During the 2023 Idaho Legislative Session, APTA Idaho has participated in three efforts related to bills and issues.

Independent Licensing Board
Throughout the 1990s, the Idaho Physical Therapy Association (now APTA Idaho) worked very hard so that our profession would have an independent physical therapy licensing board. During the 2023 legislative session, House Bill 28 was introduced, which would have dissolved the Physical Therapy Licensure Board and created an Allied Health Professionals Board that would have also represented occupational therapy, athletic trainers, dieticians, and respiratory therapy. Each profession would have had one or two representatives on the new board, making policy and disciplinary decisions about all of the professions. APTA Idaho participated in a valiant effort that unified all of the five affected professions in opposing this bill. And APTA Idaho members responded promptly to an action alert where they voiced their opposition to this bill. Because of this opposition, House Bill 28 did not make it out of the Idaho Health and Welfare Committee. We believe that maintaining an independent licensing board where physical therapy is governed by physical therapists and physical therapist assistants is key to protecting the public and our profession. Thank you to all of those who assisted in this effort.

PT Compact
We had intended to bring forth a bill to add Idaho as a state that would be part of the PT Compact. Other health profession associations in Idaho are currently bringing forward legislation for compact privileges in Idaho and are running into resistance due to the need for an FBI background check. Our lobbyist has advised us that we might want to see how this opposition plays out in order to shape our effort to pursue a PT Compact bill in 2024. This advice and expending effort to oppose HB 28 made us decide to hold off on proposing PT Compact legislation in 2023.

Medicaid
We are watching House Bill 123, which would repeal Medicaid expansion in Idaho. We’re concerned that passage of House Bill 123 would dramatically reduce Idaho residents’ access to the medical and physical therapy services they need.

Jon Gardunia
APTA Idaho President