CA AB 2319

Title: California Dignity in Pregnancy and Childbirth Act.
Author: Christopher R. Holden

Summary
AB 2319, as amended, Wilson. California Dignity in Pregnancy and Childbirth Act. Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to maintain a program of maternal and child health, which may include, among other things, facilitating services directed toward reducing infant mortality and improving the health of mothers and children. Existing law requires the Office of Health Equity within the department to serve as a resource for ensuring that programs collect and keep data and information regarding ethnic and racial health statistics, and strategies and programs that address multicultural health issues, including, but not limited to, infant and maternal mortality. Existing law makes legislative findings relating to implicit bias and racial disparities in maternal mortality rates. Existing law requires a hospital that provides perinatal care, and an alternative birth center or a primary clinic that provides services as an alternative birth center, to implement an evidence-based implicit bias program, as specified, for all health care providers involved in perinatal care of patients within those facilities. Existing law requires the health care provider to complete initial basic training through the program and a refresher course every 2 years thereafter, or on a more frequent basis if deemed necessary by the facility. Existing law requires the facility to provide a certificate of training completion upon request, to accept certificates of completion from other facilities, and to offer training to physicians not directly employed by the facility. Existing law requires the department to track and publish data on pregnancy-related death and severe maternal morbidity, as specified.This bill would make a legislative finding that the Legislature recognizes all birthing people, including nonbinary persons and persons of transgender experience. The bill would extend the evidence-based implicit bias training requirements to also include hospitals that provide perinatal care, as defined. The bill would require an implicit bias program to include recognition of intersecting identities and the potential associated biases. The bill would require initial basic training for the implicit bias program to be completed by June 1, 2025, for current health care providers, and within 6 months of their start date for new health care providers, unless exempted. The bill would require specified facilities to document each employee’s implicit bias training in accordance with regulations adopted by the department for documenting staff development programs. The bill would require the department to assess each hospital’s compliance with this requirement during periodic inspections. The bill would authorize the department to issue an administrative penalty if it determines that a facility has violated these provisions, and would require the department to annually post on its internet website a list of facilities that have been issued administrative penalties. The bill would vest the State Department of Public Health with full administrative power, authority, and jurisdiction to implement and enforce the California Dignity in Pregnancy and Childbirth Act. The bill would require the department to solicit participation and adopt regulations to further the purposes of the act, as specified. The bill would make the provisions of the act severable.

Status
In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to suspense file.

Bill Documents
CA AB 2319 - 03/21/24 - Amended Assembly
03/21/24 - CA AB 2319 (03/21/24 - Amended Assembly)