H-4097.1  _______________________________________________

                    SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2764

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      53rd Legislature     1994 Regular Session

By House Committee on Health Care (originally sponsored by Representatives Veloria, Dyer, Dellwo, Carlson, Fuhrman, Foreman, Edmondson, Cooke, Pruitt and Long)

Read first time 02/04/94.

Modifying the authority of the board of physical therapy.

    AN ACT Relating to the authority of the board of physical therapy over supportive personnel; amending RCW 18.74.125; and reenacting and amending RCW 18.74.023.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

    Sec. 1.  RCW 18.74.023 and 1991 c 12 s 3 and 1991 c 3 s 175 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:

    The board has the following powers and duties:

    (1) To administer examinations to applicants for a license under this chapter.

    (2) To pass upon the qualifications of applicants for a license and to certify to the secretary duly qualified applicants.

    (3) To make such rules not inconsistent with the laws of this state as may be deemed necessary or proper to carry out the purposes of this chapter.

    (4) To establish and administer requirements for continuing competency, which shall be a prerequisite to renewing a license under this chapter.

    (5) To keep an official record of all its proceedings, which record shall be evidence of all proceedings of the board which are set forth therein.

    (6) To adopt rules not inconsistent with the laws of this state, when it deems appropriate, in response to questions put to it by professional health associations, physical therapists, and consumers in this state concerning the authority of physical therapists to perform particular acts.

(7) To adopt rules specifying duties, and education and training requirements for physical therapy support personnel.

(8) To adopt rules for disciplining physical therapy support personnel.

    Sec. 2.  RCW 18.74.125 and 1961 c 64 s 10 are each amended to read as follows:

    Nothing in this chapter shall prohibit or restrict any person licensed, certified, or registered in this state under any other act from engaging in the practice for which he or she is ((licensed)) credentialed.  Nothing in this chapter shall prohibit any person who, at any time prior to January 1, 1961 was practicing any healing or manipulative art in the state of Washington and designating the same as physical therapy or physiotherapy, from continuing to do so after the passage of this amendatory act:  PROVIDED, That no such person shall represent himself or herself as being registered and shall not use in connection with his or her name the words or letters "registered" or "licensed" or "R.P.T."

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