26:6C-6 Powers, duties, responsibilities of Maternal Mortality Review Committee.

6. a. The Maternal Mortality Review Committee shall have the power to:

(1) carry out any power, duty, or responsibility expressly granted by this act;

(2) adopt, amend, or repeal suitable bylaws for the management of its affairs;

(3) maintain an office at such place or places as it may designate;

(4) apply for, receive, and accept, from any federal, State, or other public or private source, grants, loans, or other moneys that are made available for, or in aid of, the committee's authorized purposes, or that are made available to assist the committee in carrying out its powers, duties, and responsibilities under this act;

(5) enter into any and all agreements or contracts, execute any and all instruments, and do and perform any and all acts or things necessary, convenient, or desirable to further the purposes of the committee;

(6) call to its assistance, and avail itself of the services of, such employees of any State entity or local government unit as may be required and available for the committee's purposes;

(7) review and investigate reports of maternal death; conduct witness interviews, and hear testimony provided under oath at public or private hearings, on any material matter; and request, or compel through the issuance of a subpoena, the attendance of relevant witnesses and the production of relevant documents, records, and papers;

(8) solicit and consider public input and comment on the committee's activities by periodically holding public hearings or conferences, and by providing other opportunities for such input and comment by interested parties; and

(9) identify, and promote the use of, best practices in maternal care, and encourage and facilitate cooperation and collaboration among health care facilities, health care professionals, administrative agencies, and local government units for the purposes of ensuring the provision of the highest quality maternal care throughout the State.

b. The Maternal Mortality Review Committee shall have the duty and responsibility to:

(1) develop mandatory and voluntary maternal death reporting processes, in accordance with the provisions of section 7 of this act and, at a minimum meet or exceed current federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting methodologies;

(2) conduct an investigation of each reported case of maternal death, and prepare a de-identified case summary for each such case, in accordance with the provisions of section 8 of this act;

(3) review the statistical data on maternal deaths that is forwarded by the Maternal Data Center pursuant to section 14 of this act, and the reports of maternal death that are forwarded by the department, pursuant to subsection b. of section 7 of this act, in order to identify Statewide and regional maternal death rates; trends, patterns, and disparities in adverse maternal outcomes; and medical, non-medical, and system-related factors that may have contributed to maternal deaths and treatment disparities; and

(4) annually report its findings and recommendations on maternal mortality to the department, the Governor, and the Legislature, in accordance with section 9of this act.

L.2019, c.75, s.6.