Virginia General Assembly passes bill to rename, broaden maternal mortality and morbidity review panel

A bill introduced by state Del. Margaret A. Franklin seeks to expand the review of maternal deaths and cases of severe maternal morbidity, enhance confidentiality standards, and boost public access to anonymized data, the Virginia State House reported.

The measure passed both legislative bodies and was officially enrolled as of March 30, 2026; the House approved it 94-2, and the Senate supported it 40-0.

Designated as HB1403 since Jan. 22, 2026, the legislation was summarized in the state legislature’s record as: “Severe Maternal Mortality Surveillance and Review Program; established.”

Here’s an overview of the measure, referencing the actual bill text with clarifying interpretation as needed.

The law renames the Maternal Mortality Review Team as the Maternal Mortality and Severe Maternal Morbidity Review Team, expanding its duties to systematically review every maternal death and all instances of severe maternal morbidity reported in Virginia. Definitions are provided for maternal death and severe maternal morbidity, statutory cross-references are updated, and more representatives from state and stakeholder organizations are required. The bill increases confidentiality for case records and deliberations, establishes record retention guidelines, permits broad access to needed data for reviews, and tasks the team with publishing annual reports and a publicly available interactive data dashboard featuring anonymized severe maternal morbidity statistics.

The House voted in favor with 61 Democrats and 33 Republicans supporting the bill; 2 Republicans opposed.

In the Senate, 21 Democrats and 19 Republicans gave their approval.

Del. Margaret A. Franklin (Democrat–23rd District) sponsored the bill along with Del. Bonita G. Anthony (Democrat–92nd District), Del. Debra D. Gardner (Democrat–76th District), and three additional sponsors.

Franklin earned her Bachelor of Science from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 2008.

Franklin, who is a Democrat, was elected in 2026 to the Virginia State House representing the 23rd House District, succeeding former representative Candi King.

Virginia’s lawmaking process starts when a bill is introduced in the House of Delegates or Senate, assigned to committee for consideration and possible changes. Once a committee approves a bill, it moves to floor debate and then votes in both chambers. If both adopt the measure, it goes to the governor, who may sign or veto it, or permit it to become law without a signature. The Virginia General Assembly convenes annually with session opening the second Monday of January, and hundreds of proposals are considered, though relatively few are enacted.

Background for this article comes from the Virginia State House. Source materials are accessible here.