Life Experiences Subcommittee adopts broad scope to guide 2026 review of women's health issues

The Life Experiences Subcommittee of the Commission on Women's Health voted to adopt a proposed scope statement that will guide the panel's interim work on women's health issues across the life course.

At the meeting the chair read a scope that ranges from reproductive autonomy and fertility to pregnancy, postpartum care, caregiving, safety, midlife health and menopause, and that authorizes the subcommittee to receive testimony, review pending or recent legislation, request agency briefings and develop legislative or budget recommendations for the 2027 session. Senator Russell Perry moved to adopt the scope and the chair called a voice vote that carried the measure.

Legislative Services senior counsel Sabrina Miller Bryson presented an overview of selected bills from the 2026 regular session. She highlighted measures that passed, including HB 1860 and HB 861 (directing jail authorities to set lactation policies and to compile pregnancy-related summaries for incarcerated people), HB 1353 (a workgroup to evaluate a statewide maternal health safety initiative), HB 1400 (requiring insurers to cover maternal health screenings) and HB 1403 (creating a Severe Maternal Morbidity Surveillance and Review program). Bryson noted effective dates and reporting deadlines where specified.

Bryson also summarized bills that failed, were continued or were stricken, across topics that the subcommittee flagged as potential priorities: fetal and infant mortality review teams (bills including HB 336/HB 1398/HB 822), doula coverage (HB 1468), home-care licensure and inspection (SB 241), a maternal remote-monitoring pilot (SB 721), human-trafficking training for short-term rental operators (HB 600/SB 182), and nondiscrimination and workplace-study provisions for menopause and perimenopause (HB 1173/SB 258). Staff noted fiscal-impact estimates and committee dispositions for many items.

Members discussed next steps for the subcommittee's workplan. Senator Russell Perry proposed inviting patrons of failed or withdrawn bills to brief the group so the subcommittee could determine whether additional data, stakeholder engagement or technical fixes would make measures viable. "It might be helpful ... to invite any of the folks who carried that legislation ... to present some of these bills," Perry said.

Delegate Shelly Simons, who said she previously carried similar corrections-related legislation, urged the panel to invite the State Board of Local and Regional Jails or the Department of Corrections and national best-practice groups to brief the subcommittee on implementation of lactation policies for incarcerated people. "We thought a letter would not be sufficient with the jail board; it needed the force of law," Simons said.

Members asked staff to compile a concise one-sheet summarizing what data current review teams collect and whether those data sets include location, race and payer type (including Medicaid) so the subcommittee can assess gaps and disparities. Bryson said she would research existing review-team data elements and return with a summary. The chair also asked staff to identify prior women's-health legislation the subcommittee should monitor for implementation and outcomes.

The chair said staff will poll members for July meeting dates (the virtual/electronic meeting policy requires in-person attendance for the next meeting) and requested presentations from agencies and patrons on priority topics, including maternal remote monitoring, fetal and infant mortality review practices, correctional lactation policy implementation and menopause/perimenopause workplace accommodations. The subcommittee adjourned after the scheduling discussion.

Actions recorded at the meeting include a motion to adopt the scope statement, which passed by voice vote; no roll-call tally was recorded in the meeting transcript.