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HB6076 creates a formal licensure framework for freestanding abortion clinics under Michigan's Public Health Code, establishing definitions, fees, operational standards, and patient protections.
OUR POSITIONHB6076 does something straightforward and overdue: it brings freestanding abortion clinics under the same licensing structure that governs other health facilities in Michigan. Under the bill, these clinics would be formally defined, added to the list of regulated health facilities or agencies under Article 17 of the Public Health Code, and required to obtain a state license to operate. The American Council supports this bill and urges every legislator to vote yes.
Accountability begins with definition. The bill establishes clear statutory definitions for both "freestanding abortion clinic" and "elective abortion," while explicitly carving out miscarriage treatment, ectopic pregnancy care, contraception, and procedures necessary to avert a woman's death from that definition. Precision in the law protects patients and providers alike, and this bill delivers it.
The operational standards the bill imposes reflect what we believe every medical facility should provide. Owners, operators, and governing bodies would be held responsible for all phases of operation, provider qualifications, and quality of care. Staff must be appropriately licensed. Written policies and procedures must be developed, enforced, and made available to personnel. Patient rights to informed consent and to refuse treatment must be upheld at every stage of care. These are not burdens; they are the baseline any patient deserves.
The bill also requires clinics to have a plan for identifying social determinants of health and referring patients to support services with their consent. It mandates written procedures for outside referrals, consultation, and patient transport to a hospital by calling 9-1-1 or other means when needed. These provisions reflect our conviction that patient safety and whole-person care are inseparable.
The licensure fee structure the bill establishes, a $500 annual facility fee and a $2,000 initial application fee, places freestanding abortion clinics on comparable financial footing with other licensed health facilities. Regulation without a funding mechanism is regulation in name only. This bill provides the mechanism. The American Council calls on the Michigan House to pass HB6076 without delay.
HB6076 was introduced on June 11, 2026, and referred the same day to the House Committee on Health Policy, where it currently sits without a recorded hearing date. The bill carries a single sponsor, Representative Nancy Jenkins-Arno, which signals that its path through committee depends significantly on whether the chair schedules it and whether additional co-sponsors are recruited to demonstrate broader support. The session calendar creates timing pressure because bills that do not clear committee before the legislature adjourns typically expire and must be reintroduced. Constituent contact directed at Health Policy Committee members is most consequential right now, while the committee is deciding whether to take up the bill at all.