HB26-1092 • 2026

Licensed Midwife Public Health Facility Privileges

The bill prohibits a public health facility from denying, restricting, or conditioning the granting, use, or exercise of full medical staff privileges to a certified nurse midwife or a certified midwi

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Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Rep. S. Luck, Rep. J. Willford, Rep. J. Bacon, Rep. S. Bottoms, Rep. B. Bradley, Rep. M. Brooks, Rep. K. DeGraaf, Rep. R. English, Rep. L. García, Rep. J. Joseph, Rep. N. Ricks
Last action: 2026-03-24
Official status: House Committee on Health & Human Services Postpone Indefinitely
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The effective date is conditional on a potential referendum and depends on the final adjournment date, which may vary if amendments change the timeline.

Licensed Midwife Public Health Facility Privileges

This bill stops public health facilities in Colorado from denying full medical staff privileges to certified nurse midwives or certified midwives solely because of their type of license.

What This Bill Does

Prohibits public health facilities that offer labor and childbirth services from refusing, limiting, or adding conditions to the granting of full medical staff privileges based only on a licensee's licensure status.
Requires that if privileges are granted, they must include direct admitting and discharge rights without needing a signature from a doctor.
Mandates that privileges given to midwives be consistent with those held by other members of the medical staff at the facility.
Ensures licensed midwives have the same voting rights as other medical staff members when granted these privileges.

Who It Names or Affects

Certified nurse midwives and certified midwives who practice independently within their scope in Colorado.
Public health facilities that are certified under state law and offer labor and childbirth services.

Terms To Know

Certified Nurse Midwife: An advanced practice registered nurse with prescriptive authority who is authorized to use the title 'Certified Nurse Midwife' or 'C.N.M.'.
Certified Midwife: A licensed health professional defined by state law who has received national certification and holds prescriptive authority.
Medical Staff Privileges: The official rights granted to a healthcare provider that allow them to perform specific duties, admit patients, or discharge patients at a facility.

Limits and Unknowns

This law only applies to public health facilities; it does not mention private hospitals or clinics.
The bill states the effective date depends on whether voters file a petition for a referendum within ninety days after the legislative session ends.
The text notes that this summary reflects the version of the bill as introduced and may change if amendments are adopted.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

L.001

HOU Health & Human Services

Passed [*]

Plain English: This amendment removes specific numbered sections from the bill that were intended to regulate how public health facilities treat midwives.

Removes a list item labeled '(1)' on page 2 of the original bill.
Deletes six lines of text (lines 7 through 12) on page 2.

The official amendment only lists which words to delete and does not provide the actual text being removed, so it is unclear exactly what rules or details are no longer included in the bill.
Without seeing the deleted lines, we cannot explain specifically how this change affects midwives' privileges at public health facilities.

L.002

HOU Health & Human Services

Passed [*]

Plain English: Passed [*] HOU Health & Human Services

The official amendment file could not be read automatically during the last sync, so only the official amendment metadata is shown right now.

L.003

HOU Health & Human Services

Passed [*]

Plain English: This amendment requires licensed midwives who are granted admitting privileges at public health facilities to carry specific amounts of malpractice insurance.

Licensed midwives with admitting privileges must have malpractice insurance coverage.

The text does not explain what happens if a midwife cannot get this insurance or how the facility checks for it.
It is unclear from this short amendment whether these rules apply to all types of public health facilities in Colorado.

Bill History

2026-03-24 House
House Committee on Health & Human Services Postpone Indefinitely
2026-02-03 House
Introduced In House - Assigned to Health & Human Services

Official Summary Text

The bill prohibits a public health facility from denying, restricting, or conditioning the granting, use, or exercise of full medical staff privileges to a certified nurse midwife or a certified midwife (licensee) engaged in independent practice within their scope of practice solely on the basis of their licensure. If granted, privileges extended to a licensee must include admitting and discharge privileges, be consistent with those of other medical staff, and permit a licensee to exercise the same voting rights as other members of the medical staff.
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Second Regular Session
Seventy-fifth General Assembly
STATE OF COLORADO
INTRODUCED

