SF5214

Purpose

This bill would create an interstate licensure compact for athletic trainers. It establishes a governing compact commission to oversee the program and allows athletic trainers licensed in one member state to practice in other member states through a "compact privilege." The goal is to improve mobility for athletic trainers while maintaining professional standards and public protection.

Key Provisions

• What the bill creates and how it works

  • Establishes the Athletic Trainer Compact Commission, a joint government agency made up of member states to administer the compact and coordinate cross-state licensure.
  • Creates the concepts of a “compact privilege” (permission to practice athletic training in a remote state under the compact) and a “compact qualifying license” (a license that qualifies the holder to exercise a compact privilege in other states).

• Definitions and terminology

  • Important terms defined in the bill include: athletic training, active military member, adverse action, alternative program, blocking terms like encumbrance and unencumbered license, data system, remote state, member state, licensee, and continuing competence.
  • The bill uses terms like “compact privilege,” “compact qualifying license,” “jurisprudence requirement,” and “criminal background check.”

• State participation and governance

  • To participate, a state must enact a statute that aligns with the model compact language, regulate athletic training, require continuing competence, have a complaint system, and issue the compact privilege to eligible licensees.
  • The Commission is governed by commissioners from each member state, with an executive committee handling certain duties between full meetings. The Commission and executive committee have broad rulemaking, budgeting, and enforcement powers, and meetings are open to the public with some exceptions.

• Compact privilege and pathways to eligibility

  • Eligibility for a compact privilege requires:
  • Either (a) current active certification through the BOC (Board of Certification) or its successor, or (b) a qualifying education path (bachelor’s degree in athletic training or equivalent accredited by CAATE, or foreign degree with CAATE-equivalent accreditation) plus either passing the BOC exam or its equivalent.
  • No encumbrances on the license in the state of qualifying licensure, and no encumbrances or disqualifications within the prior two years.
  • Payment of applicable fees and meeting continuing competence and jurisprudence requirements.
  • A licensee may hold compact privileges in multiple member states.
  • The scope of practice in a remote state must follow that state’s laws; licensees must learn and comply with each state’s scope of practice and regulatory rules.

• Adverse actions, investigations, and due process

  • Each member state that issues a compact qualifying license retains exclusive authority to take adverse action against that license.
  • Remote states may take adverse action against a licensee’s compact privilege and may issue subpoenas for hearings and investigations, with procedures for service and costs.
  • Actions and information shared about licensees follow the compact’s rules and state laws, with protections around confidentiality and due process.
  • If a license is encumbered, the compact privilege is suspended or revoked in remote states until the license is cleared.

• Criminal background checks and data sharing

  • Requires criminal background checks (including FBI fingerprint-based checks) as part of the process for compact privileges.
  • Member states must participate in a data system that tracks licensees, including examinations, licensure, investigations, adverse actions, and compact privileges.
  • The compact allows joint investigations and sharing of current significant investigative information, with confidentiality preserved where required.

• Active military members and spouses

  • Active military members or their spouses are not required to pay a fee for a compact privilege; the bill allows reduced or no fee in some situations.

• Commission structure, meetings, and reporting

  • The Commission is a joint agency with voting commissioners from each member state, plus an executive committee empowered to act between full meetings.
  • It adopts rules and bylaws, manages finances, and issues annual reports.
  • Meetings are generally open to the public, with procedures for closed sessions in certain circumstances.

• Transition and other provisions

  • The compact supports a design that licenses can designate one compact qualifying license and allows other licensing under the state’s single-state license laws.
  • States cannot be required to adopt a compact that materially differs from the model language.

Changes to Minnesota Law

• The bill would add Minnesota to participate in the Athletic Trainer Compact, adopting the model compact language and implementing its requirements.
• Minnesota would be required to regulate athletic trainers consistently with the compact: establish continuing competence standards, maintain a complaint mechanism, implement a criminal background check process for compact licensure, and participate in the compact data system.
• Minnesota would recognize compact privileges issued by other member states and would allow Minnesota licensees to practice in other member states under the compact, subject to each state’s scope of practice and rules.
• Minnesota would adopt procedures for adverse actions, joint investigations, and the sharing of investigative information consistent with the compact.
• Provisions related to active military members and spouses would apply in Minnesota, including potential fee waivers or reductions.
• Minnesota may, with rules, set fees for compact privileges and for participation in the compact.

Relevant Terms

• athletic trainer
• Athletic Trainer Compact Commission
• compact privilege
• compact qualifying license
• remote state
• member state
• data system
• criminal background check
• current significant investigative information
• adverse action
• encumbrance / unencumbered license
• continuing competence
• jurisprudence requirement
• CAATE
• BOC (Board of Certification)
• screening/exam requirements
• joint investigations
• executive committee
• model compact language

Relevant Terms - athletic trainer - compact privilege - compact qualifying license - remote state - member state - data system - criminal background check - adverse action - encumbrance - continuing competence - jurisprudence requirement - Board of Certification (BOC) - CAATE - executive committee - model compact language

If you’d like, I can condense this further into a one-page summary or adapt the language to a more casual, plain-English version.