When the 2026 session of the Minnesota legislature convened in February, APTA MN had already been hard at work for months. Our PT Practice Revisions had been a significant focus of our work in the weeks leading up to the session, but there were plenty of other proposals of interest on the table.
PTA Supervision
As of May 1, APTA MN successfully added PTA Supervision language to the Senate Scope & Licensing Omnibus bill. The language is already included in the House bill, which increases the likelihood that it is included in the reconciled final bill this session. We believe this may be considered in the Senate as early as Tuesday, May 5th.
What does the PTA language do?
This language modernizes outdated terminology for the supervision of physical therapist assistants and students by aligning statute with education, licensure, and team-based practice standards between physical therapists and physical therapist assistants and students.
It does not change scope, roles, or supervision roles or the number of physical therapist assistants or students a physical therapist can supervise.
It strengthens the definition of “supervision” to reinforce that physical therapists must actively be involved in care decisions along with physical therapist assistants and students. It further sets supervisory expectations by emphasizing active oversight and communication.
It also aligns statutory language with terms that the profession has defined by changing “on-site” to “direct”.
Check out legislative session updates from our lobbyist Josh Ney of Ewald Consulting
Priority Legislation:
DIRECT ACCESS TO THE PHYSICAL THERAPIST Practice Act Revision (H.F. 2689/S.F. 3049)
Posted June 23, 2025
Read APTA MN lobbyist Tom Lehman’s 2025 session summary here.
Posted May 17, 2025
As the state legislature heads to the finish, APTA MN lobbyist Tom Lehman shares his thoughts about the 2025 session. Click here to read.
Posted May 6, 2025
In normal years the Capitol is frantic with conference committees and floor sessions when there are just two weeks to go in the session. This is not a normal year. The Capitol is strangely quiet with just 14 days to go before the May 19 target adjournment date. House Republicans and DFLers are at an impasse on whether to repeal, delay or keep many of the DFL’s landmark bills from the 2023 and 2024 sessions. These include family and medical leave, tax increases, summer unemployment insurance for hourly school workers and how to fund extension of the State’s reinsurance program that buys down health insurance premiums.
Posted May 1, 2025
Posted April 5, 2025
With just six weeks to go in the 2025 regular session of the Minnesota Legislature, there is plenty left on the docket. APTA MN will fight to the end for our members and our patients. In a session filled with political intrigue, it can be difficult to break through the noise. Please keep your eye out for targeted action alerts as they move to the close of session.
3/31 Report from APTA MN lobbyist Tom Lehman
Posted February 18, 2025
After an interesting start to the this year’s legislative session, Over 200 PTs, PTAs and PT and PTA students came to St. Paul to advocate on behalf of our profession. Armed with APTA’s Economic Value of PT in the US report, we held dozens of meetings with State Representatives and Senators.
Posted June 11, 2024
On May 23, 2024, Governor Walz signed into law a bill that, among other things, allowed the State of Minnesota to join the Interstate PT Compact. This is a significant step towards enabling MN physical therapists and physical therapist assistants to simply and safely apply for practice privileges in other Compact states.
The passage of this bill marks our first significant step on this journey. In the most optimistic scenario, the state of Minnesota could start issuing privileges by mid to late 2025. This timeline accounts for the necessary time to establish the administrative framework and safeguards required to protect patients.
However, we encountered a bump in the road of this process. Language added in the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee differed from the model PT Compact bill, leading the PT Compact Commission to withhold acceptance of Minnesota as a member at this time.
We are actively advocating for the necessary changes to allow Minnesota to join the PT Compact. We have met with representatives from the Compact and will urge them to reconsider their decision, providing evidence to support our case. Additionally, we will engage with advocates from the trial lawyers association to explore other ways to address their concerns.
As I’m sure you can appreciate, the legislative process is often a long and winding road. While we should take pride in this significant legislative victory, we have some unexpected work ahead. The future of physical therapy and the care of our patients deserve our unwavering commitment and best efforts. We remain optimistic and I’ll keep you posted along the way!
