Florida 2024 Regular Session

Florida House Bill H1325 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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10	10	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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14	14	A bill to be entitled 1
15	15	An act relating to state -certified doulas; creating s. 2
16	16	383.29, F.S.; defining terms; prohibiting persons from 3
17	17	using the title "state -certified doula" unless 4
18	18	certified under specified provisions; specifying 5
19	19	requirements for certification of doulas; prohibiting 6
20	20	entities from holding themselves out as providing 7
21	21	specified training and education unless approved by 8
22	22	the Department of Health for such purpose; requirin g 9
23	23	the department to adopt rules; requiring the 10
24	24	department to ensure that the state certification 11
25	25	requirements for doulas reflect national best 12
26	26	practices; requiring the department to maintain a 13
27	27	public registry of doulas certified to practice in 14
28	28	this state; requiring the department to publish a list 15
29	29	of entities approved to provide training and education 16
30	30	of doulas for certification purposes; providing 17
31	31	construction; providing an effective date. 18
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33	33	WHEREAS, preterm birth is defined as a live birth before 37 20
34	34	completed weeks of gestation and is associated with increased 21
35	35	morbidities or ailments, such as cerebral palsy, breathing 22
36	36	issues, feeding problems, developmental delay, and vision and 23
37	37	hearing problems, and 24
38	38	WHEREAS, Florida's preterm birth rate has risen ann ually 25
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47	47	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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51	51	since 2014 to its current average rate of 10.9 percent, higher 26
52	52	than the national average of 10.5 percent, and 27
53	53	WHEREAS, infant mortality is defined as the death of an 28
54	54	infant before his or her first birthday, and infant mortality 29
55	55	rates indicate the ov erall health of a society, and 30
56	56	WHEREAS, the leading causes of infant mortality are birth 31
57	57	defects, preterm birth, low birth weight, maternal 32
58	58	complications, and sudden infant death syndrome, and 33
59	59	WHEREAS, according to the United States Centers for Disease 34
60	60	Control and Prevention, Florida's infant mortality rate is 5.9 35
61	61	per 1,000 births, higher than the national average of 5.4, with 36
62	62	the non-Hispanic black infant mortality rate in Florida being 37
63	63	the highest, at a rate of 10.6 per 1,000 births, compared to the 38
64	64	rates of 3.4 for non-Hispanic Asians and 4.5 for non -Hispanic 39
65	65	whites, and 40
66	66	WHEREAS, doula care is the continuous, one -to-one 41
67	67	emotional, informational, and physical support provided by a 42
68	68	nonmedical professional to pregnant women and their families 43
69	69	during pregnancy and the intrapartum period, and 44
70	70	WHEREAS, a 2017 review by the Cochrane Database of 45
71	71	Systematic Reviews of 26 trials involving doula care for more 46
72	72	than 15,000 women in 17 different countries found some improved 47
73	73	outcomes for women and infants, such as i ncreased spontaneous 48
74	74	vaginal birth, shorter labor times, decreased cesarean delivery 49
75	75	and use of regional analgesia, lower 5 -minute Apgar scores, and 50
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84	84	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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88	88	reduced negative childbirth experiences and feelings, and 51
89	89	WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that the American College of 52
90	90	Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has acknowledged that the 53
91	91	potential benefits of doula support, such as regular nursing 54
92	92	care for women in labor paired with the continuous one -to-one 55
93	93	emotional support of a doula, is linked with improved ou tcomes 56
94	94	and delivery experiences for women, and 57
95	95	WHEREAS, the state has a compelling interest in 58
96	96	improving maternal and labor outcomes through the use of 59
97	97	state-certified doulas, NOW, THEREFORE, 60
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99	99	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 62
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101	101	Section 1. Section 383.29, Florida Statutes, is created to 64
102	102	read: 65
103	103	383.29 State-certified doulas.— 66
104	104	(1) As used in this section, the term: 67
105	105	(a) "Department" means the Department of Health. 68
106	106	(b) "Doula services" means the provision of physical, 69
107	107	emotional, and informational support by a nonmedical 70
108	108	professional to a pregnant person during the prenatal and 71
109	109	intrapartum periods and during the period up to 1 year 72
110	110	postpartum. 73
111	111	(c) "State-certified doula" means a nonmedical 74
112	112	professional trained to provi de doula services who has been 75
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121	121	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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125	125	certified by a national credentialing organization approved by 76
126	126	the department. 77
127	127	(2) A person may not use the title "state -certified doula" 78
128	128	unless certified under this section. 79
129	129	(3) To be certified as a state -certified doula, a person 80
130	130	must meet all of the following criteria: 81
131	131	(a) Has received training and education as a doula from an 82
132	132	entity approved by the department. 83
133	133	(b) Provides doula services. 84
134	134	(c) Has been certified as a doula by a credentialing 85
135	135	entity approved by the department. 86
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137	137	However, a doula who does not meet the education and training 88
138	138	requirements of paragraph (a) is still eligible for 89
139	139	certification if he or she is certified as a doula by a national 90
140	140	credentialing organization approved by the department. 91
141	141	(4) An entity may not hold itself out as providing 92
142	142	training and education necessary to meet the requirements of 93
143	143	paragraph (3)(a) unless its curriculum and training program have 94
144	144	been approved by the department for such purpose. 95
145	145	(5) The department shall adopt ru les to implement this 96
146	146	section, including, but not limited to, specifying requirements 97
147	147	for all of the following: 98
148	148	(a) Use of the title "state -certified doula." 99
149	149	(b) Training and education necessary to satisfy the 100
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158	158	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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162	162	requirements for certification by the depa rtment as a state-101
163	163	certified doula. 102
164	164	(6) The department shall ensure that certification 103
165	165	requirements for state -certified doulas reflect national best 104
166	166	practices pertaining to doula training and certification. 105
167	167	(7) The department shall maintain a public reg istry of 106
168	168	state-certified doulas. The department shall also publish a list 107
169	169	of entities approved to provide training and education necessary 108
170	170	to meet the certification requirements of subsection (3)(a). 109
171	171	(8) This section does not prohibit any person not 110
172	172	certified under this section from practicing as a doula in this 111
173	173	state, provided he or she does not use the title "state -112
174	174	certified doula" or otherwise represent himself or herself as 113
175	175	being a state-certified doula. 114
176	176	Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024. 115