Georgia 2025-2026 Regular Session

Georgia House Bill HB672 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	25 LC 46 1065
2	2	House Bill 672
3	3	By: Representatives Cannon of the 58
4	4	th
5	5	, Bazemore of the 69
6	6	th
7	7	, Miller of the 62
8	8	nd
9	9	, and Bennett
10	10	of the 94
11	11	th
12	12
13	13	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
14	14	AN ACT
15	15	To amend Chapter 2A of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the
16	16	1
17	17	Department of Public Health, so as to enact the "Georgia Dignity in Pregnancy and2
18	18	Childbirth Act"; to provide for definitions; to require perinatal facilities in this state to3
19	19	implement evidence based implicit bias programs for its healthcare professionals; to require4
20	20	certain components in such programs; to provide for initial and refresher training; to provide5
21	21	for the compilation and tracking of data on severe maternal morbidity and pregnancy related6
22	22	deaths; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.7
23	23	BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:8
24	24	SECTION 1.9
25	25	Chapter 2A of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the Department10
26	26	of Public Health, is amended by adding a new article to read as follows:11
27	27	H. B. 672
28	28	- 1 - 25 LC 46 1065
29	29	"ARTICLE 412
30	30	31-2A-60.13
31	31	This article shall be known and may be cited as the 'Georgia Dignity in Pregnancy and14
32	32	Childbirth Act.'15
33	33	31-2A-61.16
34	34	As used in this article, the term:17
35	35	(1) 'Healthcare professional' means a physician or other healthcare practitioner licensed,18
36	36	accredited, or certified to perform specified physical, mental, or behavioral health care19
37	37	services consistent with his or her scope of practice under the laws of this state.20
38	38	(2) 'Implicit bias' means a bias in judgment or behavior that results from subtle cognitive21
39	39	processes, including implicit prejudice and implicit stereotypes that often operate at a22
40	40	level below conscious awareness and without intentional control.23
41	41	(3) 'Implicit prejudice' means prejudicial negative feelings or beliefs about a group that24
42	42	a person holds without being aware of them.25
43	43	(4) 'Implicit stereotypes' means the unconscious attributions of particular qualities to a26
44	44	member of a certain social group. Implicit stereotypes are influenced by experience and27
45	45	are based on learned associations between various qualities and social categories,28
46	46	including race or gender.29
47	47	(5) 'Perinatal care' means the provision of care during pregnancy, labor, delivery, and30
48	48	postpartum and neonatal periods.31
49	49	(6) 'Perinatal facility' means a hospital, clinic, or birthing center that provides perinatal32
50	50	care.33
51	51	(7) 'Pregnancy related death' means the death of a person while pregnant or within 36534
52	52	days of the end of a pregnancy, irrespective of the duration or site of the pregnancy, from35
53	53	H. B. 672
54	54	- 2 - 25 LC 46 1065
55	55	any cause related to, or aggravated by, the pregnancy or its management, but not from36
56	56	accidental or incidental causes.37
57	57	31-2A-62.38
58	58	(a) Every perinatal facility in this state shall implement an evidence based implicit bias39
59	59	program for all healthcare professionals involved in the perinatal care of patients within40
60	60	such facility.41
61	61	(b) An implicit bias program implemented pursuant to subsection (a) of this Code section42
62	62	shall include the following:43
63	63	(1) Identification of previous or current unconscious biases and misinformation;44
64	64	(2) Identification of personal, interpersonal, institutional, structural, and cultural barriers45
65	65	to inclusion;46
66	66	(3) Corrective measures to decrease implicit bias at the interpersonal and institutional47
67	67	levels, including ongoing policies and practices for that purpose;48
68	68	(4) Information on the effects, including, but not limited to, ongoing personal effects, of49
69	69	historical and contemporary exclusion and oppression of minority communities;50
70	70	(5) Information about cultural identity across racial or ethnic groups;51
71	71	(6) Information about communicating more effectively across identities, including race,52
72	72	ethnicity, religion, and gender;53
73	73	(7) Discussion on power dynamics and organizational decision making;54
74	74	(8) Discussion on health inequities within the perinatal care field, including information55
75	75	on how implicit bias impacts maternal and infant health outcomes;56
76	76	(9) Perspectives of diverse, local constituency groups and experts on particular racial,57
77	77	identity, cultural, and provider-community relations issues in the community; and58
78	78	(10) Information on reproductive justice.59
79	79	(c)(1) A healthcare professional shall complete initial basic training through the implicit60
80	80	bias program based on the components described in subsection (b) of this Code section.61
81	81	H. B. 672
82	82	- 3 - 25 LC 46 1065
83	83	(2) Upon completion of the initial basic training, a healthcare professional shall complete62
84	84	a refresher course under the implicit bias program every two years thereafter, or on a63
85	85	more frequent basis if deemed necessary by the perinatal facility, in order to keep current64
86	86	with changing racial, identity, and cultural trends and best practices in decreasing65
87	87	interpersonal and institutional implicit bias.66
88	88	(d) Each perinatal facility in this state shall provide a certificate of training completion to67
89	89	another perinatal facility or a training attendee upon request. A perinatal facility may68
90	90	accept a certificate of completion from another perinatal facility to satisfy the training69
91	91	requirement contained in this Code section from a healthcare professional who works in70
92	92	more than one perinatal facility.71
93	93	(e) If a healthcare professional involved in the perinatal care of patients is not directly72
94	94	employed by a perinatal facility, the facility shall offer the training to such healthcare73
95	95	professional.74
96	96	31-2A-63.75
97	97	(a)(1) The department shall collect and track data on severe maternal morbidity,76
98	98	including, but not limited to, all of the following health conditions:77
99	99	(A) Obstetric hemorrhage;78
100	100	(B) Hypertension;79
101	101	(C) Preeclampsia and eclampsia;80
102	102	(D) Venous thromboembolism;81
103	103	(E) Sepsis;82
104	104	(F) Cerebrovascular accident; and83
105	105	(G) Amniotic fluid embolism.84
106	106	(2) The data on severe maternal morbidity collected pursuant to this subsection shall be85
107	107	published at least once every three years after all of the following have occurred:86
108	108	H. B. 672
109	109	- 4 - 25 LC 46 1065
110	110	(A) The data have been aggregated by state regions, as defined by the department, to87
111	111	ensure the data reflect how regionalized care systems are or should be collaborating to88
112	112	improve maternal health outcomes, or other smaller regional sorting based on standard89
113	113	statistical methods for accurate dissemination of public health data without risking a90
114	114	confidentiality or other disclosure breach; and91
115	115	(B) The data have been disaggregated by racial and ethnic identity.92
116	116	(b)(1) The department shall collect and track data on pregnancy related deaths, including,93
117	117	but not limited to, all of the conditions listed in subsection (a) of this Code section,94
118	118	indirect obstetric deaths, and other maternal disorders predominantly related to pregnancy95
119	119	and complications predominantly related to the postpartum period.96
120	120	(2) The data on pregnancy related deaths collected pursuant to this subsection shall be97
121	121	published at least once every three years after all of the following have occurred:98
122	122	(A) The data have been aggregated by state regions, as defined by the department, to99
123	123	ensure the data reflect how regionalized care systems are or should be collaborating to100
124	124	improve maternal health outcomes, or other smaller regional sorting based on standard101
125	125	statistical methods for accurate dissemination of public health data without risking a102
126	126	confidentiality or other disclosure breach; and103
127	127	(B) The data have been disaggregated by racial and ethnic identity."104
128	128	SECTION 2.105
129	129	All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.106
130	130	H. B. 672
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