Florida SB 514: Transplant of Human Tissue

Bill Text

514 
Doula Support for Healthy Births Pilot Program 
2026-02-03T09:02:44Z 
Establishing the pilot program in Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach Counties for a specified purpose, subject to a specific appropriation in the General Appropriations Act; requiring the Department of Health, in collaboration with its maternal and child health section, to implement and oversee the pilot program; requiring the department to collaborate with specified entities to integrate doula services into existing maternal health programs and facilitate outreach and service delivery; creating the Doula Certification Task Force within the department for a specified purpose, etc. 
Committee Substitute 1 
2026 
S 
GB 
General Bill 
c1 

 Florida Senate - 2026 CS for SB 514 

 By the Committee on Health Policy; and Senator Osgood 

 588-02412-26 2026514c1 
 1 A bill to be entitled 
 2 An act relating to the Doula Support for Healthy 
 3 Births pilot program; creating s. 383.295, F.S.; 
 4 defining terms; establishing the pilot program in 
 5 Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach Counties for a 
 6 specified purpose, subject to a specific appropriation 
 7 in the General Appropriations Act; providing the 
 8 purpose of the pilot program; requiring the Department 
 9 of Health, in collaboration with its maternal and 
 10 child health section, to implement and oversee the 
 11 pilot program; specifying the duration of the pilot 
 12 program, based on appropriated funds; requiring the 
 13 pilot program to target specified populations for 
 14 enrollment; specifying services that must be provided 
 15 under the pilot program; requiring the department to 
 16 collaborate with specified entities to integrate doula 
 17 services into existing maternal health programs and 
 18 facilitate outreach and service delivery; authorizing 
 19 the department to integrate doula services into 
 20 existing maternal and child health programs as an 
 21 expansion of the pilot program, subject to certain 
 22 requirements; creating the Doula Certification Task 
 23 Force within the department for a specified purpose; 
 24 requiring the department to oversee and provide 
 25 administrative support to the task force; providing 
 26 for membership and meetings of the task force; 
 27 specifying duties of the task force; requiring the 
 28 task force to submit a final report of its findings 
 29 and recommendations to the Governor and the 
 30 Legislature by a specified date; providing for 
 31 expiration of the task force; providing an effective 
 32 date. 
 33 
 34 WHEREAS, preterm birth is defined as a live birth before 37 
 35 completed weeks of gestation and is associated with increased 
 36 morbidities or ailments, such as cerebral palsy, breathing 
 37 difficulties, feeding problems, developmental delay, and vision 
 38 and hearing problems, and 
 39 WHEREAS, preterm labor occurs when regular contractions 
 40 cause the cervix to open between 20 and 37 weeks of gestation, 
 41 which can result in a baby being born before 37 weeks of 
 42 gestation, and the earlier the delivery, the greater the health 
 43 risks for the baby, requiring special care in a neonatal 
 44 intensive care unit and potentially causing long-term mental and 
 45 physical health concerns, and 
 46 WHEREAS, Florida’s preterm birth rate has risen annually 
 47 since 2014 to its current average rate of 10.9 percent, higher 
 48 than the national average of 10.5 percent, and 
 49 WHEREAS, Florida ranks among the highest in the nation for 
 50 infant mortality, with a rate of 5.9 deaths per 1,000 births, 
 51 higher than the national average of 5.4 deaths per 1,000 births, 
 52 and 
 53 WHEREAS, Florida also has one of the highest cesarean 
 54 delivery rates in the nation at 37.4 percent, compared to the 
 55 national average of 31.8 percent, with cesarean delivery being 
 56 associated with increased risks to infants, including 
 57 respiratory distress, infection, and long-term health 
 58 complications, and 
 59 WHEREAS, maternal mortality is defined as the annual number 
 60 of female deaths from any cause related to or aggravated by 
 61 pregnancy or its management, excluding accidental or incidental 
 62 causes, during pregnancy and childbirth or within 42 days after 
 63 termination of a pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and 
 64 site of the pregnancy, and 
 65 WHEREAS, Florida ranks 17th in the nation with a maternal 
 66 mortality rate of 26.3 deaths per 100,000 births, compared to a 
 67 national rate of 23.2 deaths per 100,000 births, and 
 68 WHEREAS, Broward County has a maternal mortality rate of 
 69 24.8 deaths per 100,000 live births, and an infant mortality 
 70 rate of 5 deaths per 1,000 live births, and 
 71 WHEREAS, Miami-Dade County has a maternal mortality rate of 
 72 20.3 deaths per 100,000 live births, and an infant mortality 
 73 rate of 4.8 deaths per 1,000 live births, and 
 74 WHEREAS, Palm Beach County has a maternal mortality rate of 
 75 33.2 death