LLS NO. 26-0520.01 Brita Darling x2241 HOUSE BILL 26-1092
House Committees Senate Committees
Health & Human Services
A BILL FOR AN ACT
CONCERNING ENSURING ACCESS BY LICENSED MIDWIVES TO MEDICAL101
STAFF PRIVILEGES AT PUBLIC HEALTH FACILITIES.102
Bill Summary
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does
not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill
passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that
applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at
http://leg.colorado.gov.)
The bill prohibits a public health facility from denying, restricting,
or conditioning the granting, use, or exercise of full medical staff
privileges to a certified nurse midwife or a certified midwife (licensee)
engaged in independent practice within their scope of practice solely on
the basis of their licensure. If granted, privileges extended to a licensee
must include admitting and discharge privileges, be consistent with those
HOUSE SPONSORSHIP
Luck and Willford, Bacon, Bottoms, Bradley, Brooks, DeGraaf, English, Garcia, Joseph,
Ricks
SENATE SPONSORSHIP
(None),
Shading denotes HOUSE amendment. Double underlining denotes SENATE amendment.
Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material to be added to existing law.
Dashes through the words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law.
of other medical staff, and permit a licensee to exercise the same voting
rights as other members of the medical staff.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:1
SECTION 1. Legislative declaration. (1) The general assembly2
finds and declares that certified nurse midwives and certified midwives3
licensed in Colorado are qualified health-care professionals authorized to4
practice independently within their education, training, and national5
certification.6
(2) The general assembly further finds and declares that:7
(a) Inconsistent hospital credentialing practices have limited8
access to midwifery care despite state law authorizing independent9
practice; and10
(b) Nondiscriminatory medical staff privileging is necessary to11
protect patient access, continuity of care, and public health.12
SECTION 2. In Colorado Revised Statutes, add 25-3-135 as13
follows:14
25-3-135. Certified nurse midwife - certified midwife -15
nondiscrimination with respect to the granting, use, or exercise of16
medical staff privileges at public health facilities - definitions.17
(1) AS USED IN THIS SECTION, UNLESS THE CONTEXT OTHERWISE18
REQUIRES:19
(a) "C ERTIFIED MIDWIFE " MEANS A CERTIFIED MIDWIFE , AS20
DEFINED IN SECTION 12-255-104 (3.2), WITH PRESCRIPTIVE AUTHORITY21
PURSUANT TO SECTION 12-255-112.22
(b) "CERTIFIED NURSE MIDWIFE" MEANS AN ADVANCED PRACTICE23
REGISTERED NURSE , AS DEFINED IN SECTION 12-255-104 (1), WITH24
PRESCRIPTIVE AUTHORITY PURSUANT TO SECTION 12-255-112 WHO IS25
HB26-1092-2-
AUTHORIZED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12-255-111 (2) TO USE THE TITLE1
"CERTIFIED NURSE MIDWIFE" OR THE ABBREVIATION "C.N.M."2
(c) "L ICENSEE" MEANS A CERTIFIED NURSE MIDWIFE OR A3
CERTIFIED MIDWIFE.4
(d) "P UBLIC HEALTH FACILITY " MEANS A HEALTH FACILITY5
CERTIFIED PURSUANT TO SECTION 25-1.5-103 (1)(a)(II).6
(2) (a) N OTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER PROVISION OF LAW , A7
PUBLIC HEALTH FACILITY THAT OFFERS LABOR AND CHILDBIRTH SERVICES8
SHALL NOT DENY , RESTRICT , OR CONDITION THE GRANTING , USE , OR9
EXERCISE OF FULL MEDICAL STAFF PRIVILEGES TO A LICENSEE ENGAGING10
IN INDEPENDENT PRACTICE WITHIN THEIR SCOPE OF PRACTICE SOLELY ON11
THE BASIS OF THEIR LICENSURE.12
(b) P UBLIC HEALTH FACILITY PRIVILEGES EXTENDED TO A13
LICENSEE MUST:14
(I) I NCLUDE DIRECT ADMITTING PRIVILEGES AND DIRECT15
DISCHARGE PRIVILEGES, WITHOUT A REQUIREMENT FOR COSIGNATURE BY16
A MEDICAL DOCTOR OR DOCTOR OF OSTEOPATHY;17
(II) B E CONSISTENT WITH THE PRIVILEGES OF OTHER MEDICAL18
STAFF; AND19
(III) PERMIT A LICENSEE TO EXERCISE THE SAME VOTING RIGHTS20
AS OTHER MEMBERS OF THE MEDICAL STAFF.21
(3) NOTHING IN THIS SECTION SHALL BE CONSTRUED AS LIMITING22
OR AFFECTING THE AUTHORITY OF OTHER ADVANCED PRACTICE23
REGISTERED NURSES TO PRACTICE IN A HEALTH FACILITY OR TO SEEK24
MEDICAL STAFF PRIVILEGES CONSISTENT WITH THE ADVANCED PRACTICE25
REGISTERED NURSE'S SCOPE OF PRACTICE PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 255 OF26
TITLE 12. 27
HB26-1092-3-
SECTION 3. Act subject to petition - effective date. This act1
takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the expiration of the2
ninety-day period after final adjournment of the general assembly (August3
12, 2026, if adjournment sine die is on May 13, 2026); except that, if a4
referendum petition is filed pursuant to section 1 (3) of article V of the5
state constitution against this act or an item, section, or part of this act6
within such period, then the act, item, section, or part will not take effect7
unless approved by the people at the general election to be held in8
November 2026 and, in such case, will take effect on the date of the9
official declaration of the vote thereon by the governor.10
HB26-1092-4-