Guthrie Bill Signed Into Law

brett-guthrie
brett-guthrie

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Brett Guthrie’s (KY-02) bill, the Sports Medicine Licensure Clarity Act, was signed into law Friday by President Trump.

The Sports Medicine Licensure Clarity Act provides legal protection for sports medicine professionals who cross state lines with their high school, college, or professional teams. The bill passed in the House by a vote of 398 to 3 last week and in the Senate on Wednesday, October 3, by a vote of 93 to 6.

“When the still-undefeated Kentucky football team crosses state lines to play an away game, they likely have sports medicine professionals traveling with them to take care of any injured players,” said Guthrie. “Usually, these professionals – such as physical therapists, physicians, or athletic trainers – are licensed in their home state but not in other states. Before today, sports medicine practitioners were not legally protected when they crossed state lines with their teams unless they were licensed in each state that the teams travel to, but now they will not have to worry about taking care of their players on the road. I was proud to introduce the Sports Medicine Licensure Clarity Act and am glad that it has finally crossed the goal line.”

The House originally passed the Sports Medicine Licensure Clarity Act unanimously on January 5, 2017, followed by unanimous passage in the Senate on September 6, 2018. For procedural reasons, this bill became the base text for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act and passed again in both the House and Senate with the FAA legislation included. President Trump signed this legislation into law today.