Pub 5 2021 Issue1

Utah Legislative Wrap-up: COVID, Collaboration, and Compromise By Darlene Petersen, MD and Maryann Martindale, UAFP Executive Director Legislative Wrap-up | Continued on page 22 T his year’s session was very different from previous years. With COVID still in full swing and very few peo- ple vaccinated, the legislature opted for a hybrid version of the session. Committees that were typically held in small rooms were moved to larger spaces, all com- mittees were given video access (most previ- ously were audio only), and participants were encouraged to participate remotely. Because of the larger spaces, people were allowed to attend committees. Masks were required at all times, and chairs were spaced far apart. We made the determination that it was best for us to participate remotely, and it ended up being a great decision. Thanks to the hard work of the capitol tech staff, things ran very efficiently with very few hiccups. Compromise was definitely the theme of this year’s session. There were several bills that we could not support, but one of the benefits of being so involved with the process is understanding when the tide is moving despite our opposition, and working hard to negotiate compromises to bills we would otherwise oppose outright. SB28, Physician Assistant Act, by Senator Bramble, was our biggest fight and definitely took the most political will to reach a conclusion that we could live with. As we’ve seen over the past few years, scope creep has become a very real issue in legislatures across the country. Just a few years ago, Nurse Practitioners were successful in gaining significant practice independence. This year, it was the Physician Assistant ’s turn. Thanks to strong coordination with the Utah Medical Association, we were able to negotiate several key elements of the bill: requiring longer practice time before independence, greater experience before specialty practice, and more equitable oversight on the governing board. 21 |