Hawaii Midwifery Licensure
Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) & Certified Midwives (CMs) are required to be licensed in the State of Hawaii in order to practice. Get to know midwives by clicking here.
The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) Midwifery Program provides information such as:
The application for midwifery licensure,
How to check if a provider is licensed,
How to check if a licensed provider has a previous complaint against them (current and archived); and
How to file a complaint against a licensed provider.
If you have questions about midwifery care, licensed midwives, and/or an experience you had with your or a client’s birth, feel free to contact us. We are here to answer your questions and concerns, and we have a review process for midwives regarding birth outcomes.
Summary of midwifery licensure in Hawaii
On 4/30/2019 SB1033 was signed into law by Governor Ige. It was the 32nd bill signed into law for 2019, so it is referred to by some as Act 32 (please note each year utilizes the same numbering system so Act 32 is not specific to the midwifery law). The Hawaii midwifery law is Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS) Chapter 457J. You can view the House Floor Discussion on 4/9/2019 here starting at 1:04:23. This requires licensure of CPMs and CMs to practice midwifery in Hawaii.
Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs) are licensed under the Board of Nursing.
HRS 457J, Hawaii’s midwifery licensing law, does not regulate or eliminate anyone’s right to choose where they desire to birth, who they wish to be present at their birth, and/or who they elect to have as their birth provider. HRS 457J does not prevent any licensed midwife from incorporating cultural birth practices in the midwifery care that is provided.
Effective July 1, 2023 only licensed midwives are recognized by the State to be legally providing midwifery services in Hawaii. People who are not licensed as midwives who practice midwifery without a license may be fined by the state if someone files a complaint through the Regulating Industries Complaints Office (RICO).
On January 17, 2024 the Attorney General’s office issued their interpretation of HRS 457J. The Attorney General stated that anyone providing midwifery services, as defined by HRS 457J, is required to be licensed. This means that any birth professional who is not otherwise licensed and practicing within their scope (such as an RN, RD, LMT, APRN, ND, etc) is considered to be practicing midwifery without a license if they provide “advice and information regarding the progress of childbirth and care for newborns and infants.” MAH’s understanding is this was not the legislators intent when they regulated the profession of midwifery. MAH’s understanding is that only midwives and midwifery should be regulated through HRS 457J.
MAH recognizes that there was enormous effort by many to regulate midwifery, and that there was voluminous opposition to the licensure of midwives due to a misperception that it took away the community’s right to choose where and with whom they birth. The amount of misinformation that circulated and continues to be promoted means there is a lot of energy spent dispelling myths. This erodes the ability for legislators to absorb and digest accurate information in order to produce clean language for the midwifery licensing law. MAH continues to provide education to legislators and community stakeholders, and MAH believes that if the majority of energy was focused on ensuring clear language was developed, the midwifery licensure law would only regulate midwives, as it is intended to do. MAH is optimistic HRS 457J can be amended by legislators to more clearly define midwifery.
Current legislation regarding HRS 457J:
In the 2024 legislative session, which opened on January 17, 2024, a companion bill HB2649/ SB2969 was introduced. MAH’s interpretation of this bill is that it unnecessarily names additional birth professionals, such as doulas and lactation consultants in the midwifery licensure law, and it adds additional exemptions, which would allow for anyone to practice midwifery without a license. MAH provides the following education: the purpose of a licensure law is to regulate a specific profession, not additional professions; and allowing anyone but a licensed midwife (or APRN who is a certified nurse-midwife) to practice midwifery is not in line with the purpose of regulating a profession, which is to provide protections to the public.
Licensure requirements for CPMs and CMs:
Application fee: $50
Initial licensure fee: $1368 for 3 years starting 2020; prorated annually
Renewal licensure fee: $882 (active); $12 (inactive)
Continuing ed: Will be established by DCCA with admin rules
Professional liability: Not required for licensure
Administrative rules, which are separate from the licensing statute, are currently being drafted by the DCCA. The DCCA Midwife Advisory Committee meeting schedule can be found here and advisory meeting minutes/recordings can be found here.
Education & certification requirements for licensure of CPMs and CMs:
CPMs: Current certification by NARM and MEAC accredited education is required. If a CPM was certified through the PEP process prior to January 1, 2020, they are eligible for licensure after obtaining a one-time Midwifery Bridge Certificate from NARM.
CMs: Current certification by AMCB and ACME accredited education is required.