Latest news with #SenateBill87
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Alabama midwives worry changes made to legislation will restrict newborn care
CULLMAN, Ala. (WHNT) — A bill in the Alabama Senate is taking a look at what type of medical care licensed midwives can provide to newborns after they assist with birth. Since it was introduced, the bill has undergone some changes that midwives in the state say raise concerns. Animals now up for adoption after owners charged with 38 counts of animal cruelty Laura Reeder, a licensed midwife who works for Farmhouse Midwifery in Cullman, said part of her job is offering women the freedom to choose how they want to give birth and making the process as safe as possible for the mother and baby. She said the language added to an Alabama Senate bill is going to make that job difficult. 'Women want that continuity of care all the way through their birth,' Reeder said. 'They want the same provider that is doing their prenatal to be there when they deliver their baby and to help them through the postpartum as well.' Reeder offers a service that is increasingly being sought out by expectant mothers in Alabama. 'Midwives are able to go to people's homes in rural communities,' Reeder said. 'We have a lot of counties where women are having to drive over an hour to get access to their pediatrician and that's just really hard when you've just had a baby.' Decatur Police looking for missing woman In 2024, only 16 of Alabama's 55 rural counties have hospitals that offer obstetrical services, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health. Reeder, like other licensed midwives, has only been able to legally practice in Alabama for the past few years. Midwifery was legalized in the state in 2017. The Alabama State Board of Midwifery was established in 2018, and licenses were first handed out in 2019. Senate Bill 87, written by Sen. Arthur Orr, was originally designed to update language from the 2017 legislation. It initially allowed midwives more freedom to provide newborn screenings and other care needed shortly after birth. 'You can't determine when a baby's going to come,' Reeder said. 'Sometimes they come on weekends or holidays and, for that newborn, especially the heel prick, needs to be done within 24 to 48 hours, up to 72. Sometimes moms can't get an appointment with their doctors.' Changes were made to SB 87 during a meeting of the Alabama Senate Health Committee. Sen. Larry Stutts introduced a sub-bill that would only allow midwives to administer a heel lance, which is a blood sample taken shortly after birth used to screen babies for disorders. The bill limits other types of care. 'It prohibits us from any other care of the newborn unless an emergency,' said Reeder. 'After a baby's born, we're doing newborn exams head to toe. We're weighing the baby, measuring the baby and we send all of that information to the pediatrician after the birth. It's a real problem if we're prohibited from any newborn care at all.' The modified bill would restrict midwives from providing care that is not specifically granted by this legislation, including newborn screenings. Midwives are instead required to refer newborns to a doctor, and then, parents need to bring the baby to a pediatrician within 48 hours to receive a newborn screening. Reeder said the hours after birth are critical for assessing a baby. 'When we are caring for mom throughout pregnancy, we're caring for that mom and that baby both throughout the pregnancy,' Reeder said. 'So, we're not trying to be pediatricians. We're not trying diagnose or treat the babies. We're just trying to be able to do the assessments so that we can give the parents information on when to seek help for their babies.' Newborn screenings assess for conditions that are life-threatening or could impact a baby's development, like congenital heart defects, early hearing loss and metabolic and genetic disorders. Reeder said that newborn screenings are meant to make sure babies are healthy, and she has concerns about how placing limitations on the care midwives can provide will impact the safety of babies. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alaska Legislature votes against inflation-adjusted pay rates for top officials
Snow falls on the Alaska State Capitol on Monday, Jan. 30, 2023, in Juneau, Alaska. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon) The Alaska House of Representatives voted 36-0 on Friday to reject a proposal that would peg legislative salaries and the pay of other top state officials to inflation. The vote on Senate Bill 87 follows a 19-0 vote by the state Senate on Feb. 7 and puts lawmakers on the verge of rejecting an automatic inflation adjustment that had been proposed by a state commission earlier this year. Unless Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoes SB 87, its enactment will negate the recommendations of the State Officers Compensation Commission. Those recommendations automatically take effect unless disapproved by the Legislature. Alaska's governor currently is paid approximately $176,000 per year in salary. The lieutenant governor's salary is approximately $140,000, and the salaries of state commissioners — in charge of agencies — are approximately $168,000 per year. State legislators receive $84,000 per year in salary. This year, the commission recommended that those figures all be automatically adjusted for inflation, with the first adjustment to take place after the 2026 election. Members of the commission said they wanted to keep legislative and executive-branch service affordable for members of the public, and automatic adjustments would remove the need for large, occasional increases in salaries. No other state employees receive automatic pay increases outside of the Legislature's annual budget process, though the state does negotiate multiyear contracts with workers. Legislators said they don't believe it makes sense to increase salaries when the state is facing significant budget pressure. 'Given our fiscal situation, we cannot allow pay raises for ourselves, department heads, lieutenant governor and governor to go into effect,' said Rep. Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Alaska Senate votes against inflation-adjusted pay for legislators and state execs
Sen. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, speaks Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, on the floor of the Alaska Senate. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon) Members of the Alaska Senate voted 19-0 against a proposal that would automatically adjust the salaries of state legislators and executives for inflation, starting in 2027. Senate Bill 87, disapproving the proposal from the State Officers Compensation Commission, now advances to the House for consideration. Alaska's governor currently is paid approximately $176,000 per year in salary. The lieutenant governor's salary is approximately $140,000, and the salaries of state commissioners — in charge of agencies — are approximately $168,000 per year. State legislators receive $84,000 per year in salary. Under the commission's proposal, those figures would be automatically indexed to the Consumer Price Index for Anchorage, a measure of inflation in the state's largest city. Members of the commission said they felt it is important to have salaries that allow Alaskans of all ages and economic classes to serve in state government. Voicing disapproval of the idea on Friday, Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, said he believes automatic indexing is a recipe for budget growth and a bad idea because other state employees do not have their salaries adjusted automatically. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
