Committee advances HF 82 to General Register after adopting amendment expanding athletic trainers’ scope

Representative Hewitt presented House File 82, a bipartisan update to athletic trainer statute that replaces the term "athlete" with "patient" and aligns statutory language with national certification definitions. The sponsor and stakeholders said the change reflects modern practice settings where athletic trainers work in clinics, schools, workplaces and correctional settings.

Kay Taper (Government Affairs Chair, Minnesota Athletic Trainers Association) told the committee that the amendment updates the definition of athletic training using language from national certification and preserves physician oversight: "The definition of athletic training is one of the major things that was updated in the amendment... the language that is in that section comes straight from the Board of Certification." Troy Hogan (Minnesota Athletic Trainers Association) and Dr. David Olson (board‑certified family medicine and sports medicine physician) testified in support, describing cases where athletic trainers provided emergency care that saved lives and arguing that expanding access will improve patient outcomes and workforce capacity.

Members pressed witnesses on the statutory use of "assessment, evaluation and diagnosis," and Representative Liebling and others asked for tighter guardrails or clearer definitions to avoid unintended scope expansion. Witnesses and the sponsor said the language relies on national credentialing definitions and continued physician supervision. After discussion and the adoption of amendment A1, the committee recommended HF 82, as amended, to the General Register by voice vote.