Senate Bill 617 would create a new licensing framework in North Carolina for Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) by adding a new Article 10B to Chapter 90 of the General Statutes. The bill defines CPMs, makes it unlawful to practice or hold oneself out as a licensed CPM without a license, and exempts nurse midwives, physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, registered nurses acting within their scope, and emergency childbirth assistance. It establishes a new North Carolina Council of Midwives within the Department of Health and Human Services to administer the program, adopt rules, review standards, issue and discipline licenses, collect practice data, and educate the public and other maternity-care providers.
The bill sets detailed licensure requirements, including national CPM certification through NARM or another accredited certifying body, completion of required education and clinical training, CPR and neonatal resuscitation certification, and agreement to follow council rules. Licensed CPMs would be authorized to provide care for healthy clients with expected normal pregnancies and births, obtain informed consent, order certain routine tests, develop emergency transfer plans, remain with the mother through stabilization after birth, and file birth certificates. The council would also create a formulary of drugs and devices CPMs may use, set fees, handle renewals and reciprocity, and take disciplinary action for misconduct, false statements, criminal conduct, substance abuse, incompetence, or rule violations.
If enacted, the bill would change state law by formally recognizing and regulating CPM practice, creating a new occupational licensing regime, and placing oversight under DHHS through a new council. It would also affect maternity-care providers, midwives, clients seeking community or out-of-hospital birth services, and health care facilities that may interact with CPMs. The bill includes a liability protection provision stating that health care providers and medical facilities are not liable for childbirth injuries caused by a licensed CPM, even if they consulted with or accepted a referral from that CPM.
Because no committee transcripts or votes were provided, there is no recorded debate or voting history to gauge legislative sentiment. Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears to be a pro-licensure and pro-access bill intended to expand regulated midwifery options and standardize practice requirements. The main points of potential contention are likely to be scope-of-practice questions, the safety of out-of-hospital birth, the authority of CPMs to use medications and manage births, and the liability shield for hospitals and other providers who interact with CPMs.
The bill would add a new regulated profession to Chapter 90, requiring licensure for Certified Professional Midwives and creating a new Council of Midwives within DHHS to oversee licensing, discipline, rulemaking, fees, and data collection. It would also establish practice standards, renewal and reciprocity rules, a formulary for drugs and devices, and enforcement mechanisms including injunctions and license sanctions. The bill would affect CPMs, pregnant clients seeking midwifery care, physicians and other maternity-care providers, and health care facilities, while expressly preserving existing authority for nurse midwives, physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, and emergency childbirth assistance.
No committee discussion or votes were provided, so there is no documented legislative sentiment from the record. The bill’s structure suggests support for expanding access to certified professional midwifery and bringing it under state oversight, but the absence of debate means there is no direct evidence of opposition or endorsement beyond the sponsors’ introduction of the measure.
The most likely areas of contention are whether North Carolina should license CPMs at all, whether their scope of practice and formulary authority are sufficiently safe, and whether the bill appropriately distinguishes CPMs from nurse midwives and other licensed clinicians. Another notable issue is the liability provision shielding health care providers and medical facilities from injuries arising from a CPM’s acts or omissions, which could draw concern from hospitals, physicians, and malpractice stakeholders. Public health and patient-safety advocates may also scrutinize the bill’s reliance on national certification standards and the council’s authority to regulate out-of-hospital birth practices.