Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Physician Assistants topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee debates physician assistant delegation rules; compact to ease multistate licensure advances
Summary
Representatives and physician assistants pressed for statutory changes to let physician assistants delegate certain clinical tasks to trained, unlicensed staff and to join a multistate licensure compact. The committee voted down the delegation bill (SB99) but approved the Physician Assistant Licensure Compact (SB101).
Representative Zach Gramlich, sponsor: "This bill allows for PAs to delegate duties to unlicensed medical staff, such as medical assistants, emergency technicians, and paramedics." (Representative Zach Gramlich, presenting SB99)
The House Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee considered two bills presented by Representative Zach Gramlich (District 50) and supporting testimony from Aaron Woodall, a family practice physician assistant representing the Arkansas Academy of Physician Assistants. SB 99 would add physician assistants to statutory language that currently authorizes physicians to delegate clinical tasks to unlicensed medical staff. SB 101 would enact the Physician Assistant Licensure Compact to streamline multistate licensure for PAs.
Why it matters: Supporters said SB 99 would let physician assistants delegate routine patient tasks (for example, supervised injections and in‑clinic medication administration) to trained unlicensed personnel without having to obtain a physician's separate sign‑off each time. Proponents said the change would speed care, especially when physicians are not physically present, and align PA authority with bills recently passed for APRNs.
Supporters' arguments and testimony - Aaron Woodall, family practice PA (Arkansas Academy of Physician Assistants): "This bill allows for PAs to delegate duties to unlicensed medical staff... Currently, the law states that only physicians have this authority." He said the change would not expand what unlicensed staff are authorized to do; rather it would let PAs assign duties already within the clinic’s protocols. - Gramlich and Woodall emphasized training and supervisory limits: "The physician is still supervising all care per our license and per our delegation agreements," Woodall said.
Questions from committee members focused on the limits of delegation and how physician supervision would operate in practice. Representative Richardson asked whether delegation would permit an unlicensed person to act "without the knowledge of the medical doctor on‑site." Woodall and Gramlich replied that physicians remain the supervising authority and are ultimately responsible for care, but acknowledged that in practice a PA can place orders and use delegation protocols when a physician is not immediately available.
SB 101 — compact and workforce impact - Gramlich described SB 101 as creating a streamlined multistate licensure process through the Physician Assistant Licensure Compact to ease mobility, retain health professionals, and support military families who relocate. "This bill does not change any current state practice laws," Aaron Woodall added, noting compact practitioners must still follow state statutes. - Representative Bennett asked which states are in the compact; Gramlich said 13 states have enacted it and 15 others had filed legislation, naming Tennessee and Oklahoma among enacted states.
Committee actions and outcome - SB 99 (delegation): Representative Gramlich moved the bill to pass. The committee took a voice vote; the chair recorded, "No. No's have it." Outcome: failed. - SB 101 (Physician Assistant Licensure Compact): After amendment language giving the Legislative Council (legislative oversight language) was discussed and located in the bill text, Gramlich moved the bill. The committee approved SB 101 and the chair said, "You have passed your bill."
Discussion vs. decision: The record shows extended committee questioning on SB 99 about delegation scope and supervision (discussion). SB 99 was voted down (formal action: failed). SB 101 received discussion about oversight, interstate participation and reimbursement language and then passed (formal action: approved).
Ending: SB 101 moves Arkansas toward membership in the PA compact, while SB 99 did not win committee approval after members raised questions about delegation language and physician supervision. Committee documents show lawmakers asked for clearer drafting and oversight language before supporting expanded delegation.
