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Committee approves update to physical therapy practice act after committee substitute
Summary
House Bill 255, which revises and modernizes the Kentucky physical therapy statutes, passed the committee with a committee substitute; the Board of Physical Therapy and the American Physical Therapy Association participated in drafting the changes.
The committee approved House Bill 255, a multi‑decade update to the Commonwealth’s physical therapy practice act intended to modernize statutory language and clarify licensure terms for physical therapists and physical therapist assistants.
Sponsor Representative Amy Neighbors (R‑21) introduced the bill along with Avery Shroyer of APTA Kentucky and Steven Curley of the Kentucky Board of Physical Therapy. Neighbors said the statutes have not substantially changed since 1958 and that the board and stakeholders have worked for more than 15 years on revising the act.
Steven Curley, representing the Kentucky Board of Physical Therapy, described updates that remove outdated terms (for example, “lewd and immoral”) and add clear definitions for physical therapist assistants, who currently are certified in practice but lack a clear statutory definition.
A committee substitute was offered, a committee vote was taken on the substitute, and the substitute passed. The bill as amended then passed the committee. Chairman Cook encouraged committee members to review practice acts for other professions and congratulated those who worked on a lengthy revision process.
The committee advanced the bill to the House floor; no fiscal impact was discussed in committee.
