Colleen McCann, MPH, RD, PADAPAC Treasurer

A Licensure Task Force was formed in late 1983 - yes, 1983! This group met, solicited information from many sources, and prepared and sent out a survey to all PADA members to determine their wishes. A Plan of Action was developed, a lobbying firm was selected, and wording for the bill was prepared in 1984.

In July 1985 the first bill, a practice act, was introduced in the PA Senate. Dietitians contacted their legislators. The first opponents mobilized, in the form of CANAH (Coalition for Alternative Nutrition and Health).

In January 1986 hearings were held in the Senate. An equal number of dietitians and opponents of the bill provided testimony. Following the hearings, Task Force members met with representatives of some of the opposition and negotiated compromise wording.

In 1987 bills were introduced in both the House and the Senate. Again, meetings were held with opponents. Despite letter-writing campaigns and other efforts by dietitians and their patients and colleagues, the legislative session ended without action on either bill.

By 1988 the enthusiasm of dietitians had begun to wane, but PADA 's visibility "on the Hill" was beginning to be recognized, as we were asked to testify at health-related hearings.

By 1991 PADA issued an RFP for a dietitian/lobbyist. A contract was signed with the McCann-Cannard firm. A bill was introduced in the Senate.

By 1993 we learned that the Governor had stated that he would veto any bill that called for a new Board, including Licensure Boards. In subsequent years, he and a second two-term Governor continued to stand firm on this position.

In 1994 our efforts intensified, and we met with little opposition except for the Governor, whose statement blocked our House bill from passage.

In 1995 there was a new party in the Governor's role and in majority in the House. Bills were introduced again, and again, we had a Governor who objected. At some point, it was obvious that a practice act would not pass, and the bill was reworded as a title act - but definitely still a licensure law.

By 1997 Representative Godshall had grown weary of seeing our efforts thwarted, and he introduced a bill in the House in this session and in the two following sessions. With Representative Civera's help in his role as Chair of the Professional Licensure Committee, we contacted five of the licensed health professions to try to "find a home", i.e. to ask if they would be willing to have us join their Licensure Board, to eliminate the necessity of creating a completely new Board. The Nurses Board seemed to provide the best "fit", and thus the bill was reworded as an amendment to the Nurses Licensure Law.

Legislators were much more comfortable with the new bill, and while there were still some opponents whose concerns had to be alleviated, the Pennsylvania General Assembly voted almost unanimously to pass HB497, the bill to license dietitian-nutritionists, on June 29, 2002.

Currently a draft of regulations is being prepared for the Licensure Board, which will review and approve them. The regulations will have to go back to the legislature for their approval, then to the Independent Regulatory Commission, which will publish them in the Pennsylvania Bulletin for public comment. It's a laborious process, but it has already proven to be worth the effort, since we can put LDN after our names and no longer be excluded from legislation which identifies health care providers as licensed professionals.