87R5883 JES-D
 
  By: Paxton S.B. No. 735
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the administration of certain drugs by a midwife.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 203.256, Occupations Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         Sec. 203.256.  TRAINING IN NEWBORN SCREENING,
  ADMINISTRATION OF CERTAIN DRUGS, AND BASIC LIFE SUPPORT
  CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION. A person who practices midwifery in
  this state must provide the department with satisfactory evidence
  that the person:
               (1)  is trained to:
                     (A)  perform the newborn screening tests under
  Section 203.354 or has made arrangements for the performance of
  those tests; and
                     (B)  administer the drugs described by Section
  203.3525; and
               (2)  holds:
                     (A)  a current certificate issued by the American
  Heart Association in basic life support cardiopulmonary
  resuscitation; or
                     (B)  another form of certification acceptable to
  the department that demonstrates proficiency in basic life support
  cardiopulmonary resuscitation for adults and children.
         SECTION 2.  Section 203.304, Occupations Code, is amended by
  adding Subsection (a-1) to read as follows:
         (a-1)  The commission by rule shall require a licensed
  midwife to complete, as part of the minimum hours required to renew
  a license:
               (1)  a course in pharmacology; and
               (2)  training in the administration of the drugs
  described by Section 203.3525.
         SECTION 3.  Subchapter H, Chapter 203, Occupations Code, is
  amended by adding Section 203.3525 to read as follows:
         Sec. 203.3525.  ADMINISTRATION OF CERTAIN DRUGS. (a) A
  midwife may administer:
               (1)  a drug commonly used in labor or postpartum care,
  including an anti-hemorrhagic drug, intravenous fluids, or a local
  anesthetic; or
               (2)  a prophylactic drug that meets the applicable
  standard of care for a woman or newborn and is approved by the
  Department of State Health Services.
         (b)  The administration of a drug by a midwife under this
  section does not constitute the practice of medicine as defined by
  Subtitle B.
         SECTION 4.  Section 203.401, Occupations Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         Sec. 203.401.  PROHIBITED PRACTICES. A midwife may not:
               (1)  provide midwifery care in violation of commission
  rule, except in an emergency that poses an immediate threat to the
  life of a woman or newborn;
               (2)  administer a prescription drug to a client other
  than:
                     (A)  a drug administered under the supervision of
  a licensed physician in accordance with state law;
                     (B)  prophylaxis approved by the Department of
  State Health Services to prevent ophthalmia neonatorum; [or]
                     (C)  oxygen administered in accordance with
  commission rule; or
                     (D)  a drug described by Section 203.3525; 
               (3)  use forceps or a surgical instrument for a
  procedure other than cutting the umbilical cord or providing
  emergency first aid during delivery;
               (4)  remove placenta by invasive techniques;
               (5)  use a mechanical device or medicine to advance or
  retard labor or delivery; or
               (6)  make on a birth certificate a false statement or
  false record in violation of Section 195.003, Health and Safety
  Code.
         SECTION 5.  Not later than December 1, 2021, the Texas
  Commission of Licensing and Regulation shall adopt rules as
  required by Section 203.304(a-1), Occupations Code, as added by
  this Act.
         SECTION 6.  Section 203.304(a-1), Occupations Code, as added
  by this Act, applies only to the renewal of a midwife license on or
  after March 1, 2022. The renewal of a license before March 1, 2022,
  is governed by the law in effect immediately before the effective
  date of this Act, and the former law is continued in effect for that
  purpose.
         SECTION 7.  Section 203.401, Occupations Code, as amended by
  this Act, applies only to conduct that occurs on or after March 1,
  2022. Conduct that occurs before March 1, 2022, is governed by the
  law in effect immediately before the effective date of this Act, and
  the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
         SECTION 8.  (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b) of this
  section, this Act takes effect September 1, 2021.
         (b)  Section 203.256, Occupations Code, as amended by this
  Act, and Section 203.3525, Occupations Code, as added by this Act,
  take effect March 1, 2022.