CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 47(FIN) - Summary

• Removes the requirement that the State Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Board include a physician, and allows the board to consist of three physical therapists or two physical therapists and one physical therapist assistant, and three occupational therapists or two occupational therapists and one occupational therapy assistant, plus one lay person.

• Updates accreditation standards for physical and occupational therapy education programs to reference "professional education program accredited by a national accreditation agency approved by the board" instead of specific organizations.

• Modifies licensing requirements for foreign-educated applicants by removing specific supervised field work hour minimums and allowing equivalency determination by the board.

• Standardizes terminology throughout the statute to use "physical therapist" and "occupational therapist" instead of outdated terms and adds a formal definition of "physical therapist assistant."

• Applies new education and accreditation requirements prospectively to applications submitted after the bill's effective date, with transitional provisions allowing current license holders to continue practicing under existing standards until license expiration.