At 11:32 pm (28 minutes before the final deadline to pass bills) on May 22, 2019 House Bill 29 providing Texans Direct Access to Physical Therapy was finally passed in the Texas Senate. The bill is now on its way to the Governor’s Desk and will become law on September 1st. This day has been over 20 (maybe over 30) years in the making.







I cannot begin to list the people who should be thanked for all their work over the years to get this accomplished, partly because the list would be too long and partly because so many of you have been at it for so long. But we have to issue a special thanks to State Senator Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola) who was our sponsor in the Senate. And most importantly to State Representative Ina Minjarez (D-San Antonio). For an issue like this to be successful in the legislative process it has to have a Champion. It is not enough for an organization to want it, to push for it, to fight. It requires someone on the inside to want it as much as you do. It requires a Champion. And Rep. Minjarez was that Champion. She fought and fought to see this legislation through the very difficult process of becoming a law. Rep. Minjarez, and her staff, were outstanding in their work to get the bill filed, to get a hearing and to force our adversaries to come to the negotiating table and in getting it out of committee and unanimously passed on the House Floor.







There will be more information about HB 29 over the next few months and there are still some rules the Board of PT Examiners will have to promulgate, but today is a day to celebrate.



