HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.C.R. NO. |
65 |
TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2016 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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HOUSE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
Requesting the auditor to perform a sunrise analysis of the regulation of certified professional midwives.
WHEREAS, in Hawaii, the only licensed professionals regulated by the State to provide prenatal care and assist with childbirth are medical licensees such as doctors and nurse practitioners; and
WHEREAS, for women with complications, medical intervention is invaluable, but many women have relatively uncomplicated births in which the services of a trained midwife could be of value in providing an out-of-hospital childbirth; and
WHEREAS, reproductive choice includes choice of practitioner and treatment modality and midwifery should be available to any woman who chooses to pursue home birth; and
WHEREAS, a Certified Professional Midwife is a knowledgeable, skilled, and professional independent midwifery practitioner who has met the standards for certification set by the North American Registry of Midwives and is qualified to provide the Midwives Model of Care; and
WHEREAS, over 200 women and their families across the State each calendar year utilize the services of Certified Professional Midwives; and
WHEREAS, Certified Professional Midwives are
regulated and authorized to practice in 30 states and, as of 2016, legislation
is pending in 11 more states to regulate Certified Professional Midwives; and
WHEREAS, the lack of licensure for Certified Professional Midwives may
harm the public while causing confusion amongst Certified Professional Midwives
who are licensed in another state and move to this State; and
WHEREAS, the establishment of a licensing program for currently unregulated Certified Professional Midwives in the State under the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs will provide necessary oversight; and
WHEREAS, under section 26H-6, Hawaii Revised Statutes, a sunrise analysis by the Auditor must occur prior to initiating the regulation of a previously unregulated profession; and
WHEREAS, in March 1999, a sunrise analysis was conducted by the Auditor pursuant to section 26H-6 and concluded that regulation of Certified Professional Midwives was warranted; and
WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that it has been 17 years since the last sunrise analysis was conducted by the Auditor and since 1990, 26 other states have adopted regulatory programs governing Certified Professional Midwives; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2016, the Senate concurring, that the Auditor is requested to perform an analysis of the proposed regulation of the profession of Certified Professional Midwife, as proposed in House Bill No. 1899, House Draft 1 (2016); and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Auditor is requested to set forth the probable effects of the proposed regulation and to assess whether the proposed regulation is consistent with the policies set forth in section 26H-2, Hawaii Revised Statutes, and whether there are alternative appropriate forms of regulation; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Auditor is requested to transmit findings of the sunrise analysis to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2017; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Auditor, and President of the Midwives Alliance of Hawaii.
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OFFERED BY: |
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Requesting the auditor to perform a sunrise analysis of the regulation of certified professional midwives.