SB 150: Healthcare Providers Scope of Practice Amendments - Utah

Amended 2/20/2026 14:02:147 → Substitute #1 · 3 edits

MINOR

This bill substitutes a new version of SB 150 that establishes a formal process for the Office of Professional Licensure Review to evaluate whether new technologies should expand the scope of practice for healthcare professionals. The changes primarily involve formatting updates, removing a specific House sponsor name, and making minor text edits to the reporting requirements while retaining the core legislative intent to review innovations like AI and medical devices.

Scope change

The scope of the bill remains focused on the Office of Professional Licensure Review's duties regarding scope of practice reviews for healthcare occupations; no substantive changes to the applicability or jurisdiction of the bill were made.

TECHNICAL

The House Sponsor field was removed from the header, leaving it blank in the new version.

Minor formatting and punctuation changes were made throughout the text, such as removing brackets around deleted words and adjusting line breaks.

A specific House Sponsor name (James A. Dunnigan) was removed from the bill header in the substitute version.

Amended 2/4/2026 11:02:488 → Amended 2/20/2026 14:02:147 · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill update refines the Office of Professional Licensure Review's process for evaluating new healthcare technologies. It clarifies that 'innovations' must involve direct interaction between a provider and patient to qualify, and it adjusts the reporting requirements to better track public feedback and review outcomes.

Scope change

The scope of what constitutes a reviewable 'innovation' was narrowed to exclude technologies that only provide advice or treatment without a direct provider-patient interaction.

DEFINITION

Added a specific exclusion stating that 'innovations' do not include technology upgrades that solely provide advice or treatment without a direct interaction between a healthcare practitioner and a patient.

REQUIREMENT

Removed a stray word ('any') from a subsection regarding legislator inquiries to correct the grammar and ensure the section reads 'review and respond to a legislator inquiry.'

TECHNICAL

Removed unnecessary punctuation marks (periods) from the end of subsections in the annual reporting requirements.

Added the phrase 'and' to the end of the list of duties in Section 13-1b-203 to improve grammatical flow.

Updated the header for the new section to explicitly state 'Part 4. Scope of Practice Review' for clarity.

Amended Excerpts 2/20/2026 14:02:147 → Amended 2/4/2026 11:02:488 · 6 edits

MODERATE

The bill was restructured from a series of line-by-line edits into a complete legislative text with a clear title and organized sections. It establishes a formal 'Scope of Practice Review' process for the Office of Professional Licensure Review, requiring the office to conduct these reviews at least once every 10 years and upon request. The bill defines 'innovation' specifically as technology upgrades that improve access, health outcomes, or reduce costs, and mandates that the office create a group of stakeholders to consult on these reviews.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from vague line edits to a comprehensive framework that explicitly requires the Office of Professional Licensure Review to conduct periodic scope of practice reviews and respond to legislator inquiries regarding regulated occupations.

REQUIREMENT

Added a mandatory requirement for the office to conduct a scope of practice review for regulated healthcare occupations at least once every 10 years.

Added a requirement for the office to convene a specific group of individuals, including board-approved representatives and technical experts, to consult on scope of practice reviews.

Changed the office's duty regarding legislator inquiries from a general response to a specific requirement to review and respond to such inquiries.

Added a requirement for the office to publish a submission form on its website allowing individuals to request the repeal or modification of existing occupational regulations.

DEFINITION

Created new definitions for 'Healthcare practitioner', 'Innovation', and 'Regulated healthcare occupation' to clarify the bill's application.

TIMELINE

Established specific deadlines for the office to conduct sunrise reviews by November 1 and to submit annual reports to the Business and Labor Interim Committee by October 1.

Amended Excerpts 2/4/2026 11:02:488 → Amended Excerpts 2/20/2026 14:02:147 · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended to clarify and expand the criteria for selecting individuals to review proposed expansions of healthcare practitioner scope of practice. The changes mandate the inclusion of at least one individual approved by the applicable board from each affected occupation and one additional individual from that occupation, alongside representatives from employers, educational institutions, and technical experts. This ensures a more diverse and representative review process that directly involves stakeholders from the specific regulated occupations impacted by the expansion.

Scope change

The review process for scope of practice expansions now explicitly requires representation from the specific regulated occupations affected, ensuring their direct input in the decision-making process.

REQUIREMENT

Replaced a single individual selection with a requirement for at least one board-approved individual from each affected occupation plus one additional individual from that same occupation.

Added a new category of reviewers: an individual with technical expertise relevant to the scope of practice review.

Updated the list of optional reviewers to include a representative of an entity that employs healthcare practitioners.

Enrolled → Amended Excerpts 2/4/2026 11:02:488 · 1 edit

MINOR

The Senate amended the bill to fix a formatting error in the final report requirement, ensuring the text clearly states that the report should be based on recommendations provided by the Business and Labor Interim Committee. This change does not alter the bill's substantive policy, scope, or timeline.

TECHNICAL

Corrected a text formatting error in Section 4, Subsection (7) to ensure the requirement for creating a final report explicitly references the committee's recommendations.

Introduced → Enrolled · 6 edits · Mar 24, 2026

MODERATE

This bill establishes a formal process for the Office of Professional Licensure Review to evaluate whether new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, should expand the legal scope of practice for healthcare providers. It requires the office to convene advisory groups, consider specific safety and efficacy criteria, and submit detailed reports to the legislature. A key addition is a requirement for a final report after the committee reviews the initial findings.

Scope change

The bill expands the office's duties to include mandatory reviews of specific innovations and creates a new pathway for legislators and industry representatives to formally request these reviews.

REQUIREMENT

Requires the office to conduct specific 'scope of practice reviews' to determine if innovations like AI should legally expand what healthcare providers can do.

Mandates the formation of an advisory group for each review, including representatives from affected occupations, employers, and educational institutions.

Establishes specific criteria for reviews, including evidence of safety, affordability, and the level of interest from employers and educators.

Adds a new step requiring the office to create a final report after the Business and Labor Interim Committee reviews the initial recommendation.

DEFINITION

Defines 'innovation' as technology upgrades that improve access, outcomes, or costs, explicitly excluding tools that only provide advice without practitioner interaction.

TECHNICAL

Corrects the House Sponsor's name from 'LONG TITLE' to 'James A. Dunnigan' and updates formatting.

Healthcare Providers Scope of Practice Amendments

What changed between versions

How they voted

Actions timeline

Sponsors