SB 1054

Bill Subjects

Abstract

Existing law, the Physical Therapy Practice Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of physical therapists by the Physical Therapy Board of California, and establishes education, examination, and other requirements for licensure in this state. This bill would enact the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact, under which each member state is required to grant a compact privilege, as defined, to a physical therapist holding a license in another member state if specified conditions are satisfied. The bill would authorize a member state to charge a fee for granting a compact privilege. The bill would prohibit fees collected by the Physical Therapy Board of California for purposes of granting a compact privilege from exceeding the cost of administering that privilege under the compact and would require the fees to be deposited in the Physical Therapy Fund. The bill would require the board to select a delegate to be a member of the Physical Therapy Compact Commission, a joint public agency which would be authorized to promulgate uniform rules in accordance with specified rulemaking procedures to implement the compact. The bill would authorize an executive board of the commission to act on behalf of the commission, and would specify the executive board's duties, including recommending changes to fees. The bill would authorize the commission to levy and collect an annual assessment from each state or impose fees on other parties to cover the costs of the operations and activities of the commission. The bill would require the board to transmit specified data on licensees to a coordinated database and reporting system maintained by the commission. The bill would specify that the provisions of the compact and the rules promulgated pursuant to the compact shall have the force and effect of state law. The bill would state that if any provision of the compact is contrary to the United States Constitution, the California Constitution, or any state or federal statute or regulation, the provision is void and unenforceable. Because a person licensed in another state practicing under a compact privilege would be subject to the provisions of the act, a violation of which is a misdemeanor, the bill would expand the scope of a crime and would thereby impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.