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SF0048

Wyoming Midwives Licensure Act

Last scannedOct 18, 2026, 2:19 AM

In one sentence

This law creates a state board to license and regulate midwives, sets requirements for their education and certification, and defines rules for their practice and safety.

What it does

  • Creates the Board of Midwifery to regulate the practice of midwifery in Wyoming to ensure the safety of women and newborns.
  • Sets requirements for getting a license, including graduating from an accredited program or having five years of experience, obtaining professional certification, and passing a criminal background check.
  • Prohibits midwives from providing care for specific high-risk conditions, such as multiple births, certain placental abnormalities, or pregnancies under 37 weeks or over 42 weeks.
  • Requires the board to adopt rules for emergency protocols, including transporting patients to a hospital and transmitting medical records.
  • Requires midwives to report birth outcomes to the board after each birth.
  • States that hospitals, physicians, nurses, and emergency medical technicians are not legally liable for the negligence or willful acts of a midwife.

Who it affects

  • People who want to work as licensed midwives in Wyoming.
  • The Board of Midwifery, which is responsible for enforcing these rules.
  • Women and newborns who receive care from midwives.
  • Hospitals, physicians, nurses, and emergency medical technicians who may receive patients referred by midwives.

Limits and unknowns

  • The specific fees for licensing are not listed in this text; the board sets them.
  • The exact list of prescription drugs a midwife can administer is not detailed in this excerpt, though the bill authorizes limited administration.
  • The law does not specify how long the board takes to process license applications.

Plain language

Terms to know

Midwife
A person who provides primary prenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum care to women and newborns during the childbearing cycle.
Board of Midwifery
The state group established to regulate the practice of midwifery and issue licenses.
Licensure
The official permission granted by the state to practice midwifery after meeting specific requirements.
Referral
Identifying and sending women or newborns who require medical care to an appropriate health professional.

Official record

Sources

Source checked
Official bill pageIntroduced textOfficial digestOfficial summaryCurrent bill text
Read the official summary

Bill No.: <billno> Drafter: <drafterinit> Bill No.: SF0048 Drafter: JWL LSO No.: 10LSO-0207 Effective Date: July 1, 2010* Enrolled Act No.: SEA0043 Chapter No.: 46 Prime Sponsor: Senator Johnson Catch Title: Licensure of midwives. Subject: Authorizes the licensure and regulation of midwives. Summary/Major Elements: This act: o Establishes the Board of Midwifery to regulate the practice of midwifery; o Provides criteria for the issuance of a midwife license, including specified education and professional certification requirements; o Identifies grounds for discipline of a midwife by the board, to include suspension, revocation or conditioning of a license; o Requires the board to adopt rules and provide minimum requirements regarding the scope of midwifery practice, referrals to physicians, emergency transfers to a hospital and protocols for informed consent, management of newborns, medical waste disposal and reporting of outcomes to the board; o Provides that no hospital, physician, nurse or emergency medical technician shall be liable for any negligence or willful and wanton acts or omissions of a midwife; o Requires fingerprinting and criminal background checks of applicants for licensure as a midwife. Comments: *The act is effective July 1, 2010, except the establishment of the Board and rulemaking authority is effective immediately.

Public statements

Why lawmakers voted

Last checked Aug 8, 6:38 AM

Voted Yes

Why they voted this way

The lawmaker explains that the amendments include corrections requested by staff and provisions to tighten the bill, such as requiring board members to be licensed within a year and adjusting fee structures.

Public statementFloor statement at 42:14 Watch the statement
Voted No

Why they voted this way

The lawmaker supports sending the bill to committee because constituents in their district prefer home births for religious and cultural reasons but cannot access licensed midwives due to current laws.

Public statementFloor statement at 1:24:40 Watch the statement

If a lawmaker is not listed, we couldn't find a published reason.

Wyoming roll calls

Recorded votes

8 roll calls

S Did Concur 26-4-0-0-02010-03-04 · Senate26 yes 4 no
Yes
26
No
4
Absent
0
Excused
0
Conflict
0

Yes 26

Austin "Kit" JenningsS28Bill LandenR · S27Cale CaseR · S25Charles ScottR · S30Chuck TownsendS01Curtis MeierS03Drew A PerkinsS29Floyd EsquibelS08Gerald E GeisS20Grant C LarsonS17James E Elliott Jr.S11Jim AndersonS02John C SchifferS22John HastertS13John J HinesS23Kathryn L SessionsS07Marty A MartinS12Michael J Mr. Von FlaternS24Mike MassieS09Phil A NicholasS10Ray R PetersonS19Rick D HunnicuttS05Saundra MeyerS15Stan CooperS14Tony RossS04Wayne H JohnsonS06

No 4

Bruce Burns Jr.S21Dan DockstaderR · S16Eli D BeboutS26Henry R CoeS18
H Passed 3rd Reading 54-3-3-0-02010-03-03 · House54 yes 3 no
Yes
54
No
3
Absent
0
Excused
3
Conflict
0

