The Senate gave surprise first-round approval to legislation that would legalize and regulate midwives tonight, after Sen. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, a staunch opponent of the bill, left the chamber to allow a vote.

Speaking after the vote, bill sponsor Sen. John Loudon, R-Chesterfield, said he and Graham came to an agreement: Graham would allow a vote on the midwifery bill if Loudon agreed to stop holding up Graham’s bill that designates a portion of a highway outside Columbia as “Carl Edwards Drive.”

“The ‘home birth highway’ amendment was pending,” said Loudon, describing his stalling tactics on Graham’s bill. “We’ve moved to detente and now we have an accord.”

Graham was not immediately available for comment Wednesday evening.

Loudon smiled when asked if the agreement would break down tomorrow, when both bills are expected to be given final approval.

“We did Carl first today, I think we can do midwifery first tomorrow,” he said.

The bill makes several consessions to doctors groups, who oppose the measure. The changes include requiring midwives to carry malpractice insurance and restricting their ability to administer medication.

Additionally, midwives would be licensed by the Missouri Division of Professional Registration. Loudon said that was a neutral compromise between creating a midwife board and putting midwives under the jurisdiction of a board that licenses doctors.

(An earlier post on the bill can be found here.)

If passed by the Senate, the bill still must make its way through a House committee and be voted on twice by the full chamber. The Legislature adjourns next Friday.

UPDATE: I neglected to mention Edwards’ claim to fame. He is Columbia’s own back-flipping NASCAR driver. He’s been racing since 2004.