HB 1325 2024
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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
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to state -certified doulas; creating s. 2
383.29, F.S.; defining terms; prohibiting persons from 3
using the title "state -certified doula" unless 4
certified under specified provisions; specifying 5
requirements for certification of doulas; prohibiting 6
entities from holding themselves out as providing 7
specified training and education unless approved by 8
the Department of Health for such purpose; requirin g 9
the department to adopt rules; requiring the 10
department to ensure that the state certification 11
requirements for doulas reflect national best 12
practices; requiring the department to maintain a 13
public registry of doulas certified to practice in 14
this state; requiring the department to publish a list 15
of entities approved to provide training and education 16
of doulas for certification purposes; providing 17
construction; providing an effective date. 18
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WHEREAS, preterm birth is defined as a live birth before 37 20
completed weeks of gestation and is associated with increased 21
morbidities or ailments, such as cerebral palsy, breathing 22
issues, feeding problems, developmental delay, and vision and 23
hearing problems, and 24
WHEREAS, Florida's preterm birth rate has risen ann ually 25
HB 1325 2024
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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
since 2014 to its current average rate of 10.9 percent, higher 26
than the national average of 10.5 percent, and 27
WHEREAS, infant mortality is defined as the death of an 28
infant before his or her first birthday, and infant mortality 29
rates indicate the ov erall health of a society, and 30
WHEREAS, the leading causes of infant mortality are birth 31
defects, preterm birth, low birth weight, maternal 32
complications, and sudden infant death syndrome, and 33
WHEREAS, according to the United States Centers for Disease 34
Control and Prevention, Florida's infant mortality rate is 5.9 35
per 1,000 births, higher than the national average of 5.4, with 36
the non-Hispanic black infant mortality rate in Florida being 37
the highest, at a rate of 10.6 per 1,000 births, compared to the 38
rates of 3.4 for non-Hispanic Asians and 4.5 for non -Hispanic 39
whites, and 40
WHEREAS, doula care is the continuous, one -to-one 41
emotional, informational, and physical support provided by a 42
nonmedical professional to pregnant women and their families 43
during pregnancy and the intrapartum period, and 44
WHEREAS, a 2017 review by the Cochrane Database of 45
Systematic Reviews of 26 trials involving doula care for more 46
than 15,000 women in 17 different countries found some improved 47
outcomes for women and infants, such as i ncreased spontaneous 48
vaginal birth, shorter labor times, decreased cesarean delivery 49
and use of regional analgesia, lower 5 -minute Apgar scores, and 50
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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
reduced negative childbirth experiences and feelings, and 51
WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that the American College of 52
Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has acknowledged that the 53
potential benefits of doula support, such as regular nursing 54
care for women in labor paired with the continuous one -to-one 55
emotional support of a doula, is linked with improved ou tcomes 56
and delivery experiences for women, and 57
WHEREAS, the state has a compelling interest in 58
improving maternal and labor outcomes through the use of 59
state-certified doulas, NOW, THEREFORE, 60
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Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 62
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Section 1. Section 383.29, Florida Statutes, is created to 64
read: 65
383.29 State-certified doulas.— 66
(1) As used in this section, the term: 67
(a) "Department" means the Department of Health. 68
(b) "Doula services" means the provision of physical, 69
emotional, and informational support by a nonmedical 70
professional to a pregnant person during the prenatal and 71
intrapartum periods and during the period up to 1 year 72
postpartum. 73
(c) "State-certified doula" means a nonmedical 74
professional trained to provi de doula services who has been 75
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certified by a national credentialing organization approved by 76
the department. 77
(2) A person may not use the title "state -certified doula" 78
unless certified under this section. 79
(3) To be certified as a state -certified doula, a person 80
must meet all of the following criteria: 81
(a) Has received training and education as a doula from an 82
entity approved by the department. 83
(b) Provides doula services. 84
(c) Has been certified as a doula by a credentialing 85
entity approved by the department. 86
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However, a doula who does not meet the education and training 88
requirements of paragraph (a) is still eligible for 89
certification if he or she is certified as a doula by a national 90
credentialing organization approved by the department. 91
(4) An entity may not hold itself out as providing 92
training and education necessary to meet the requirements of 93
paragraph (3)(a) unless its curriculum and training program have 94
been approved by the department for such purpose. 95
(5) The department shall adopt ru les to implement this 96
section, including, but not limited to, specifying requirements 97
for all of the following: 98
(a) Use of the title "state -certified doula." 99
(b) Training and education necessary to satisfy the 100
HB 1325 2024
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requirements for certification by the depa rtment as a state-101
certified doula. 102
(6) The department shall ensure that certification 103
requirements for state -certified doulas reflect national best 104
practices pertaining to doula training and certification. 105
(7) The department shall maintain a public reg istry of 106
state-certified doulas. The department shall also publish a list 107
of entities approved to provide training and education necessary 108
to meet the certification requirements of subsection (3)(a). 109
(8) This section does not prohibit any person not 110
certified under this section from practicing as a doula in this 111
state, provided he or she does not use the title "state -112
certified doula" or otherwise represent himself or herself as 113
being a state-certified doula. 114
Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024. 115