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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 749 FILED ON: 1/17/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2187
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PRESENTED BY:
Patricia A. Haddad
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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act relative to conducting fetal and infant mortality review.
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PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Patricia A. Haddad5th Bristol1/17/2023Carole A. Fiola6th Bristol2/7/2023 1 of 2
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 749 FILED ON: 1/17/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2187
By Representative Haddad of Somerset, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2187) of
Patricia A. Haddad and Carole A. Fiola relative to conducting fetal and infant mortality review.
Public Health.
[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 2312 OF 2021-2022.]
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)
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An Act relative to conducting fetal and infant mortality review.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 SECTION 1. Chapter 38 of the general laws is hereby amended by inserting after section
22A the following section: --
3 Section 2B. As used in this section, the term below shall have the following meaning: -
4 “Authorized local health agency”, shall mean a health board, department, or other
5governmental entity that is authorized by the department of public health to receive timely data
6relative to fetal and infant deaths for assessing, planning, improving and monitoring the service
7systems and community resources that support child and maternal health.
8 The department of public health shall establish a process for designating authorized local
9health agencies. This process may include reasonable criteria regarding the level of expertise, 2 of 2
10workforce capacity, or organizational capacity. Authorized local health agencies shall be
11authorized to conduct in-depth fetal infant mortality review of each individual infant and fetal
12death occurring within their jurisdiction, in order to identify local factors associated with fetal
13and infant deaths and inform public health policy programs.
14 For each case of fetal or infant death to be reviewed, authorized local health agencies are
15hereby authorized to collect relevant data from a variety of sources, which may include physician
16and hospital records in addition to relevant community program records. Authorized local health
17agencies are authorized to collect, and the department is authorized to provide, timely access to
18vital records and other data reasonably necessary for fetal and infant mortality review.
19 The department may issue additional guidance through policy or regulation, consistent
20with this section, regarding the process for conducting fetal infant mortality reviews by
21authorized local health agencies, which may include guidance from the National Fetal and Infant
22Mortality Review Program.