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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

Elections Healthcare
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 of the bill depends on whether there are any petitions or referendums.

Ensuring Access to Medical Staff Privileges for Licensed Midwives

This bill prohibits public health facilities from denying, restricting, or conditioning full medical staff privileges to certified nurse midwives and certified midwives solely based on their licensure.

What This Bill Does

  • Prohibits public health facilities from denying, restricting, or conditioning the granting of full medical staff privileges to certified nurse midwives and certified midwives solely because they are licensed as such.
  • Requires that if privileges are granted, they must include admitting and discharge rights without needing a doctor's signature.
  • Ensures that midwives have the same voting rights in medical staff meetings as other members.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Certified nurse midwives and certified midwives
  • Public health facilities offering labor and childbirth services

Terms To Know

Licensed Midwife
A healthcare professional who is certified to provide care during pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period.
Medical Staff Privileges
The rights given by a hospital or health facility that allow medical professionals to perform certain duties within its facilities.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This bill does not specify what happens if a public health facility violates the rules.
  • It is unclear how this will be enforced and monitored in practice.

Amendments

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

L.001

HOU Health & Human Services

Passed [*]

Plain English: The amendment removes specific language and sections from the bill related to medical staff privileges for certified nurse midwives or certified midwives.

  • Removes the reference to '(1)' on page 2, line 2 of the printed bill.
  • Deletes lines 7 through 12 on page 2.
  • The exact content and implications of the deleted sections are not provided in the amendment text.
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: The amendment adds a requirement for licensed midwives to have specific malpractice insurance coverage before being granted admitting privileges at public health facilities.

  • Licensed midwives must now have malpractice insurance of at least $1 million per incident and $3 million in total annual coverage.
  • The amendment does not specify what happens if a licensed midwife does not meet the new insurance requirements.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-24 House

    House Committee on Health & Human Services Postpone Indefinitely

  2. 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-