AB 2497

UPDATED April 30, 2026

As we continue to OPPOSE AB 2497 (dry needling), we are asking those of you in Alameda and Contra Costa counties to customize and sign this opposition letter and email a copy to acupuncture lobbyist Niccolo De Luca ([email protected]) no later than Friday, May 8. His team is printing and hand-delivering each letter to the Capitol.

At this stage, advocacy is best done through formal letters rather than direct outreach to the Chair or committee members.

To recap, AB 2497 is moving to the Assembly Appropriations Committee, chaired by Assembly Member Buffy Wicks. This is a fiscal committee, not a policy committee, and it does not hold public discussions like that past committee did. Its role is to evaluate the bill’s financial impact on the state, and the opposition letter is written with that in mind.

Our priority now is to gather opposition letters from schools and licensed acupuncturists in Contra Costa and Alameda counties, especially in the following cities: Oakland, Berkeley, Richmond, San Pablo, Piedmont, El Cerrito, Pinole, Albany, and Hercules.

It is imperative that we take action on this bill, right away. THANK YOU!

UPDATED April 17, 2026

URGENT!!!

CA Physical therapists are introducing DRY NEEDLING into their scope this Tuesday, April 20. We need YOUR VOICE to prevent this from happening. 2 things you can do:

1. SHOW UP in SACRAMENTO this Tuesday, April 21 @ 9:00 am to voice your OPPOSITION to AB2497. 

The bill will be read by its author then expert opinions will be provided (both in support and in opposition).

Next, the public (YOU) will have the opportunity to approach the microphone, state your name and that you OPPOSE!

The committee will vote on the bill and decide if it moves forward. 

Business & Professions Committee
Assembly Bill (AB) 2497
Time: after 9:00 am
Location: O Street, Room 1100, Sacramento 
(public parking plentiful, Assembly building is open to public, metal detectors at entry)

This is one of the most powerful ways to stop this bill from moving forward! 

2. CALL - CALL - CALL the following assembly members BEFORE TUESDAY to voice your OPPOSITION to AB2497. 

"I strongly oppose AB2497 because 'Dry Needling' is Acupuncture and should be regulated as such under existing CA laws to ensure public safety."

CALL these legislators this weekend!

Get YOUR FRIENDS to CALL these legislators this weekend!

Get YOUR PATIENTS to CALL these legislators this weekend!

April 9, 2026

Thanks to everyone who submitted their stance on AB 2497 using the California Legislature Position Letter Portal (see below if you have not yet). Another important action you can take is to email staff members of Business and Professions Committee. Instructions are provided by lobbyist Ryan McCarthy:

We need your help to stop this bill.

This bill will be heard soon in the Assembly Business and Professions Committee. Below are links to emails that you can send with one click to the respective staff members for the Business and Professions committee. When you click the link, the email will pop up and you can edit it to make it more personal if you would like. Sending emails to legislative offices is important and shows that there is a broad base of support for acupuncture across California. If you could all please send an email to each one of these offices, that would be incredibly helpful for our advocacy efforts in preventing dry needling in California.

Click on each name to auto-populate an email to the respective staffers for each B&P member office. Ryan notes that the links work best when using a mobile phone.

Berman

Addis

Ahrens

Bains

Bauer-Kahan

Caloza

Elhawary

Haney

Hart

Irwin

Jackson

Lowenthal

Nguyen

Pellerin

Please register at the California Legislature Position Letter Portal then complete the form as follows:

Select a Bill
Measure: AB 2497
Session Type: Regular
Enter AB 2497 in search and you should see the following:
AB 2497 Physical therapists. Johnson
(Business and Professions Committee will be automatically selected)
Select your stance: Oppose
Enter your stance: Feel free to use/modify the position below:

As a California licensed acupuncturist, I oppose AB2497, particularly its use of the term “tissue penetration,” which appears to encompass needle-based interventions indistinguishable from acupuncture. Acupuncture and dry needling have been established as the same therapeutic modality, requiring comprehensive training in anatomy, safety, and clinical application. Expanding this scope to providers without equivalent education and licensure risks patient harm and undermines established regulatory standards.

Documented adverse events, including pneumothorax in high-profile cases such as NFL player T. J. Watt, underscore the risks associated with insufficient training in needle-based techniques. California’s current framework, regulated by the California Acupuncture Board, ensures rigorous education, examination, and oversight to protect public safety.

Any legislation that broadens access to tissue penetration without maintaining these standards compromises patient care. Needle-based therapies should remain within the clearly defined scope of licensed acupuncturists, who are specifically trained and regulated to perform them safely and effectively.

I urge lawmakers to reject or revise AB2497 to preserve patient safety and uphold the integrity of acupuncture practice in California.

Click Submit

THANK YOU for opposing this bill, and for participating in California’s legislative process!

April 1, 2026

CSOMA OPPOSES AB 2497 because it creates a pathway for physical therapists to perform needle-based procedures that are legally and clinically equivalent to acupuncture—without equivalent training—raising serious concerns about patient safety, scope of practice integrity, and consumer protection.

CSOMA conducted an emergency Town Hall on Tuesday, March 31, 2026 to discuss the implications on Assembly Bill 2497. A replay is available here.

Bill text of AB 2497 may be accessed here.

Contact: Dr. Robyn Adcock, LAc, Executive Director