HF 1954

as introduced - 89th Legislature (2015 - 2016) Posted on 03/24/2015 12:27am

A bill for an act
relating to health; creating a Minnesota Stillbirth Task Force.

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

Section 1. new text begin MINNESOTA STILLBIRTH TASK FORCE.
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new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Members. new text end

new text begin (a) The Minnesota Stillbirth Task Force is composed of
19 members appointed as follows:
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new text begin (1) two members of the senate, one appointed by the majority leader and one
appointed by the minority leader;
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new text begin (2) two members of the house of representatives, one appointed by the speaker of the
house, and one appointed by the minority leader of the house of representatives;
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new text begin (3) four members who are family members affected by stillbirth, two of whom shall
be appointed by the majority leader of the senate, and two of whom shall be appointed by
the speaker of the house;
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new text begin (4) one member who is an obstetrician appointed by the Minnesota Chapter of
the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists or the Minnesota Medical
Association;
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new text begin (5) one member who is a pathologist with expertise in fetal/placental pathology
appointed by the Minnesota Association of Pathologists;
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new text begin (6) one member who is a nurse employed in the care of obstetrical patients appointed
by the Minnesota Board of Nursing;
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new text begin (7) one member who is a licensed mental health professional with a practice focusing
on the care of stillbirth families appointed by the Mental Health Association of Minnesota;
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new text begin (8) one member appointed by the Minnesota Hospital Association;
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new text begin (9) four members who represent stillbirth advocacy groups focusing on eduction
and prevention, two of whom shall be appointed by the speaker of the house and two of
whom shall be appointed by the majority leader of the senate;
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new text begin (10) one member appointed by the commissioner of health; and
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new text begin (11) one member appointed by the commissioner of human services.
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new text begin (b) Appointments must be made by September 1, 2015. The senate member
appointed by the majority leader of the senate shall convene the first meeting of the
task force no later than October 1, 2015. The task force shall elect a chair from among
members at the first meeting. The task force shall meet at least six times per year.
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new text begin (c) Minnesota Statutes, section 15.059, except for Minnesota Statutes, section 15.059,
subdivision 2, shall apply to the task force and to all task force member appointments.
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new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Duties. new text end

new text begin (a) The task force shall: (1) develop a statewide strategic plan that
focuses on improving stillbirth awareness and identifying the risks and causes of stillbirth;
and (2) make recommendations to reduce the number of stillbirths. The task force shall also
focus on how to improve quality data collection and provide support for bereaved families.
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new text begin (b) As part of developing the strategic plan, the task force shall consider the following:
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new text begin (1) providing Family Medical Leave Act benefits for stillbirth families;
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new text begin (2) providing insurance coverage for fetal autopsies;
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new text begin (3) providing onetime tax deduction for stillbirth families;
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new text begin (4) developing standardized protocols based on the Iowa stillbirth dataset for
evaluating and documenting stillbirths;
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new text begin (5) developing standardized care for families when stillbirth occurs;
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new text begin (6) providing training for health professionals involved in the care of stillbirth
families; and
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new text begin (7) implementing research on stillbirth risk identification, management, and
strategies to increase needed research in order to reduce stillbirths.
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new text begin (c) The task force shall coordinate with existing efforts relating to fetal death at
the Departments of Education, Health, and Human Services, and at the University of
Minnesota and other agencies and organizations as the task force deems appropriate.
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new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Report. new text end

new text begin The task force shall submit its strategic plan to the legislature
by January 15, 2017. The task force shall continue to provide assistance with the
implementation of the strategic plan, as approved by the legislature, and shall submit a
progress report by January 15, 2018, and by January 15, 2019, on the implementation
status of the strategic plan, including any draft legislation necessary for implementation.
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new text begin Subd. 4. new text end

new text begin Staff. new text end

new text begin The Legislative Coordinating Commission shall provide staff and
administrative services for the task force. The task force may request technical support
from the Departments of Health, Human Services, Commerce, and the Office of Higher
Education.
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new text begin Subd. 5. new text end

new text begin Definition. new text end

new text begin For purposes of this section, stillbirth means the death of a fetus
anytime after the 20th week of pregnancy and may be referred to as intrauterine fetal death.
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new text begin Subd. 6. new text end

new text begin Expiration. new text end

new text begin The task force expires June 30, 2019.
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