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Panel advances AB 24 97 to modernize physical‑therapy practice; dry‑needling sparks large opposition
Summary
The committee voted to send AB 24 97 to appropriations after protracted testimony. Supporters said removing direct‑access limits and authorizing dry needling (with training safeguards) would improve access; acupuncturists and medical groups staged extensive opposition centered on safety and scope.
The Assembly Business and Professions Committee advanced AB 24 97, a wide‑ranging modernization of California’s Physical Therapy Practice Act, sending the bill to appropriations as amended. The measure removes the 45‑day/12‑visit limit on direct access to physical therapy and would allow dry needling after required competency validation by the Department of Consumer Affairs and Board‑defined training.
Assemblymember Johnson, the bill’s author, said the changes bring California into alignment with most other states, expand timely access to care and help retain physical therapists who might otherwise move out of state.…
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