Bill Text: NY A00364 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Amended


Bill Title: Authorizes the professional certification of doulas; only those certified may provide doula services defined as continuous emotional and physical support provided by a certified doula throughout labor and birth, and intermittently during the prenatal and postpartum periods.

Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 15-1)

Status: (Vetoed) 2019-12-13 - tabled [A00364 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A00364-Amended.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         364--B

                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                       (Prefiled)

                                     January 9, 2019
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M. of A. PAULIN, GOTTFRIED, GALEF, JAFFEE, L. ROSENTHAL,
          COOK, SEAWRIGHT, ARROYO, BLAKE, DICKENS, PICHARDO, THIELE,  McDONOUGH,
          SOLAGES  --  read  once  and  referred  to  the Committee on Health --
          committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as  amended  and
          recommitted  to  said  committee -- again reported from said committee
          with amendments, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to  said
          committee

        AN  ACT  to  amend  the  public  health law, in relation to professional
          certification of doulas

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1.  The  public health law is amended by adding a new section
     2  2509 to read as follows:
     3    § 2509. Certified doulas. 1. Definitions. As used in this section:
     4    (a) "Certified doula" means an individual certified under this section
     5  who provides certified doula services.
     6    (b) "Certified doula services" means continuous emotional and physical
     7  support provided by a certified doula throughout labor  and  birth,  and
     8  intermittently during the prenatal and postpartum periods.
     9    2.  Use  of title. Only a person certified under this section shall be
    10  authorized to use the title "certified doula".
    11    3. Certificate. The commissioner shall issue a certificate as a certi-
    12  fied doula to an individual who applies for certification and who quali-
    13  fies under subdivision four of this section.
    14    4. Requirements for a  professional  certification.  To  be  certified
    15  under  this  section,  an applicant shall fulfill the following require-
    16  ments:
    17    (a) Application: file an application with the department.
    18    (b) Education: satisfactorily:

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD01668-04-9

        A. 364--B                           2

     1    (i) complete an educational program, in accordance  with  the  commis-
     2  sioner's regulations; or
     3    (ii) submit evidence of certification, the educational preparation for
     4  which is determined by the department to be equivalent to the foregoing,
     5  from any state or country, satisfactory to the department and in accord-
     6  ance with the commissioner's regulations.
     7    (c)  Examination:  pass  an examination satisfactory to the department
     8  and in accordance with the commissioner's regulations.
     9    (d) Age: be at least eighteen years of age.
    10    (e) Character: be of good moral character as determined by the depart-
    11  ment.
    12    (f) Fee: pay a fee of forty dollars to the  department  for  consider-
    13  ation of an application for certification.
    14    5.  Scope  of practice. Nothing in this section authorizes a certified
    15  doula to engage in any act within the scope of  practice  of  any  other
    16  profession  under  title  eight  of  the education law or any other law,
    17  unless the certified doula would be otherwise authorized  to  do  so  by
    18  law.
    19    §  2.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
    20  have become a law. Effective immediately,  the  commissioner  of  health
    21  shall  make  regulations  and take other actions reasonably necessary to
    22  implement this act on such date.
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