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A 1799

Relates to prohibiting financial institutions from charging a fee for periodic paper statements

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Alicia Hyndman and 1 co-sponsor

New Jersey will pilot a voluntary shared decision making tool for maternity care in hospitals and birthing centers, evaluating birth plans, inductions, and cesareans over 3 years.

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Bill Summary · A 1799

Summary — Assembly Bill A1799 (2024-2025 session)

Title: Establishes a maternal health shared decision‑making tool and three‑year pilot program for maternity care hospitals and licensed birthing centers

Sponsors: Alicia Hyndman (primary); Angelo Santabarbara (cosponsor)
Status (as of documents): Passed Assembly (5/28/2025); delivered to Senate and referred to Senate Banks Committee. Companion/related Senate bills listed.

Purpose / intent

The bill directs the New Jersey Commissioner of Health to develop a voluntary shared decision‑making tool for maternity care hospitals and licensed birthing centers. The tool is intended to:
- Improve patient and provider knowledge of benefits, risks, and best practices for maternity care;
- Increase collaboration so patients can make more informed decisions;
- Improve patient experience and reduce adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes; and
- Encourage patients to prepare birth plans documenting preferences for labor, delivery, and postpartum care.

Key provisions

  • Development and availability: Commissioner of Health to create and make available a shared decision‑making tool for maternity care hospitals and licensed birthing centers (facility license reference: P.L.1971, c.136).
  • Content of tool: Patient decision aids such as standardized electronic or printed questionnaires, educational fact sheets (topics include choosing a provider/facility, early labor support techniques, risks of non‑medically indicated preterm induction, benefits of full‑term pregnancy and operative vaginal deliveries, risks of cesarean), brochures and multimedia explaining critical maternal conditions and treatment options/risk tradeoffs.
  • Pilot program: A three‑year pilot during which a select number of inpatient maternity hospitals and licensed birthing centers may use and evaluate the tool. The commissioner will establish an application process and select participating facilities, including at least one facility from each of the northern, central, and southern regions.
  • Evaluation metrics: Participating facilities must use a standardized evaluation (designed by the commissioner) and collect data including (but not limited to):
    • Numbers/percentages of non‑medically indicated vs. medically indicated labor inductions;
    • Numbers/percentages of non‑medically indicated vs. medically indicated cesarean sections;
    • Numbers/percentages of vaginal deliveries;
    • Deliveries at ≥41 weeks and deliveries between >34 and <41 weeks;
    • Numbers/percentages of patients who created a birth plan;
    • Any additional prenatal, labor, delivery, or postnatal data the commissioner deems necessary.
  • Reporting: Within one year after the pilot ends, each participating facility must submit a report to the commissioner, the Governor, and the Legislature assessing tool effectiveness and recommending improvements and whether to implement statewide.
  • Effective date and sunset: The act takes effect 360 days after enactment; it expires upon final submission of all required reports. The commissioner may take anticipatory administrative steps before the effective date.

Who is affected

  • Primary: inpatient maternity hospitals and licensed birthing centers in New Jersey (participation in the pilot is voluntary).
  • Secondary: maternity care patients and providers — the tool targets patient education, shared decision‑making, and delivery‑related decision metrics.

Implementation & timeline highlights

  • Pilot duration: 3 years once implemented.
  • Reporting deadline: each selected facility must report within one year after pilot expiration.
  • Act effective: 360 days after enactment; bill expires after all reports are submitted.

Legislative status / next steps

  • Passed the Assembly on 5/28/2025 and was delivered to the Senate; referred to the Senate Banks Committee for consideration. Companion bill(s) identified in the Senate.

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

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