California · 2025–26 Regular Session · Assembly Bill
AB 1696: Emergency services and care: nurse-midwives.
Enacted Official data
- Introduced
- In committee
- Passed one chamber
- Passed both chambers
- Enacted
Last official action: ·Record last updated:
Plain-language summary
AB 1696 is a assembly bill introduced in the California Assembly on February 3, 2026. According to its official title, it concerns: Emergency services and care: nurse-midwives. Primary sponsor: Catherine Stefani (D). Most recent recorded action (September 27, 2026): Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 484, Statutes of 2026.
Generated automatically from the official title, sponsor list, and status record only. It does not characterize the bill’s purpose or effects. How summaries are written
Official summary
Legislative Counsel’s Digest (official, as of the latest version). Written by nonpartisan legislative staff; reproduced verbatim.
Existing law provides for the licensing and regulation of health facilities by the State Department of Public Health and generally makes a violation of those provisions a crime. Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care and generally makes a willful violation of the act a crime.
Existing law requires a health facility to provide emergency services and care upon request for any condition in which the person is in danger of loss of life or serious injury or illness. Existing law requires a health care service plan to reimburse providers for emergency services and care.
Existing law defines “emergency services and care” for these purposes to mean medical screening, examination, and evaluation by a physician and surgeon, or other appropriate licensed persons under the supervision of a physician and surgeon, to determine if an emergency medical condition or active labor exists and, if it does, the care, treatment, and surgery, if within the scope of that person’s license, necessary to relieve or eliminate the emergency medical condition, within the capability of the facility, among other things.
This bill would specify that the above-described provisions would not require physician supervision of a licensed nurse-midwife in the labor and delivery unit, obstetric triage, or dedicated emergency obstetric evaluation unit, when the nurse-midwife is providing care to the extent authorized by, and consistent with, specified licensing and certification provisions, or when the nurse-midwife is specifically requested by the treating physician and surgeon to provide obstetric consultation.
By changing the scope of a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
Sponsors
Sponsors by party (alphabetical): Democratic 1
| Name | Role | Party | Chamber | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catherine Stefani | Primary sponsor | Democratic | Assembly | 19 |
“Support” is shown only as formal sponsorship recorded by the legislature. Roll-call votes are available on the official bill page.
Recent official actions
- Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 484, Statutes of 2026.
- Approved by the Governor.
- Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 484, Statutes of 2026.
- Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 484, Statutes of 2026.
- Approved by the Governor.
- Approved by the Governor.
- Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.
- Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.
- Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.
- In Assembly. Ordered to Engrossing and Enrolling.
- Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 38. Noes 0. Page 5550.).
- In Assembly. Ordered to Engrossing and Enrolling.