By:  Henderson                                        S.B. No. 1245
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
                                        AN ACT
    1-1  relating to athletic trainers.
    1-2        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-3        SECTION 1.  Section 1, Chapter 498, Acts of the 62nd
    1-4  Legislature, Regular Session, 1971 (Article 4512d, Vernon's Texas
    1-5  Civil Statutes), is amended to read as follows:
    1-6              (1)  "Athletic Trainer" means a person with specific
    1-7  qualifications, as set forth in Section 9 of this Act, who, upon
    1-8  the advice and consent of <his team> a licensed  physician carries
    1-9  out the practice of care, prevention and/or physical rehabilitation
   1-10  of athletic injuries <incurred by athletes>. To carry out these
   1-11  functions, the Athletic trainer is authorized to use physical
   1-12  modalities such as heat, light sound, cold, electricity, or
   1-13  mechanical devices related to rehabilitation and treatment.  A
   1-14  person is engaged as an athletic trainer if the person is employed
   1-15  on a salary or contractual basis by an educational institution,
   1-16  hospital, rehabilitation clinic, professional athletic
   1-17  organization, or other bona fide athletic organization and performs
   1-18  the duties of an athletic trainer as a major responsibility of such
   1-19  employment.
   1-20              (2)  "Board" means the Advisory Board of Athletic
   1-21  Trainers.
   1-22              (3)  "Athletic injury" means any injury sustained by a
   1-23  person as a result of such person's participation in exercises,
    2-1  sports, games, or recreation requiring physical strength, agility,
    2-2  flexibility, range of motion, speed, or stamina or any comparable
    2-3  injury that prevents such person from participating in such
    2-4  activities.
    2-5              <(3)> (4)  Nothing herein shall be construed to
    2-6  authorize the practice of medicine by any person not licensed by
    2-7  the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners.
    2-8              <(4)> (5)  The provisions of this act do not apply to:
    2-9        (a)  physicians licensed by the Texas State Board of Medical
   2-10  Examiners;
   2-11        (b)  dentists duly qualified and registered under the laws of
   2-12  this state who confine their practice strictly to dentistry;
   2-13        (c)  licensed optometrists who confine their practice
   2-14  strictly to optometry as defined by statutes;
   2-15        (d)  occupational therapists who confine their practice to
   2-16  occupational therapy;
   2-17        (e)  nurses who practice nursing only; or
   2-18        (f)  duly licensed chiropodists or podiatrists.
   2-19        SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the
   2-20  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   2-21  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   2-22  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   2-23  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
   2-24  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
   2-25  passage, and it is so enacted.