Reps. Brett Guthrie (R-KY) and Cedric Richmond (D-LA) reintroduced H.R. 302 (formerly H.R. 921), the Sports Medicine Licensure Clarity Act, to the House of Representatives. All NATA members are encouraged to contact their representatives to ask him/her to support the bill. Visit the Federal Legislative Alert Center to contact your representative. We anticipate H.R. 302 could be voted on by the House as early as next week, so we need to gain cosponsors and support as quickly as possible.
Update (Monday, Jan. 9): The vote for H.R. 302 has been scheduled for today!
NATA is proud to champion this legislation that will not only benefit more than 44,000 NATA members and the millions of patients they serve, but will also support health care professionals all over the country, including our initial partners in this effort, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) and the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM).
Background
After several years of collaborative work with members of Congress, H.R. 921: The Sports Medicine Licensure Clarity Act was passed by the House of Representatives Monday, Sept. 12, 2016, a historic event for NATA and the athletic training profession. After being approved by the House, H.R. 921 did not make it to the Senate floor for consideration before Congress adjourned for 2016, so a reintroduction of the bill was required.
The legislation clarifies medical liability rules for athletic trainers and other medical professionals to ensure they’re properly covered by their liability insurance while traveling with athletic teams in another state. Under the bill, health care services provided by a covered athletic trainer or other sports medicine professional to an athlete, athletic team or a staff member in another state will be deemed to have satisfied any licensure requirements of the secondary state. In addition, the providers will be able to treat injured athletes across state lines without the fear of in curring great professional loss. This bill reinforces the sports medicine team collaborative approach to care among physicians, athletic trainers and others. It is also vital in light of playoffs, championship games and college bowl games where teams travel a great distance with little notification.
H.R. 921 marked the first time a piece of NATA legislation was passed by the House of Representatives. So, how did we get to this important step?
- NATA worked with coalition members and members of Congress on draft language for Sports Medicine Licensure Clarity Act.
- Bill is introduced Feb. 12, 2015, in the House by Rep. Brett Guthrie (KY) and Rep. Cedric Richmond (LA). Companion bill is introduced in the Senate as S. 689 by Sen. John Thune (SD) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (MN) March 10, 2015.
- NATA staff and lobbying team spend countless hours meeting with Congress, collecting 179 cosponsors for the bill.
- H.R. 921 has first hearing with the U.S. House Energy and Commerce subcommittee in December 2015.
- HR 921 received full markup in the House Energy and Commerce health subcommittee June 8, 2016.
- NATA took 400 athletic trainers to advocate for the bill during Capitol Hill Day June 22, which lead to 14 new cosponsors.
- Hearing scheduled with U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee for a full markup Wednesday, July 11. Committee approved the bill July 13 and sent it to the full House of Representatives.
- The House of Representatives passed H.R. 921 on Sept. 12, 2016.
Support H.R. 302
The speed by which this bill has been reintroduced is very encouraging, and we need your support to keep H.R. 302 moving forward. Please contact your state representative and ask for his/her support for the Sports Medicine Licensure Clarity Act. Visit the NATA Federal Legislative Alert Center for instructions and helpful resources for contacting your legislator.
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