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| TENNESSEE ASSOCIATION OF SURGICAL TECHNOLOGISTS |
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LEGISLATION-2008 Happenings!
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Tennessee
Practitioners
Now Use Emergency
License Plates
Ben Price, CST, AST director of government affairs
Tennessee has passed a new law to add surgical technologists who take
call to the list of personnel in the state authorized to display
“emergency”license plates on their cars as a part of the
state’s emergency management program. Tennessee House Bill 2865
(SB 3017), sponsored by multiple representatives and senators, was one
of several of AST’s legislative efforts for 2008. This bill,
which has become a new law in Tennessee (Public Chapter 1165), allows
surgical technologists to purchase special“Emergency”
license plates. Surgical technologists will be required to provide the
Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) with a statement from the hospital,
emergency room or surgical department that employs them, verifying that
they are “on-call surgical personnel.” This is not a new
“specialty license” plate, which shares some proceeds with
particular nonprofit organizations. Tennessee surgical technologists
should apply for the “emergency” plate at their local
county clerk’s office. In order to expedite the process, along
with the verification letter from the employer, surgical technologists
should bring a copy of the law with them. The applicant must submit a
“Statement of Certification” from their employer during
application and each renewal year while they are serving as on-call
emergency personnel. An annual fee of $21.50 for each vehicle will be
assessed.
AST would like to especially thank Tennessee State Representative
Philip Pinion, who championed this bill. Representative Pinion, chair
of the House Transportation Committee, strongly supported the concept
that surgical technologists are an important part of emergency, trauma
and surgical teams providing services to patients in Tennessee and
introduced the legislation allowing on-call surgical
technologists to obtain “emergency” license plates.
There are two bills that have passed during the 2007 TN
Legislative session. One creates a scope of practice definition within
the law that was previously passed in 2004 and the other closes a
loophole in the grandfathering language that was discovered after that
law passed. TN Governor Bredesen did sign these bills into law, HB1169 on May 24, 2007 and HB1679 on May 21, 2007.
They are:
HB1679/SB1235 – Changes to the grandfather language, closing the loophole
And
HB1169/SB1236 – Creates and defines the scope of
practice of surgical technologists in Tennessee that function under the
law created in 2004.
To view these bills in their entirety, please go to www.legislature.state.tn.us, click on LEGISLATION and simply type in the bill number (example HB1169). These can alos be viewed under Chaptered Bills. Click on Legislation go under Chaptered Bills. HB1169 is Chaptered Bill No. 252, HB1679 is Chaptered Bill No. 208
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TENNESSEE GOVERNOR SIGNS SURGICAL TECHNOLOGY BILL. Pictured
above. The formal signing took place on May 17, 2004 in
Nashville,TN. Below- Front Row: Representative Kathryn
Bowers, Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen, Representative Gary
Odom Second Row: Chuck Lane,CST- Melissa Moore,CST- Donna
Henderson,CST- Margie LeMaster,CST- Cyndy Schaub,CST- Michelle
Dodson,CST- Shirley Abram,CST Back Row: Ben Price,AST
Director of Government Affairs- Jackie Neighbors,CST
For questions on our legislative issues, please contact the TNAST Legislative Committee Chairperson Donna Henderson at why345@aol.com or 423-488-6683 cell
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