An act to amend Sections 1317.1 and 1317.10 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to health care.
Summary
AB 1696 makes two targeted changes to California health care law. First, it amends the definition of “emergency services and care” in the Health and Safety Code to clarify that a licensed nurse-midwife does not need physician supervision when providing emergency services and care within the nurse-midwife’s authorized scope of practice. Second, it makes a conforming change to a special provision governing Stanford Hospital and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford, again clarifying that nurse-midwives may provide emergency services and care within their licensure without physician supervision.
The bill also includes a separate, largely nonsubstantive amendment to Business and Professions Code Section 311 concerning the Department of Consumer Affairs director’s authority to create an interdepartmental advisory committee. The measure states that no reimbursement to local agencies or school districts is required, and the legislative digest notes that the bill would change the scope of a crime-related provision, creating a state-mandated local program but with no reimbursement required under the bill’s stated findings.
Impact
AB 1696 would primarily affect Health and Safety Code Sections 1317.1 and 1317.10 by expressly removing any implication that physician supervision is required for nurse-midwives when they are delivering emergency services and care within their lawful scope of practice. This clarification would apply in emergency department and active-labor contexts, including the Stanford-specific transfer arrangement in Section 1317.10. The bill does not appear to expand the scope of licensure for nurse-midwives; instead, it clarifies how existing licensure authority interacts with emergency-care requirements. It also makes a technical, nonsubstantive update to Business and Professions Code Section 311 regarding the Department of Consumer Affairs director’s advisory committee authority.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests the bill was received favorably and with little opposition. It passed committee with strong bipartisan support, including a 15-1 vote on April 14 and a 12-0 vote on April 29, and the most recent committee action reported a 11-0 do pass recommendation to the Appropriations Committee with a recommendation to place it on the consent calendar. No committee transcript was provided, but the vote margins indicate broad agreement that the measure is a narrow clarification rather than a major policy change.
Contention
The main substantive issue is whether nurse-midwives should be able to provide emergency services and care without direct physician supervision when acting within their existing scope of licensure. Support appears to center on aligning emergency-care rules with current nurse-midwife authority and reducing ambiguity in urgent clinical settings. Any concern would likely come from parties attentive to supervision requirements, hospital liability, or the boundaries of midwifery practice, but the bill text repeatedly states that it does not expand licensure scope. The Stanford-specific provision is also a narrow point of attention, though it is framed as a conforming clarification rather than a broader policy shift.
An act to add Article 7 (commencing with Section 128570) to Chapter 5 of Part 3 of Division 107 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to maternal care and services.
An act to amend Section 1367.66 of the Health and Safety Code, to amend Section 10123.18 of the Insurance Code, and to amend Sections 14132, 14132.17, and 24007 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to health care coverage.
An act to amend Sections 103825, 103835, 103840, 103845, 103850, 103855, 124977, 124991, and 125002 of, and to add Sections 103827 and 103832 to, the Health and Safety Code, relating to public health.