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HSB 139

A bill for an act relating to protections for medical practitioners, health care institutions, and health care payors including those related to the exercise of conscience, whistleblower activities, and free speech, and providing penalties.

2025-2026 Regular Session

HF 571 shields doctors, clinics, and insurers from liability for conscience-based refusals to provide or fund care, with whistleblower protections and preserved emergency duties.

Committee report approving bill, renumbered as HF 571.
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Bill Summary · HSB 139

Summary of Bill HF 571 (formerly HSB 139)

Status: Committee report approving bill, renumbered as HF 571. Introduced February 6, 2025. Pending further legislative action.

Overview and purpose

HF 571 provides protections for medical practitioners, health care institutions, and health care payors regarding conscience-based refusals, government whistleblower protections, and related free-speech concerns. It aims to shield certain actors from liability when they decline to participate in or fund health care services that conflict with their conscience or religious beliefs, while preserving essential federal emergency care obligations. The bill also creates protections for whistleblowers who report suspected violations.

Key definitions (as introduced)

The bill defines terms to govern its scope, including:
- conscience
- discrimination
- health care institution
- health care payor
- health care services
- medical practitioner
- participate in a health care service

Core provisions

Conscience-based refusals and related rights

  • A practitioner, health care institution, or health care payor may refuse to participate in or pay for a health care service that violates their conscience.
  • Refusal to participate due to conscience cannot be used as a basis for discrimination against the practitioner, institution, or payor.
  • The bill does not relieve a practitioner, institution, or payor of any federal requirement to provide emergency medical services to certain individuals.

Religion-based entities

  • An entity that holds itself out to the public as religion-based may make employment, staffing, contracting, and admitting privileges decisions in a manner consistent with its religious beliefs.

Immunities from liability

  • A practitioner, health care institution, or health care payor shall not be civilly, criminally, or administratively liable for exercising conscience.
  • An institution shall not be civilly, criminally, or administratively liable for exercising conscience through a practitioner employed by the institution or granted admitting privileges.

Whistleblower protections

  • The bill provides protections for whistleblowers, stating that a practitioner, institution, or payor shall not be discriminated against for taking actions related to a suspected violation of the bill.
  • It also protects individuals who disclose information about suspected violations from discrimination.

Who would be affected

  • Medical practitioners (doctors, nurses, and other licensed professionals)
  • Health care institutions (hospitals, clinics, and related facilities)
  • Health care payors (insurers and similar entities)
  • Religious-based health care entities and their employees or contractors
  • Whistleblowers and individuals reporting suspected violations

Procedural/timeline aspects

  • 2025-02-06: Introduced and referred to the Judiciary Committee.
  • 2025-02-11–02-12: Subcommittee met and recommended passage.
  • 2025-02-20: Subcommittee and Committee votes and recommendations for passage.
  • 2025-02-20 and 2025-02-24: Committee reports approving the bill, with renumbering to HF 571.

Potential impact

  • Strengthens conscience-based protections for providers and religious-based health care entities.
  • Expands immunity from liability for conscience-based decisions.
  • Establishes whistleblower protections related to potential violations of the bill.
  • Could affect participation in or funding of certain health care services, contingent on conscience and religious considerations.
  • Maintains alignment with federal emergency care requirements, clarifying that federal obligations remain unaffected.

Note: This summary reflects the introduced text and the committee actions to date. Further amendments could modify definitions, scope, or protections.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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