Yes 54

Allen M JaggiH18Amy L EdmondsH12Bernadine CraftH17Bill ThompsonH60Catherine R ConnollyH13Colin SimpsonH24David R MillerH55Debbie HammonsH27Del McOmieH54Dn.Elaine HarveyH26Frank D PeasleyH03George BagbyH15Glenn W MonizH46Gregory R BlikreH53Jack D Landon Jr.H30James A RoscoeH22James W ByrdH44John D Bonner Jr.H25John W PattonH29Joseph M BarbutoH48Kathleen DavisonH20Keith M GingeryH23Ken A EsquibelH41Kermit C BrownH14Lisa A SheppersonH58Lori A MillinH08Lorraine K QuarbergH28Mark SemlekH01Mary A ThroneH11Mary W HalesH36Matt TeetersH05Michael A GilmoreH59Michael K MaddenH40Owen PetersenH19Pat ChildersH50Pete JorgensenH16Peter S IllowayH42Richard L CannadyH06Robert A BrechtelH38Robert M McKimH21Rodney "Pete" AndersonH10Rosie M BergerH51Ross DiercksH02Roy CoheeH35Seth A CarsonH45Stanley L BlakeH39Steve HarshmanR · H37Sue E WallisH52Thomas A LockhartH57Timothy M StubsonH56Tom Lubnau IIH31W. Patrick P GogglesH33Zwonitzer

No 3

Edward BuchananH04Terry L KimbleH49William "Jeb" StewardH47

Excused 3

Bryan K PedersenH07Frank PhilpH34Timothy P HallinanH32
H02 Recommended Do Pass 5-1-1-0-02010-02-26 · House5 yes 1 no
Yes
5
No
1
Absent
0
Excused
1
Conflict
0

Yes 5

Bryan K PedersenH07Debbie HammonsH27Pete JorgensenH16Rosie M BergerH51Steve HarshmanR · H37

No 1

William "Jeb" StewardH47

Excused 1

Frank PhilpH34
H10 Recommended Amend and Do Pass 7-1-1-0-02010-02-25 · House7 yes 1 no
Yes
7
No
1
Absent
0
Excused
1
Conflict
0

Yes 7

Elaine HarveyH26Jack D Landon Jr.H30John D Bonner Jr.H25Kathleen DavisonH20Ken A EsquibelH41Lisa A SheppersonH58Lori A MillinH08

No 1

Terry L KimbleH49

Excused 1

Timothy P HallinanH32
S Passed 3rd Reading 27-3-0-0-02010-02-22 · Senate27 yes 3 no
Yes
27
No
3
Absent
0
Excused
0
Conflict
0

Yes 27

Austin "Kit" JenningsS28Bill LandenR · S27Cale CaseR · S25Charles ScottR · S30Chuck TownsendS01Curtis MeierS03Drew A PerkinsS29Floyd EsquibelS08Gerald E GeisS20Grant C LarsonS17Henry R CoeS18James E Elliott Jr.S11Jim AndersonS02John C SchifferS22John HastertS13John J HinesS23Kathryn L SessionsS07Marty A MartinS12Michael J Mr. Von FlaternS24Mike MassieS09Phil A NicholasS10Ray R PetersonS19Rick D HunnicuttS05Saundra MeyerS15Stan CooperS14Tony RossS04Wayne H JohnsonS06

No 3

Bruce Burns Jr.S21Dan DockstaderR · S16Eli D BeboutS26
S02 Recommended Do Pass 5-0-0-0-02010-02-17 · Senate5 yes 0 no
Yes
5
No
0
Absent
0
Excused
0
Conflict
0

Yes 5

Chuck TownsendS01Curtis MeierS03Mike MassieS09Phil A NicholasS10Ray R PetersonS19
S10 Recommended Amend and Do Pass 3-2-0-0-02010-02-15 · Senate3 yes 2 no
Yes
3
No
2
Absent
0
Excused
0
Conflict
0

Yes 3

Charles ScottR · S30John C SchifferS22Rick D HunnicuttS05

No 2

Bill LandenR · S27John HastertS13
S Introduced and Referred to S10 25-5-0-0-02010-02-08 · Senate25 yes 5 no
Yes
25
No
5
Absent
0
Excused
0
Conflict
0

Yes 25

Austin "Kit" JenningsS28Bill LandenR · S27Bruce Burns Jr.S21Cale CaseR · S25Charles ScottR · S30Chuck TownsendS01Curtis MeierS03Drew A PerkinsS29Floyd EsquibelS08Gerald E GeisS20Grant C LarsonS17James E Elliott Jr.S11Jim AndersonS02John C SchifferS22John HastertS13John J HinesS23Kathryn L SessionsS07Marty A MartinS12Mike MassieS09Ray R PetersonS19Rick D HunnicuttS05Saundra MeyerS15Stan CooperS14Tony RossS04Wayne H JohnsonS06

No 5

Dan DockstaderR · S16Eli D BeboutS26Henry R CoeS18Michael J Mr. Von FlaternS24Phil A NicholasS10

Official activity

Bill history

  1. Assigned Chapter Number - 46LSO
  2. Governor Signed SEA0043Governor
  3. H Speaker Signed SEA No. 0043House
  4. S President Signed SEA No. 0043Senate
  5. Assigned Number SEA0043LSO
  6. S Did ConcurSenate
  7. S Received for ConcurrenceSenate
  8. H Passed 3rd ReadingHouse
  9. H Passed 2nd ReadingHouse
  10. Amendment AdoptedHouse
  11. H Passed CoWHouse
  12. Amendment AdoptedHouse
  13. Amendment AdoptedHouse
  14. H Amendments AdoptedHouse
  15. H Placed on General FileHouse
  16. H02 Recommended Do PassHouse
  17. H Rereferred to H02House
  18. H Placed on General FileHouse
  19. H10 Recommended Amend and Do PassHouse
  20. H Introduced and Referred to H10House

Changes

Amendments

6 stored

SF0048H2001

Adopted 2nd reading by BROWN

SF0048HW001

Adopted Committee of the Whole by STEWARD

SF0048HS001

Adopted Standing Committee by H10

SF0048SW001

Adopted Committee of the Whole by HASTERT

SF0048SW002

Adopted Committee of the Whole by SCOTT

SF0048SS001

Adopted Standing Committee by SCOTT