Bill > HB1950

This bill creates three new sections of law focused on maternal and infant health care in Missouri. The first section (192.258) establishes requirements for local public health agencies to report and review infant deaths, including mandating annual reporting of infant mortality data disaggregated by racial and ethnic identity. It requires counties with five or more infant deaths in a year to establish a fetal and infant mortality review committee that will investigate these deaths confidentially, conduct voluntary interviews with affected families, and offer grief counseling. The second section (192.990) creates a Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review Board within the state health department to comprehensively review maternal deaths, analyze factors contributing to these deaths, and make recommendations to reduce maternal mortality. The board will have a diverse, multidisciplinary membership and will be responsible for identifying racial and social disparities, tracking deaths among various populations, and producing annual public reports. The third section (192.1030) establishes a program to contract with and support educational programs training certified nurse midwives and professional midwives, with a focus on preparing practitioners to serve medically underserved, multicultural, low-income, and rural communities. The bill also creates dedicated state funds to support these initiatives, ensuring ongoing funding for maternal and infant health research and education.

https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB1950&year=2026&code=R