Prepared by Jason Prevelige, DMSc, MBA, PA-C, Legislative Committee Chair
2026 was what is called a “short session,” which occurs on even years and is meant to be primarily budget focused. Short years are notoriously difficult for groups to gain any traction on important topics because of the reduced time frame, however that never stops ConnAPA from working on what matters!
Topics of interest this year included:
- Title change from physician assistant to physician associate
- Modernization of laws to allow PAs to practice to the fullest extent of their education and training
- Improvements to statutory language pertaining to end-of-life care
- Student loans
- Elimination of licensure renewal fees
Each of these conversations has been ongoing for some time. ConnAPA President, Nick Patino has been a member of the Department of Public Health’s MOLST (Medical Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment) Committee and has worked with staff and committee members to identify ways to improve that process. One that was identified was that PAs were excluded from determining that a patient is at the end-stage of a serious, life-threatening disease that would qualify for a MOLST order, though PAs were otherwise fully able to write and implement such orders. That was identified as a significant barrier to care, and while it was agreed widely that PAs should be fully included, the process of passing the correction was not as easy as expected! Ultimately ConnAPA prevailed with Public Act 26-68. ConnAPA also advocated strongly for the Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) statutes to be updated in the same manner, but ultimately only the MOLST statutes were corrected for now. DNR is on the table for the 2027 session as an area of priority to improve access to end-of-life care.
With the looming expectation of slashed federal student loan access, ConnAPA has been participating in a collaborative of Connecticut health profession organizations to create a process that would ensure there was still access to affordable student loans. With a number of partners including nursing, physical therapy, and many more, we were able to advocate for $30 million to be invested into a state run student loan program to ensure that where federal dollars may stop for student loans, the state can offer an alternative. This also passed in Public Act 26-68.
The provision to eliminate licensure renewal fees for certain professions, mirroring the elimination of initial licensure fees in 2025, unfortunately was cut from the budget package this year given the significant cost associated with that provision. It continues to be discussed however.
One of the important areas to continue to address is ensuring that PAs are appropriately included in various new bills that come up. The team was able to work to assure PA inclusion in several new bills this year such as ones regarding the Certificate of Need program, vaccinations, student athletes and Medicaid reimbursement.
While efforts were made, and support continues for a title change and modernization of language pertaining to PA practice is there, ConnAPA was advised that the short session was not going to allow for either of those areas to be addressed.
The ConnAPA legislative team has been working throughout the summer to develop a plan for the 2027 session and garner support for our objectives including modernization, title change and inclusion in the DNR statutes. With that said, there are other areas that also need improvement for PAs such as mental health, hospice care and occupational health. Some of these changes are regulatory and not statutory and conversations are currently underway on making those changes. We look forward to the work that the fall will bring in preparing for the 2027 session in January. Please never hesitate to reach out with questions or ideas.