A BILL to amend and reenact § 54.1-2900 of the Code of Virginia, relating to professions and occupations; definition of "practice of athletic training"; dry needling.
HB841 amends Virginia’s health professions definitions statute, § 54.1-2900, with a specific focus on the definition of the “practice of athletic training.” The bill expands that definition to expressly include treatment and rehabilitation of athletic or recreational injuries or substantially similar occupational injuries, and it specifically lists dry needling among the modalities athletic trainers may use when practicing under the direction of an appropriate physician or other authorized doctor.
In addition to the athletic training change, the bill restates and organizes a broad set of existing definitions in the same section of the Code of Virginia covering many licensed health professions and related terms, including acupuncture, chiropractic, respiratory care, radiologic technology, surgical assisting, physician assistants, and advanced practice nursing roles. The bill also directs the Board of Medicine to adopt regulations to implement the dry needling provisions and to require training and certification for athletic trainers who perform dry needling, while exempting the initial regulatory action from the Administrative Process Act.
HB841 would amend the statutory definition of athletic training in Virginia law and require the Board of Medicine to create implementing regulations for dry needling by athletic trainers. The practical effect is to clarify and potentially expand the scope of services athletic trainers may provide, while also imposing a training-and-certification framework for that technique. The bill affects athletic trainers, supervising physicians and other authorized practitioners, and the Board of Medicine’s regulatory authority over health professions.
The available record suggests generally favorable or at least noncontroversial treatment in committee, as the bill was continued to the next session in Education and Health by an 11-0 vote. There are no recorded floor votes or committee transcript excerpts showing opposition, so the public record provided does not indicate organized resistance. The unanimous committee vote suggests broad agreement on the need to clarify the athletic training scope and regulate dry needling.
The main policy issue appears to be the scope of practice for athletic trainers, especially whether dry needling should be included and under what training standards. Any concern would likely center on patient safety, professional boundaries, and whether athletic trainers should perform a procedure that some health professions treat as more specialized. The bill addresses that concern by requiring Board of Medicine regulations and certification, indicating that supporters likely viewed regulation as a safeguard rather than a barrier.