Hawaii Midwifery Licensure
Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) & Certified Midwives (CMs) are regulated by the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) through HRS 457J and are required to be licensed in the State of Hawaii in order to practice. Get to know midwives by clicking here.
The Director of the DCCA is responsible for the Midwifery Program, and an Executive Officer facilitates the administrative duties of the program under the Director. The DCCA provides information such as:
The application for midwifery licensure,
How to check if a provider is licensed,
How to check if a licensed provider has a previous complaint against them (current and archived); and
How to file a complaint against a licensed provider.
If you have questions about midwifery care, licensed midwives, and/or an experience you had with your or a client’s birth, feel free to contact us. We are here to answer your questions and concerns, and we have a review process for midwives regarding birth outcomes.
If you are looking for updates regarding current midwifery legislation and/or the current lawsuit filed that seeks to prohibit the enforcement of HRS 457J, please head over to News and Events.
9/3/24: Hawaii Administrative Rules Update: Interim HAR proposed by DCCA. Testimony no longer accepted
On July 29, 2024, the DCCA held a live meeting open to the public to provide comments on the proposed Hawaii Administrative Rules (HAR) Chapter 121-Midwives. You can view the 4 hour meeting on the DCCA Midwife Program website here. Scroll to the bottom of the page and select the 7.29.24 Midwives Program Public Hearing Virtual Meeting, and the link will play the video for you.
The DCCA held the meeting after having posted a Notice of Public Hearing in the Star Advertiser, The Garden Island, the Hawaii Tribune Herald, and West Hawaii Today newspapers to announce the proposed interim Hawaii Administrative Rules (HAR) for midwives. They had requested all written testimony to be submitted by July 22, 2024. At the end of the 4-hour public hearing on July 29, 2024, the DCCA extended the period to receive comments for 30 days. The period to submit comments has now closed.
The DCCA Director will promulgate interim admin rules for midwives that will be valid for 1 year once they take effect. Subsequently, permanent rules will need to be promulgated.
HAR are meant to clarify any items within the Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS), so these specific HAR are to clarify HRS 457J, which is the statute that regulates licensed midwives. The HAR can only clarify what the current statute specifically states, and cannot expand licensed midwives’ scope of practice beyond what is written within HRS 457-J.
Summary of midwifery licensure in Hawaii
On 4/30/2019 SB1033 was signed into law by Governor Ige. It was the 32nd bill signed into law for 2019, so it is referred to by some as Act 32 (please note each year utilizes the same numbering system so Act 32 is not specific to the midwifery law). The Hawaii midwifery law is Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS) Chapter 457J. You can view the House Floor Discussion on 4/9/2019 here starting at 1:04:23. This requires licensure of CPMs and CMs to practice midwifery in Hawaii.
Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs) are licensed under the Board of Nursing.
HRS 457J, Hawaii’s midwifery licensing law, does not regulate or eliminate anyone’s right to choose where they desire to birth, who they wish to be present at their birth, and/or who they elect to have as their birth provider. HRS 457J does not prevent any licensed midwife from incorporating cultural birth practices in the midwifery care that is provided.
Effective July 1, 2023 only licensed midwives are recognized by the State to be legally providing midwifery services in Hawaii. People who are not licensed as midwives who practice midwifery without a license may be fined by the state if someone files a complaint through the Regulating Industries Complaints Office (RICO).
There currently are no Hawaii Administrative Rules (HAR) for HRS 457J. The Director of the DCCA has the authority to promulgate rules, and it is anticipated that interim HAR will be implemented within 2024.
Licensure requirements for CPMs and CMs:
Application fee: $50
Initial licensure fee: $1368 for 3 years starting 2020; prorated annually
Renewal licensure fee: $882 (active); $12 (inactive)
Continuing ed: Will be established by DCCA with admin rules
Professional liability: Not required for licensure
Administrative rules, which are separate from the licensing statute, are currently being drafted by the DCCA. The DCCA Midwife Advisory Committee meeting schedule can be found here and advisory meeting minutes/recordings can be found here.
Education & certification requirements for licensure of CPMs and CMs:
CPMs: Current certification by NARM and MEAC accredited education is required. If a CPM was certified through the PEP process prior to January 1, 2020, they are eligible for licensure after obtaining a one-time Midwifery Bridge Certificate from NARM. If someone studies using the PEP process after 2020, the shortest route we have found to MEAC accredited education in order to be eligible for licensure is through a one year online program offered by Southwest Wisconsin Technical College.
CMs: Current certification by AMCB and ACME accredited education is required.