Dear CSOMA Community,
Please join us for an emergency Town Hall on Tuesday, March 31, 7-8pm PST.
Two bills have been introduced that CSOMA opposes. We have included actions you can take right now and will be providing further guidance to help protect our scope and professional standards.
AB 2497: OPPOSE.
We have been informed that PT Bill AB 2497 was introduced and is now in committee.
Our concern is the language that states:
"
It grants licensed physical therapists the authority to use the title "doctor of physical therapy" or "D.P.T.," expands their scope of practice to include prescribing nonopioid pain relievers and anti-inflammatory medications after consultation with medical boards, and allows for tissue penetration for evaluating and treating the neuromuscular system, as well as performing and interpreting musculoskeletal ultrasound imaging.
"
We believe this is their creative way to add dry needling to their scope without explicitly calling it dry needling.
See Actions below to help us defeat this bill.
AB 2668: OPPOSE.
As currently written, AB 2668 increases educational requirements in ways that raise cost, extend time-to-practice, and create additional barriers to entry into a profession that is already facing workforce and national pressures. We oppose the following language:
"
This bill, on and after January 1, 2032, would require an approved educational and training program to offer a curriculum that confers a doctoral degree in acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine consisting of not less than 3,300 hours, of which at least 2,220 hours are didactic and laboratory training and at least 1,080 hours are supervised clinical instruction.
"
Additionally, three bills – AB 2668, SB944 and AB 1949 – have been presented as a single package yet address fundamentally different policy questions. Combining them in this way obscures the real implications of AB 2668.
SB 944: SUPPORT.
AB 1949: SUPPORT.
CSOMA supports efforts that expand access to care, including the intent of SB 944 and AB 1949.
CSOMA representatives will attend Wednesday's (3/25) committee meeting in Sacramento to oppose the two bills and provide commentary.
Actions
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
Complete the same steps for AB 2668. Feel free to use the following:
As a concerned member of California’s acupuncture and East Asian medicine profession, I respectfully urge opposition to AB 2668.
While the intent may be to strengthen training, California’s acupuncture educational requirements are already among the highest in the country in both clinical and didactic hours. Increasing required hours further would raise tuition, student debt, and the time needed to enter practice, at a time when financial aid is tightening. These added demands come without clear evidence of improved clinical outcomes.
The likely impact is lower enrollment and graduation rates, added strain on schools, and potential closures. Working-class and first-generation students would be most affected.
Over time, this could reduce the workforce and limit access to care, particularly in underserved communities.
I respectfully urge lawmakers to oppose AB 2668.
Students: Please also review and sign Student Opposition to Increased Hour Requirements Under AB 266 before the March 26 Board vote.
THANK YOU for opposing these bills, and for participating in California’s legislative process!
CSOMA Town Hall – Register
Please join us for an emergency Town Hall on Tuesday, March 31, 7-8pm PST to discuss these bills and their impact.
Thank you for reading,
CSOMA
CSOMA Partners
CSOMA is grateful to the partners who support our work and the broader acupuncture community. Their partnership helps sustain our advocacy and education efforts. Please support them!
