Community Trust Act of 2017

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Tonight, millions of Americans, including myself, will tune in to the College Football Playoff National Championship between the University of Alabama and Clemson University. As with any college or professional competition, both teams will have healthcare practitioners traveling with them to the game.

Unfortunately, many States do not provide legal protection for sports medicine practitioners who travel with these athletes since they are not licensed to practice medicine in the secondary State. The Sports Medicine Licensure Clarity Act, which I introduced with Mr. Richmond of Louisiana, would ensure that sports medicine professionals can provide high-quality and timely health care to athletes without having to worry about potential liability when traveling across State lines with their teams.

The nature of sports medicine professionals' jobs require them to frequently travel between States so that athletes can receive proper care the moment they are injured. However, providers are at great personal and professional risk because medical liability insurance does not cover costs for lawsuits related to care provided in States in which they are not licensed. It is not a reasonable solution to require practitioners to become licensed in every State where their teams will play during a given season.

This came to my attention, and I talked to a friend of mine who is an emergency room physician in Auburn, Alabama. He travels with Auburn University. At the time, a few years ago, they were playing in what was then the BCS game. So here is a friend of mine, a physician, traveling with Auburn to the Rose Bowl in California. Fortunately, it didn't happen, but what if he had to take care of Cam Newton, who was the quarterback at the time? First of all, the players want physicians that know them taking care of them, but think of the liability because he was in California when he is licensed to practice in Alabama and if something had gone wrong to as valuable an athlete as Cam Newton.

It is important that we do this. It is just pure common sense. It is very bipartisan. My friend Mr. Richmond and I have worked on this together.

I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this commonsense, bipartisan bill to provide clarity for sports professionals performing their duties when caring for athletes. We passed this bill quickly last session. We are going to do it quickly again this Congress and give time for the other body to address this.

I would personally like to thank my longtime legislative director, who just took another job. She worked tirelessly on this. As simple and as commonsense as this bill is, there are a lot of details when you are trying to define details about going across jurisdictions and State lines. I wish Megan Jackson well in her new endeavor.

I urge my colleagues to support this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 302) to provide protections for certain sports medicine professionals who provide certain medical services in a secondary State.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material in the Record on the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 302, the Sports Medicine Licensure Clarity Act of 2017, introduced by my colleague on the Health Subcommittee, Brett Guthrie. The bill is identical to H.R. 921 from the last Congress, which passed by a voice vote in the House in September.

Team physicians and other licensed sports medicine professionals often travel with their athletes to away

games and other sanctioned sporting events outside of their home State. When providing care to an injured player during the game or in the locker room afterwards, they are often doing so at great personal and professional risk. If they are sued, their home State license could be in jeopardy and their malpractice insurance may not cover them.

This commonsense bill would provide needed clarity.

First, by stating that their liability insurance shall cover them outside of their home State for limited services within the scope of their practice, subject to any related premium adjustments.

Second, to the extent that the healthcare professional is licensed under the requirements of their home State to provide certain services to an athlete or to a team, they shall be treated as satisfying corresponding licensing requirements of the secondary State in these narrowly defined instances.

H.R. 302 is supported by a wide range of professional medical associations as well as amateur and professional sports organizations. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie).

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter).

Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 302 by this body, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise today in support of H.R. 302, the Sports Medicine Licensure Clarity Act. This bill solves a problem unique to sports medicine professionals who are required to travel to different States with their teams. Medical licensure is regulated on a State-by-State basis and does not work across State lines. Thus, often when a sports medicine provider travels with a team to another State, they are technically practicing without a license, and their medical liability insurance is rendered null. This is not something that is not important.

This weekend, the Houston Texans are proud to be in the playoffs. They are going to New England, and we would like to have our Texas doctors making sure our players are safe.

This bill would ensure that sports medicine professionals who contract with a team are covered by their medical liability insurance while traveling with their team. It also provides that any incidents of medical malpractice occurring under the care of a traveling team sports medicine professional must be treated as if it occurred in the professional's primary State of practice, regardless of where the game took place. Providers still would not be allowed to practice beyond the scope of their licenses, and they may only treat athletes on the field.

By working with the Energy and Commerce Committee and stakeholders last Congress, the sponsors of this bill have created a sensible solution to this distinct problem. I encourage my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the bill.

I thank Mr. Guthrie from Kentucky and Mr. Richmond from Louisiana for their excellent work.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 302, the Sports Medicine Licensure Clarity Act, and what it means for sports medicine professionals looking to provide comprehensive services to those in need.

Congressman Guthrie's legislation, which I have cosponsored, would overhaul the current system that leaves sports medicine professionals and athletic trainers vulnerable to liability issues. Athletic trainers and other sports medicine professionals can travel with a team to another State, and by providing care, they are opening themselves up to repercussions. These professionals provide preventive care as well as medical care and advice to athletes in the event of an injury. Currently, insurance companies don't fully cover those professionals who travel with their team or organization to a secondary State.

This legislation extends liability insurance coverage to those medical professionals to allow them to safely and fully carry out their responsibilities. They shouldn't have to decide if they can or can't provide care to the same people simply because they happen to be in a different location for a short period of time as part of their job. Within this bill, we can ensure that these professionals with the knowledge and experience to administer care will have the protections needed to safely and properly fulfill their duties.

I applaud the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie) for his work on this issue and the work of the Energy and Commerce Committee to address these reforms to the sports medicine field, and I urge passage of this important legislation.