CaliforniaLicensed nurse-midwives may provide obstetric care without physician supervision
Licensed nurse-midwives may provide authorized care in hospital labor and emergency obstetric units without physician supervision, or provide consultation when a treating physician requests it.
What it does
Licensed nurse-midwives may provide authorized obstetric care in specified hospital units without physician supervision. A treating physician may also request their obstetric consultation.
Argument forNurse-midwives may be able to provide authorized labor care without waiting for physician supervision, which could help patients receive timely obstetric care.
Argument againstHospitals may worry that care without physician supervision could make it harder to coordinate responsibility during urgent labor cases.
More detail
Hospitals would not have to require physician supervision for a licensed nurse-midwife providing obstetric care in specified hospital units, when the care is within the nurse-midwife’s legal authority, or when a treating physician requests obstetric consultation. This applies in labor and delivery units, obstetric triage, and dedicated emergency obstetric evaluation units under the emergency-care rules and the Stanford hospitals’ shared-facility arrangement. Care must be authorized by, and consistent with, Section 2746.5 of the Business and Professions Code, unless the nurse-midwife is specifically requested by the treating physician to provide obstetric consultation.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Sep 27Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 484, Statutes of 2026.Latest
- Sep 27Approved by the Governor Gavin Newsom.Became Law
- Aug 25Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.To Governor
- Aug 19In Assembly. Ordered to Engrossing and Enrolling.Minor
- Vote recorded 3rd Reading AB1696 Stefani By Caballero. Result: pass.Upper
- Aug 19Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 38. Noes 0. Page 5550.).Passed Senate
- Aug 6Ordered to third reading.Minor
- Aug 6From Consent Calendar.
- Aug 4Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar.Minor
- Aug 3From committee: Be ordered to second reading file pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8 and ordered to Consent Calendar.Minor
- Jun 25From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (June 24). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.Minor
- Jun 24
- Vote recorded Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar. Result: pass.Upper
- Jun 4In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.
- Jun 3Referred to Com. on HEALTH.Minor
- May 27In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.Minor
- May 26Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 74. Noes 1. Page 5289.)Passed Assembly
- Vote recorded AB 1696 Stefani Assembly Third Reading. Result: pass.Lower
- May 18Read third time and amended. Ordered to third reading. (Page 5141.)Major
- Apr 30Read second time. Ordered to third reading.Minor
- Apr 29From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 12. Noes 0.) (April 29).Minor
- Vote recorded Do pass. Result: pass.Lower
- Apr 15From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 15. Noes 1.) (April 14). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.Minor
- Apr 14
- Vote recorded Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]. Result: pass.Lower
- Mar 17Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.Minor
- Mar 16From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on HEALTH. Read second time and amended.Major
- Mar 16Referred to Com. on HEALTH.Minor
- Feb 4From printer. May be heard in committee March 6.
- Feb 3Read first time. To print.Introduced
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