ATHLETIC TRAINER LICENSURE                                                                      H.B. 4263:

                                                                                                    SUMMARY OF BILL

                                                                                      REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE

House Bill 4263 (as reported without amendment)

Sponsor:  Representative Andrea LaFontaine

House Committee:  Regulatory Reform

Senate Committee:  Regulatory Reform

CONTENT

The bill would amend the Public Health Code to decrease the yearly license fee for athletic trainers from $200 to $100, and change several continuing education requirements for renewing an athletic training license.

Under the Act, an athletic trainer license is valid for a three-year cycle. To renew a license, an individual must pay a license renewal fee, clock at least 80 hours of continuing education within each three-year license cycle in subjects related to athletic training, and complete courses in first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and foreign body obstruction of the airway.

The bill would decrease the continuing education requirement from at least 80 hours to 75 hours, and require that an individual complete a course in automated external defibrillator use for health care professionals or emergency services personnel. The bill would delete the requirement that licensees complete a course in foreign body obstruction of the airway.

The bill would take effect 90 days after it was enacted.

MCL 333.16336                                                        Legislative Analyst:  Drew Krogulecki

FISCAL IMPACT

The bill would have a negative fiscal impact on the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), and no fiscal impact on local units of government. The bill would reduce the annual license fee for athletic trainers by half, from $200 to $100. As of September 1, 2015, there were 1,279 licensed athletic trainers in Michigan. Assuming the number of licensees remained constant, the bill would reduce fee revenue received by the Bureau of Health Care Services within LARA by $127,900 annually. According to reports compiled by LARA regarding the costs to regulate various health professions, the reduced level of revenue under the bill would still be sufficient to cover the costs attributable to regulating athletic trainers, but would reduce revenue that is available to effectively subsidize the regulation of professions for which license fees are not sufficient to cover their regulatory costs. It should be noted, however, that the Health Professions Regulatory Fund, which receives license fee revenue from all licensed health professions, had a $6.6 million balance as of the end of fiscal year 2013-14 and ran a surplus of $2.2 million in that year as well, so the reduction in revenue under the bill would likely not have a significant effect on the long-term solvency of the Fund.

Date Completed:  10-5-15                                                     Fiscal Analyst:  Josh Sefton

This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.