I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 921 
To provide protections for certain sports medicine professionals who provide 
certain medical services in a secondary State. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 12, 2015 
Mr. GUTHRIE (for himself, Mr. RICHMOND, and Mr. WOMACK) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Com-
merce, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period 
to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider-
ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
concerned 
A BILL 
To provide protections for certain sports medicine profes-
sionals who provide certain medical services in a sec-
ondary State. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Sports Medicine Licen-
sure Clarity Act of 2015’’. 
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SEC. 2. CHOICE OF LAW PROTECTIONS FOR COVERED 
SPORTS MEDICINE PROFESSIONALS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—If a covered sports medicine pro-
fessional provides covered medical services to an athlete, 
an athletic team, or a staff member of an athlete or ath-
letic team in a secondary State, such services shall be 
deemed to have been provided in the primary State for 
the following purposes: 
(1) Determining the medical professional liabil-
ity insurance of that professional. 
(2) Determining the civil and criminal mal-
practice liability of that professional. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act the following definitions apply: 
(1) ATHLETE.—The term ‘‘athlete’’ means an 
individual— 
(A) competing in a sporting event spon-
sored or sanctioned by a national governing 
body; or 
(B) for whom an institution of higher edu-
cation provides a covered sports medicine pro-
fessional. 
(2) ATHLETIC
TEAM.—The term ‘‘athletic 
team’’ means a sports team— 
(A) composed of individuals who are paid 
to participate on the team; 
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(B) composed of individuals who are com-
peting in a sporting event sponsored or sanc-
tioned by a national governing body; or 
(C) for which an institution of higher edu-
cation provides a covered sports medicine pro-
fessional. 
(3) COVERED MEDICAL SERVICES.—The term 
‘‘covered medical services’’ means general medical 
care, emergency medical care, or athletic training 
services. Such term does not include care provided 
by a covered sports medicine professional— 
(A) at a health care facility; or 
(B) while a health care provider legally au-
thorized to practice in the secondary State is 
transporting the injured individual to a health 
care facility. 
(4) COVERED
SPORTS
MEDICINE
PROFES-
SIONAL.—The term ‘‘covered sports medicine profes-
sional’’ means a physician or athletic trainer who— 
(A) is legally authorized to practice in the 
primary State; 
(B) provides covered medical services, pur-
suant to a written agreement with an athletic 
team, national governing body, or institution of 
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higher education, to an individual who is a 
member or staff of the athletic team; and 
(C) prior to providing the covered medical 
services described in subparagraph (B), has dis-
closed the nature and extent of such services to 
the entity that provides the physician or athletic 
trainer with medical professional liability insur-
ance in the primary State. 
(5) 
HEALTH
CARE
FACILITY.—The 
term 
‘‘health care facility’’ means a facility in which med-
ical care, diagnosis, or treatment is provided on an 
inpatient or outpatient basis. Such term does not in-
clude facilities at an arena or stadium or temporary 
facilities existing for events where athletic teams are 
competing. 
(6) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 
term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 
meaning given such term in section 101 of the High-
er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 
(7) NATIONAL
GOVERNING
BODY.—The term 
‘‘national governing body’’ has the meaning given 
such term in section 220501 of title 36, United 
States Code. 
(8) PRIMARY
STATE.—The term ‘‘primary 
State’’ means the State in which the covered sports 
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medicine professional is legally authorized to prac-
tice pursuant to a written agreement with an ath-
letic team, national governing body, or institution of 
higher education. 
(9) SECONDARY STATE.—The term ‘‘secondary 
State’’ means any State in which the covered sports 
medicine professional is not legally authorized to 
practice. 
(10) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 
the several States, the District of Columbia, and 
each commonwealth, territory, or possession of the 
United States. 
Æ 
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