Bill > S1456

This bill establishes the Doula Workforce Development Support Program within the Department of Commerce to address disparities in maternal and infant health outcomes, particularly in Black, Brown, rural, and low-income communities, by providing grants and technical assistance to organizations that train, mentor, and deploy doulas, who are nonmedical birth support professionals. The program will prioritize support for "high-need regions" – areas with high maternal morbidity rates, limited maternity care providers, or insufficient doula availability – and grant funds can be used for training, curriculum development, business training for doulas, and stipends for newly trained doulas, but not for directly hiring doulas as state employees. The Department of Commerce is required to adopt rules for program administration, consider specific factors when developing grant criteria, and submit an annual report to the Governor and Legislature detailing grant recipients, the number of doulas trained, and workforce outcomes, with an initial appropriation of $7.5 million for the 2026-2027 fiscal year.

https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/1456