the reimbursement of doulas under the 22
	177	+	Arkansas Medicaid Program. 23
188	178		24
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190	180		26
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