Health occupation definitions amended to include licensed certified midwife, licensure established for certified midwives, civil and criminal penalties established, and medical assistance coverage expanded to licensed certified midwife services.
HF1010 creates a new licensing framework for certified midwives in Minnesota under a proposed new chapter 148G, the Minnesota Certified Midwife Practice Act. It defines who qualifies as a certified midwife, requires national certification and completion of an accredited graduate-level midwifery education program, and places licensing and oversight authority with the Minnesota Board of Nursing. The bill also sets renewal, relicensure, reporting, and disciplinary procedures, and requires licensed certified midwives to use the title “CM.”
The bill authorizes certified midwives to provide a broad scope of practice, including primary women’s health care, pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum care, newborn care, family planning, gynecological care, ordering and interpreting certain diagnostic tests, and prescribing medications and therapeutic devices, including controlled substances subject to federal requirements. It also establishes fees, approval standards for midwifery education programs, and detailed grounds for discipline, including unprofessional conduct, scope violations, fraud, and certain criminal convictions. The bill amends related statutes so certified midwives are treated as “practitioners” for drug law purposes and are included in controlled-substance prescribing authority.
HF1010 also expands Medical Assistance coverage to services performed by licensed certified midwives when those services would otherwise be covered as physician services and are within the midwife’s licensed scope of practice. In addition, it exempts licensed certified midwives from the state’s traditional midwifery chapter, while preserving the separate status of traditional midwifery and allowing limited exemptions for emergencies, students, and out-of-state midwives in temporary educational or professional roles. The act is set to take effect July 1, 2026.
The overall sentiment reflected in the bill’s authorship and structure is supportive of formalizing certified midwifery as a regulated health profession and expanding access to maternity and women’s health services. The bill was introduced by a bipartisan group of House authors and was referred from the Health Finance and Policy Committee to Judiciary Finance and Civil Law, suggesting it was treated as a significant professional-regulation measure rather than a narrow technical change. No recorded votes or committee transcript excerpts were provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate outcomes or floor-level opposition in the supplied materials.
The main points of potential contention are the scope of practice and the level of autonomy granted to certified midwives, especially the authority to diagnose, prescribe, and manage care, including controlled substances. Related concerns may include patient safety, oversight by the Board of Nursing, and the bill’s disciplinary and reporting provisions, which are extensive and punitive. Another likely issue is the interaction between certified midwifery and existing traditional midwifery or physician/advanced practice nursing roles, as the bill draws a clear legal distinction between licensed certified midwives and traditional midwives while expanding the former’s authority and public program coverage.
The bill would add a new licensure category for certified midwives in Minnesota law, create a new chapter governing their practice, and amend existing statutes governing nursing, pharmacy, controlled substances, and Medical Assistance. It would also make certified midwives recognized practitioners for purposes of prescribing and dispensing laws and require the Board of Nursing to regulate education programs, licensing, discipline, and enforcement. For patients and payers, the bill would expand access to covered midwifery services under Medical Assistance when those services fall within the certified midwife scope and are otherwise covered physician-type services.
The bill appears generally favorable toward expanding midwifery access and professional recognition, with bipartisan authorship and no recorded opposition or vote history in the provided materials. Its structure suggests a policy goal of integrating certified midwives into the regulated health care system with formal oversight, rather than leaving the role unregulated. Because no committee transcript or vote data were provided, the record does not show specific support or opposition statements, but the bill’s detailed regulatory framework indicates an effort to balance expanded practice authority with oversight and discipline.
Likely areas of contention include whether certified midwives should be allowed to diagnose, prescribe, and manage care independently within their scope, including controlled substances, and whether the Board of Nursing is the appropriate regulator. Stakeholders concerned about scope expansion, patient safety, or overlap with physicians, nurse practitioners, and traditional midwives may object to the breadth of authority granted. Supporters are likely to emphasize access to maternity care, especially in underserved areas, and the bill’s safeguards such as national certification, accredited education, reporting requirements, and disciplinary authority.