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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2025 - 2026
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | January 14, 2025 03:26 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Frank Burns and Rep. Joe Emrick |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | World Cup Traveling Team Physicians |
| Pennsylvania will soon have the honor of hosting two international sports competitions: The FIFA Club World Cup this summer and the FIFA World Cup 2026. As one of several host cities in the United States, Philadelphia will host eight Club World Cup matches and six World Cup matches between the two summer tournaments. When soccer clubs from around the world meet for these contests, they will bring their own traveling team physicians to treat their players throughout the competition. Under current licensing laws, these international doctors would need to obtain a Pennsylvania medical license to treat their players on Pennsylvania soil. This process can be long and cumbersome – all for one match on one day. That’s why we plan to introduce legislation allowing team physicians traveling internationally with their club or national team to treat their own players on site during games without needing a Pennsylvania medical license. Out-of-state team physicians are already limited in current law to treating their own players and are barred from practicing at a health care facility or hospital in the Commonwealth. Our bill would extend this privilege, with the same restrictions, to doctors from outside the United States. Please join us in sponsoring this legislation to make a small, commonsense change to our licensing law as we welcome world class athletic competitions to Pennsylvania. |
Introduced as HB309