Florida SB 1508: Maternal Health and Early Learning

Bill Text

1508 
Maternal Health and Early Learning 
2026-01-08T10:44:08Z 
Citing this act as the "The Motherhood Initiative"; requiring the Department of Health to establish a certain home visit program for expectant mothers; authorizing the Agency for Health Care Administration to authorize reduced fees for an applicant or a licensee for certain birthing centers; requiring the department to provide a blood pressure monitor and cuff to an expectant mother for certain purposes and to repair the device and provide replacement parts as necessary; authorizing a doula or midwife to be present with his or her client during childbirth at a hospital, etc. 
Original Filed Version 
2026 
S 
2026-07-01T00:00:00Z 
GB 
General Bill 
__ 

 Florida Senate - 2026 SB 1508 

 By Senator Davis 

 5-01089A-26 20261508__ 
 1 A bill to be entitled 
 2 An act relating to maternal health and early learning; 
 3 providing a short title; creating s. 383.012, F.S.; 
 4 requiring the Department of Health to establish a 
 5 certain home visit program for expectant mothers; 
 6 providing program requirements; requiring health 
 7 insurance providers and Medicaid to provide coverage 
 8 for the program, as applicable; amending s. 383.305, 
 9 F.S.; authorizing the Agency for Health Care 
 10 Administration to authorize reduced fees for an 
 11 applicant or a licensee for certain birthing centers; 
 12 amending s. 383.31, F.S.; deleting acceptance criteria 
 13 for birthing centers; creating s. 383.55, F.S.; 
 14 defining the term “blood pressure monitor and cuff”; 
 15 requiring the department to provide a blood pressure 
 16 monitor and cuff to an expectant mother for certain 
 17 purposes and to repair the device and provide 
 18 replacement parts as necessary; requiring the 
 19 department to create certain educational materials; 
 20 creating ss. 395.3043 and 395.6071, F.S.; defining the 
 21 terms “doula” and “midwife”; authorizing a doula or 
 22 midwife to be present with his or her client during 
 23 childbirth at a hospital; creating s. 402.822, F.S.; 
 24 requiring the Department of Children and Families to 
 25 provide incentives for early learning centers to 
 26 remain open 24 hours; specifying the incentives; 
 27 creating ss. 458.355 and 459.075, F.S.; revising 
 28 continuing education requirements for physicians to 
 29 include education on certain Medicaid payments for 
 30 pregnant women; amending s. 1002.83, F.S.; requiring 
 31 that certain child care facilities be called early 
 32 learning centers; requiring the Department of 
 33 Education to ensure certain instruction and curriculum 
 34 for early learning centers; amending s. 1003.21, F.S.; 
 35 lowering the age at which children are required to 
 36 attend school regularly; amending ss. 1002.53, 
 37 1002.61, and 1002.87, F.S.; conforming cross 
 38 references; providing an effective date. 
 39 
 40 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
 41 
 42 Section 1. This act may be cited as “The Motherhood 
 43 Initiative.” 
 44 Section 2. Section 383.012, Florida Statutes, is created to 
 45 read: 
 46 383.012 Home visit program for expectant mothers.— 
 47 (1) The Department of Health shall expand the current home 
 48 visit program to include a home visit program for expectant 
 49 mothers within the Healthy Start program, which shall include 
 50 Healthy Start Care Coordination Programs. 
 51 (2) The program shall: 
 52 (a)1. Conduct screenings for expectant mothers for 
 53 depression and substance abuse disorders provided by a 
 54 registered nurse or licensed practical nurse licensed under part 
 55 I of chapter 464. 
 56 2. Refer at-risk expectant mothers for mental health 
 57 treatment. 
 58 (b) Ensure that an expectant mother is monitoring her blood 
 59 pressure and that the educational materials created under s. 
 60 383.55(3) are provided and reviewed with her. 
 61 (c) Include a 3-hour course on the care of a newborn 
 62 including, but not limited to, bathing, dressing, and feeding; 
 63 cardiopulmonary resuscitation; and setting up sleep routines for 
 64 the newborn and the mother which hospitals and birth centers 
 65 shall offer to a mother before going home with her newborn. 
 66 (3) Health insurance providers and Medicaid shall provide 
 67 coverage for the program, as applicable. 
 68 Section 3. Subsection (1) of section 383.305, Florida 
 69 Statutes, is amended to read: 
 70 383.305 Licensure; fees.— 
 71 (1) In accordance with s. 408.805, an applicant or a 
 72 licensee shall pay a fee for each license application submitted 
 73 under ss. 383.30-383.332 and part II of chapter 408. The amount 
 74 of the fee shall be established by rule. The Agency for Health 
 75 Care Administration may reduce the fees for an applicant or a 
 76 licensee under this section for birthing centers in rural and 
 77 other medically underserved areas. 
 78 Section 4. Section 383.31, Florida Statutes, is amended to 
 79 read: 
 80 383.31 Selection of clients