Establishing a board of physical, rehabilitative, and developmental healthcare professionals

This bill creates a new Board of Physical, Rehabilitative, and Developmental Health Care Professionals in Montana to oversee licensing for several health professions. The board will consist of 12 members representing athletic trainers, occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech-language pathologists, audiologists, and the public. It consolidates authority currently held by separate boards for athletic trainers, occupational therapy practitioners, physical therapy examiners, and speech-language pathologists and audiologists into this single new board. The board will establish licensure criteria, set fees, and issue licenses for these professions while the Department of Labor and Industry handles administrative tasks. This change affects professionals in these fields who currently hold separate licenses and will now fall under one unified regulatory body.