BILL REQ. #:  H-1006.1 

Read first time 01/25/11.   Referred to Committee on Health Care & Wellness.

     AN ACT Relating to creating a legislative task force on maternal and child health; creating a new section; and providing an expiration date.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   (1) The legislative task force on maternal and child health is established with members as provided in this subsection:
     (a) One member from each of the two largest caucuses in the house of representatives, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives;
     (b) One member from each of the two largest caucuses in the senate, appointed by the president of the senate;
     (c) The following members appointed jointly by the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of the senate:
     (i) One member representing the march of dimes;
     (ii) One member representing the American Indian health commission for Washington;
     (iii) One member representing a statewide association representing midwives;
     (iv) One member representing the American congress of obstetricians and gynecologists;
     (v) One member representing the Washington state medical association;
     (vi) One member representing the Washington state pharmacy association;
     (vii) One member representing the Washington chapter of the American academy of pediatrics; and
     (viii) One member representing the Washington state perinatal collaborative; and
     (d) The following members appointed by the governor:
     (i) One member representing the medicaid purchasing administration; and
     (ii) One member representing the department of health.
     (2) The task force shall select its chair from among its legislative membership.
     (3) The task force shall:
     (a) Review the current status of the maternity and child health system including, but not limited to, the following information sorted by income and source of insurance coverage:
     (i) Access to care during the first trimester of a pregnancy;
     (ii) Caesarean section rates;
     (iii) Infant mortality rates;
     (iv) Low birth weight rates; and
     (v) Other relevant birth outcome data; and
     (b) Develop strategies to lower the number of preterm births in the state of Washington.
     (4) The task force shall report its findings to the relevant committees of the legislature no later than November 15, 2011.
     (5) Staff support for the task force shall be provided by the office of program research and senate committee services.
     (6) Legislative members of the task force are reimbursed for travel expenses in accordance with RCW 44.04.120. Nonlegislative members, except those representing an employer or organization, are entitled to be reimbursed for travel expenses in accordance with RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060.
     (7) The expenses of the task force shall be paid jointly by the senate and the house of representatives. Task force expenditures are subject to approval by the senate facilities and operations committee and the house executive rules committee, or their successor committees.
     (8) This section expires January 1, 2012.