Senator Geiss asked and was granted unanimous consent to make a statement and moved that the statement be printed in the Journal.
The motion prevailed.
Senator Geiss’ statement is as follows:
Today marks a significant mile marker along the Michigan “ momnibus ” route. These bills were introduced last term and passed with bipartisan support last fall, but sadly did not make it through the House thanks to circumstances beyond our control. Senate Bill Nos. 29 through 34 and 36 through 39 pave the way for positive birthing experiences that are grounded in joy and love. By dismantling systemic barriers that disproportionately impact Black and brown birthing people, the Michigan “ momnibus ” brings us one step closer to achieving equity and justice in reproductive and obstetric care. It is a multifaceted bill package that works to improve integrity and accountability in Michigan’s maternal health care system, ensuring that every family has an equitable opportunity to have a healthy, joyful pregnancy, birthing, and postpartum experience that truly centers their needs.
Together the bill package works to improve prenatal and perinatal health outcomes in Michigan through requiring DHHS to include studies and reports on biased or unjust perinatal care, including but not limited to instances of obstetric violence or racism on their website. This bill in the package also codifies the use and duties of the maternal mortality review team. It creates the unbiased and unjust care reporting act and directs DHHS to create a tool for patients to self-report experiences of obstetric racism. It requires hospitals to provide LARA with evidence that they have policies in place to support patient protections and ensure patients can bring their doula, spouse, or companion with them during labor. Upon request from DHHS, the Department and Insurance and Financial Services—DIFS—will collect information on medical malpractice insurers’ policies related to perinatal care services.
It also ensures pregnancy status does not affect the right for a designated patient advocate to make life-sustaining treatment decisions. It amends the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to make clear that sex includes but is not limited to pregnancy or lactation status in public places and in the workplace, amends the Public Health Code to add licensed midwives and midwifery programs to the Michigan essential health provider repayment program, requires private insurers to reimburse licensed midwives for services, expands Medicaid coverage for perinatal and gynecological services, and requires Medicaid coverage for offsite or remote ultrasound procedures and fetal nonstress tests.
This has been a long road for the Michigan “ momnibus ” but by keeping the “ momnibus ” moving, we can affirm a commitment to ensuring healthy pregnancies and equitable care must transcend partisan, racial, class, and economic divides as every family deserves access to the care they need to thrive. When it passed our chamber last fall, it was nothing short of magical, for the Michigan “ momnibus ” has been the legislative child of the community. The state of birth justice and their partners and my partnering colleagues, the Senators from the 2nd, 3rd, 6th, and 21st Senate districts. Today on this last day of Black Maternal Health Week, my four colleagues and I are all figurative legislative doulas and midwives. I urge passage of this important work.
The following bill was read a third time:
Senate Bill No. 30, entitled
A bill to create the biased and unjust care reporting act; and to provide for the powers and duties of certain state governmental officers and entities.
The question being on the passage of the bill,
The bill was passed, a majority of the members serving voting therefor, as follows: