Florida law affirms DCs can dry needle, gain credit for non-U.S. undergrad degrees

Florida House Bill 1063, backed by the Florida Chiropractic Association (FCA), was signed into law June 26 by Gov. Ron DeSantis; the legislation clarifies two issues important to DCs in current practice as well as new DC graduates seeking licensure in the state.

“It’s a giant win for the profession and we applaud Governor DeSantis for bringing our seven-month exhaustive effort to a successful landing by signing House Bill 1063 to support today’s and tomorrow’s DCs, and their many patients across our state,” said David Zamikoff, DC, President of the FCA.

Florida’s new law resolves two issues previously leading to problematic and mounting regulatory confusion. First, it clarifies that dry needling procedures are within the state’s scope of practice for DCs. Second, it corrects contradictions created by a state statute requiring applicants for Florida DC licensure to have a bachelor’s degree from a U.S. college or university. Until now, DCs holding non-U.S. bachelor’s degrees had been forced to bear the delay and expense of completing a second undergraduate degree in the U.S.

“Both situations had become untenable, so we had no choice but to ask the legislature for their help,” said Jennifer Durr, CEO of the FCA. “Thankfully we had little difficulty in finding an outpouring of understanding and sympathetic ears in Tallahassee. But what we didn’t contemplate was the opposition we would face from within the profession.”

While the FCA is Florida’s largest and oldest professional association, the Sunshine State is also home to at least three other DC membership groups. One of those, the Florida Chiropractic Physician Association, joined hands to help the FCA’s effort, while two others, as well as the International Chiropractors Association, opposed the initiative.

With key sponsors from both parties, including Rep. Christine Hunschofsky (D-Parkland) and Sen. Jay Trumbull (R-Panama City), the FCA gained wide bipartisan support for House Bill 1063 in both legislative chambers. The FCA also benefitted from the guidance and support of Rep. Ralph Massullo, MD (R-Inverness), a key voice on healthcare issues in the legislature.

The FCA’s effort was further amplified by the support of Palmer College of Chiropractic, which has a large branch campus in Port Orange, Florida, together with the National University of Health Sciences in Seminole, with their joint collaboration with St. Petersburg College in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Palmer alumni Cory and Amanda Sellers of Longwood, Florida, joined the supporters of House Bill 1063 by traveling to Tallahassee to offer their testimony before House and Senate committees. Amanda Sellers, who completed her doctor of chiropractic degree in Florida but had an undergraduate degree from a Canadian university, had faced the degree conundrum head-on when her Florida DC licensure application was denied in November. The new law creates a licensure pathway for applicants in this situation.

The FCA’s strategy, coupled with the efforts of its eight Lobby Team members, proved successful. House Bill 1063 passed all of its four committee hearings in the House and Senate by wide majorities, going on to win by a 114-to-1 vote before the full House, followed by a 40-0 unanimous vote on the Senate floor.

The new Florida law became effective with Gov. DeSantis’s signature of approval on June 26.