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Committee approves PA licensure rules after floor debate over NCCPA reference
Summary
The Senate Health and Welfare Committee approved pending physician assistant licensure rules while agreeing to remove a rule line that explicitly named the NCCPA certifying body after a contentious floor exchange and a failed substitute motion.
The Senate Health and Welfare Committee approved pending rules for physician assistant licensure (docket 24-3302-2401) after a heated exchange over whether to list the certifying body—the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA)in the rule text.
Nikki Chopsky, bureau chief for health professions, said the boardand the PA advisory committee sought to remove redundant definitions and align rule language with statute. The pending rule added language identifying the acceptable examination for licensure; the board listed the NCCPA exam to close a gap where statute directed the exam be specified in rule.
Senator Lenny moved to approve the docket while striking the new rule 100.01 that named the NCCPA and its exam. He said he was troubled by references on the NCCPA website to diversity and inclusion initiatives and argued that Idaho should avoid including an organizational name that raised policy objections. "I find this troubling that it's included because if it was not included before and the NCCPA is the only organization that certifies physicians, I find this unnecessary," he said.
Senator Wintrow offered a substitute motion to approve the pending docket without the strike. The substitute was put to a roll-call vote and failed, 6 nays to 3 ayes. The original motion (to approve while striking the NCCPA line) then carried on a voice vote, and the docket was approved with the deletion of rule 100.01.
Chopsky told the committee the listing of the exam in rule was intended to close a statutory gap and that PAs have been taking the NCCPA exam whether or not it was previously spelled out. She described the boardand advisory committee's intent as administrative: to list the exam the PAs take in the rule. After the vote, committee members discussed that the exam would still be required in practice regardless of the rule text.
The committee recorded both the roll-call (for the substitute) and the final voice vote on the original motion; the substitute failed 6-3 on the roll call.
