SB 320: Enter into the Athletic Trainer Compact

Am. S. B. No. 320

As Passed by the Senate

136th General Assembly

Regular Session

Am. S. B. No. 320

As Passed by the Senate

2025-2026

Senator Roegner

Cosponsors: Senators Johnson, Huffman, Ingram, Cirino, DeMora, Gavarone, Hicks-Hudson, Lang, Liston, O'Brien, Patton, Reineke, Reynolds, Romanchuk, Schaffer, Timken, Weinstein, Wilkin

To enact sections 4755.72 and 4755.721 of the

Revised Code to enter into the Athletic Trainer

Compact.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

Section 1. That sections 4755.72 and 4755.721 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:

Sec. 4755.72. SECTION 1. TITLE AND PURPOSE

This statute shall be known and cited as the Athletic

Trainer Compact. The purposes of this compact are to expand

mobility of Athletic Training practice and improve public access

to services by providing qualified Licensed Athletic Trainers

the ability to practice in other Member States. This compact

preserves the regulatory authority of States to protect public

health and safety through the current system of State licensure.

This compact is designed to achieve the following

objectives:

A.

Increase public access to Athletic Training and enhance

continuity of care by providing for the mutual recognition of

other Licenses issued by Member States;

B.

Provide an additional streamlined opportunity for

interstate practice by Licensed Athletic Trainers who meet

compact uniform requirements;

C.

Promote mobility and workforce development by

eliminating the necessity for Licenses in multiple States by

providing for the mutual recognition of other Licenses issued by

Member States;

D.

Reduce administrative burdens on Licensed Athletic

Trainers and Member States;

E.

Enhance the States' ability to protect the public's

health and safety;

F.

Encourage the cooperation of Member States in

regulating interstate practice of Licensed Athletic Trainers;

G.

Support relocating Active Military Members and their

spouses;

H.

Enhance the exchange of licensure, investigative, and

disciplinary information among Member States;

I.

Allow for the use of telehealth to facilitate increased

access to Athletic Training services;

J.

Support the uniformity of Licensed Athletic Trainer

licensure requirements throughout the States;

K.

Affirm the authority of all Member States to hold a

Licensed Athletic Trainer accountable for abiding by the Scope

of Practice in the State in which the patient is located at the

time of care: and

L.

Require adherence to the Model Compact Language in

order to promote uniformity and ensure that all Member States

have accepted and are mutually obligated to the same terms.

SECTION 2. DEFINITIONS

As used in this compact, unless the context requires

otherwise, the following definitions shall apply:

A.

"Active Military Member" means any individual with

full-time duty status in the active armed forces of the United

States, including members of the National Guard and Reserve.

B.

"Adverse Action" means any administrative, civil,

equitable or criminal action permitted by a State's laws which

is imposed by a Licensing Authority or other authority against a

Licensee, including actions against an individual's License or

Compact Privilege such as revocation, suspension, probation,

monitoring of the Licensee, limitation on the Licensee's

practice, or any other Encumbrance on licensure affecting a

Licensee's authorization to practice.

C.

"Alternative Program" means a non-disciplinary

monitoring or practice remediation process applicable to an

Athletic Trainer approved by a State Licensing Authority of a

Member State in which the Athletic Trainer is licensed. This

includes, but is not limited to, programs to which Licensees

with substance use, addiction, or mental health conditions are

referred in lieu of Adverse Action.

D.

"Athletic Training" means the prevention, examination,

assessment, treatment and rehabilitation of emergent, acute, or

chronic injuries and medical conditions as defined by applicable

Member State laws and regulations.

E.

"Athletic Trainer Compact Commission" or "Compact

Commission" means the government agency whose membership

consists of all States that have enacted this compact, as

described herein and which shall operate as an instrumentality

of the Member States to administer and implement the compact

according to its terms.

F.

"BOC" means the Board of Certification, Inc. or any

successor organization thereto.

G.

"CAATE" means the Commission on Accreditation of

Athletic Training Education or any successor organization

thereto.

H.

"Charter Member State" means any Member State which

enacted and made effective this compact by law before the

compact effective date specified herein.

I.

"Commissioner" means the individual appointed by a

Member State to serve as the member of the Commission for that

Member State.

J.

"Compact Privilege" means the legal authorization

granted by a Remote State, equivalent to a License, allowing a

Licensee from another Member State to provide Athletic Training

services in a Remote State.

K.

"Compact Qualifying License" means a License that is

not an Encumbered License issued by a Member State to practice

Athletic Training which qualifies the Licensee to exercise a

Compact Privilege pursuant to Section 4 of this compact.

L.

"Continuing Competence" means a requirement, as a

condition of License renewal, to provide evidence of successful

participation, and completion of, educational and professional

activities relevant to practice or area of work. For purposes of

this compact, evidence of active BOC certification may satisfy

the meaning of Continuing Competence as set forth herein.

M.

"Current Significant Investigative Information" means

the existence of:

1.

Investigative Information that a Licensing Authority,

after a preliminary inquiry that includes notification and an

opportunity for the subject Licensee to respond, if required by

State law, has reason to believe is not groundless and, if

proven true, would indicate more than a minor infraction; or

2.

Investigative Information that indicates that the

subject Licensee represents an immediate threat to public health

and safety regardless of whether the subject Licensee has been

notified and had an opportunity to respond.

N.

"Criminal Background Check" means the submission of

fingerprints or other biometric-based information for a License

applicant for the purpose of obtaining that applicant's criminal

history record information, as defined in 28 C.F.R. § 20.3(d)

from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the State's

criminal history record repository as defined in 28 C.F.R. §

20.3(f).

O.

"Data System" means the Commission's repository of

information about Licensees, including but not limited to

examination, licensure, investigative, Compact Privilege,

Adverse Action, and Alternative Program.

P.

"Encumbrance" or "Encumbered" means a revocation or

suspension of, or any limitation or condition on, the full and

unrestricted practice of Athletic Training.

Q.

"Executive Committee" means a group of commissioners

elected or appointed to act on behalf of, and within the powers

granted to them by, the compact and Commission.

R.

"Investigative Information" means information, records,

and documents received or generated by a Licensing Authority

pursuant to an investigation.

S.

"Jurisprudence Requirement" means the assessment of an

individual's knowledge of the laws and Rules governing the

practice of Athletic Training, as applicable, in a State.

T.

"Licensee" means current authorization by a Member State

to engage in the practice of Athletic Training.

U.

"Licensee" or "Licensed Athletic Trainer" means an

individual who currently holds an active, unrestricted License

and who meets all of the requirements outlined in Section 4 of

this compact.

V.

"Licensing Authority" means the board or agency of a

State, or equivalent, that is responsible for the licensing and

regulation of Athletic Trainers.

W.

"Model Compact Language" the model language for the

Athletic Trainer Compact on file with The Council of State

Governments or other entity as designated by the Commission to

which all Member States must substantively adhere and adopt.

X.

"Member State" means a State that has enacted the

compact.

Y.

"Remote State" means a Member State other than the

State of Qualifying Licensure.

Z.

"Rule" means a regulation promulgated by an authorized

entity that has the force of law.

AA.

"Scope of Practice" means the procedures, actions, and

processes an Athletic Trainer licensed in a State is permitted

to undertake in that State and the circumstances under which the

Licensee is permitted to undertake those procedures, actions and

processes. Such procedures, actions and processes and the

circumstances under which they may be undertaken may be

established through means, including, but not limited to,

statute, regulations, case law, and other processes available to</