MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama House passed a “housekeeping bill” for the State Board of Midwifery Tuesday on a vote of 100-0.
House Bill 128, sponsored by Rep. Marilyn Lands, D-Huntsville, authorizes the board to accept gifts and grants instead of solely relying on licensing fees and fines.
“With such a small number of licensees, costs are spread among very few people, which can result in sharp fee increases, as we’ve recently seen in Alaska,” Lands said. “Allowing grants and donations would provide alternative funding, and it would help stabilize or reduce fees, lower barriers for new midwives to enter the practice and improve access to care statewide.”
Lawmakers passed legislation to legalize midwifery and create the State Board of Midwifery in 2017 after a ban on the profession of more than 40 years. There are only 35 currently licensed midwives in the state, according to the midwifery board’s website.
These updates were part of a midwifery bill passed by the Senate last year, but that bill was never voted on in the House. They were also included in a House bill last session that never made it to committee.
House Bill 128 also makes minor revisions to existing law removing a reference to an organization that no longer exists and a sentence specifying that a chair cannot serve consecutive terms.
The bill now heads to the Senate.
The House passed 24 other bills Tuesday, most of them local legislation that only affect certain localities or counties.