STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 2137 2021-2022 Regular Sessions IN SENATE January 20, 2021 ___________ Introduced by Sen. RAMOS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Health AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to professional certification of doulas The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The public health law is amended by adding a new section 2 2509-c to read as follows: 3 § 2509-c. Certified doulas. 1. Definitions. As used in this section: 4 (a) "Certified doula" means an individual certified under this section 5 who provides certified doula services. 6 (b) "Certified doula services" means continuous emotional and physical 7 support provided by a certified doula throughout labor and birth, and 8 intermittently during the prenatal and postpartum periods. 9 2. Use of title. Only a person certified under this section shall be 10 authorized to use the title "certified doula". 11 3. Certificate. The commissioner shall issue a certificate as a certi- 12 fied doula to an individual who applies for certification and who quali- 13 fies under subdivision four of this section. 14 4. Requirements for a professional certification. To be certified 15 under this section, an applicant shall fulfill the following require- 16 ments: 17 (a) Application: file an application with the department. 18 (b) Education: satisfactorily: 19 (i) complete an educational program, in accordance with the commis- 20 sioner's regulations; or 21 (ii) submit evidence of certification, the educational preparation for 22 which is determined by the department to be equivalent to the foregoing, 23 from any state or country, satisfactory to the department and in accord- 24 ance with the commissioner's regulations. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD06668-01-1

S. 2137 2 1 (c) Examination: pass an examination satisfactory to the department 2 and in accordance with the commissioner's regulations. 3 (d) Age: be at least eighteen years of age. 4 (e) Character: be of good moral character as determined by the depart- 5 ment. 6 (f) Fee: pay a fee of forty dollars to the department for consider- 7 ation of an application for certification. 8 5. Scope of practice. Nothing in this section authorizes a certified 9 doula to engage in any act within the scope of practice of any other 10 profession under title eight of the education law or any other law, 11 unless the certified doula would be otherwise authorized to do so by 12 law. 13 § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall 14 have become a law. Effective immediately, the commissioner of health 15 shall make regulations and take other actions reasonably necessary to 16 implement this act on such date.

Relates to the professional certification of doulas

What's Happening

Why It Matters