Sincerely,
Megan Urick
APTA MN Chapter President
Posted 6/7/2024
The APTA MN delegation, led by Chief Delegate Lyndsey Vandenberg PT, DPT, EdD, will meet next month in Kansas City as part of the APTA House of Delegates. Check out the motions package, RC1-24, for a sneak peak at the issues to be discussed. Send us a note a info@mnapta.org and let us know if you have strong feelings on any of the issues addressed.
Posted 5/20/24
We won!
The 2024 legislative session ended this morning at 12:00 am and just before the Legislature adjourned they passed the PT Compact!
The Compact was included in a 2,860 page omnibus bill that the Senate passed at 11:55 pm. The House had passed the bill minutes before.
The bill is now on its way to Governor Walz, who is expected to sign the bill today.
The passage of the PT Compact has been a top priority for the APTA MN Chapter for years. There are over 30 states in the PT Compact, including every state in the Upper Midwest. Joining the PT Compact will allow Minnesota-licensed PTs to practice in the other Compact states and continue to serve their patients who live in or travel to a Compact state. You can learn more about the PT Compact here: https://ptcompact.org/
We could never have achieved this victory without you! Legislators heard about the need to pass the PT Compact from their PT and PTA constituents in town halls, at our PT Day on the Hill, and in emails and phone calls over the past several years. They listened to Minnesota’s PTs and PTAs and passed this bill because we were focused and clear in our messaging. We were persistent and made a compelling case for how the Compact would benefit Minnesota PTs/PTAs, patients, and hospitals and clinics.
THANK YOU for your contribution to this victory. It is an example of how powerful and effective we are when we work together and don’t give up.
Posted 5/10/24
The Senate on Tuesday unanimously passed SF4570 (Wiklund, DFL- Bloomington), the health licensure bill. In addition to containing provision related to licensure of various professions, the bill also contains seven provider compacts.
The House refused to concur and asked for a conference committee to be appointed. Senate conferees are Wiklund (DFL-Bloomington), Boldon (DFL- Rochester) and Utke (DFL-Park Rapids). House conferees are Liebing (DFL- Rochester), Carroll (DFL-Plymouth) and Nadeau (R-Rogers). The conference committee may not meet in public before releasing the conference committee report.
If any of these Representatives or Senators are yours, please send a note encouraging them to support including the PT Compact in the Conference Report.
Posted 4/19/24
The interstate PT Compact bill, SF 1322, was heard in the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee on Friday, April 12th. APTA MN Executive Director Jim Leahy provided testimony regarding the PT Compact before the Committee.
It was one of seven bills that would add Minnesota to interstate compacts intended to ease licensure and practice by certain clinicians in compact member states. All of the bills were amended with an amendment (scs1572a-5.pdf) dealing with immunity that reflects conversations between the Council of State Governments, the Minnesota Association for Justice, Senate Counsel and Judiciary Chair Ron Latz (DFL-St. Louis Park). All seven bills were laid over after being heard and then all of them were amended onto S.F. 2394, the PA compact bill with a delete everything amendment. The amended S.F. 2394, now 156 pages long with the other compacts added to it, was approved and referred to the Committee on State and Local Government. It’s being sent there because the compact bills have some minor costs for each of the respective licensure boards. The expectation is that it will be referred to the Rules Committee before it’s heard in State and Local because it missed the March 22 committee deadline. It will then be referred back to State and Local, where it may be added to SF4570, Chair Wiklund’s omnibus health
Posted 3/22/24
Thanks to all who have supported our PT Compact efforts thus far. SF 1322 was heard and advanced out of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee unanimously on March 6th. It was referred to the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, where we understand it will be heard during the week of March 25th. If your Senator is on the Committee, please email him/her TODAY.
Unfortunately our PT Practice Act Revisions were not heard in either chamber by today’s deadline and are effectively dead for the session.
PT Practice Act Revision Bill Overview
Discussion Includes
How bills get heard
Why your calls to legislators matter
Why NOW matters
Video (3:06min)
Discussion Includes:
What changes are we making and why is it important?
Haven’t we been working on this forever?
What is the resistance/opposition to this bill?
Video (7:33min)
Discussion Includes:
What is the PT Compact?
How does the PT Compact help patients?
How does the PT Compact help MN healthcare facilities?
How does the PT Compact help PTs in MN?
Video (5:33min)
