Testimony in Support of H. 2083, An Act Relative to the Professional Licensure of Occupational Thera

Chairwoman Fargo, Chairman Sanchez and members of the Committee, I would like to offer testimony in support of my bill H. 2083, An Act Relative to the Professional Licensure of Occupational Therapists. I drafted this legislation that would create a permissible change in the expiration date for the professional licenses of Occupational Therapists, who are licensed at the Board of Allied Health. 

Occupational Therapists are licensed at the Board of Allied Health, along with physical therapists and athletic trainers, under consumer protection and professional licensure.  Currently, professional licenses expire on the practitioner’s date of birth. This legislation would change the expiration from their birth date to the last day of the month of their birth, in order to protect Occupational Therapists from identity theft.

I believe that by changing the expiration date of the occupational therapists’ license to every two years at the end of the birth month of the licensee, my bill, H. 2083, would create a more secure environment for public records, especially in the wake of a recent security breach, during which occupational therapists’ information was accessed.