Senate Bill No. 516
Senate Bill No. 516
PUBLIC ACT NO. 98-9
AN ACT CONCERNING ACUPUNCTURE.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of
Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 20-206bb of the general statutes, as
amended by section 9 of public act 97-213, is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu
thereof:
(a) No person shall perform acupuncture
unless he has obtained a license as an
acupuncturist pursuant to this section.
(b) Each person seeking licensure as an
acupuncturist shall make application on forms
prescribed by the department, pay an application
fee of one hundred dollars and present to the
department satisfactory evidence that he (1) has
completed sixty semester hours, or its equivalent,
of postsecondary study in an institution of
postsecondary education which, if in the United
States or its territories, was accredited by a
recognized regional accrediting body or, if
outside the United States or its territories, was
legally chartered to grant postsecondary degrees
in the country in which located, (2) has
successfully completed a course of study in
acupuncture in a program which, at the time of
graduation, was in candidate status with or
accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by
the United States Department of Education and
which included a minimum of one thousand three
hundred fifty hours of didactic and clinical
training, five hundred of which were clinical, (3)
has passed an examination prescribed by the
department and (4) has successfully completed a
course in clean needle technique prescribed by the
department. ANY PERSON SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETING THE
EDUCATION, EXAMINATION OR TRAINING REQUIREMENTS OF
THIS SECTION IN A LANGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH
SHALL BE DEEMED TO HAVE SATISFIED THE REQUIREMENT
COMPLETED IN THAT LANGUAGE.
(c) AN APPLICANT FOR LICENSURE AS AN
ACUPUNCTURIST BY ENDORSEMENT SHALL PRESENT
EVIDENCE SATISFACTORY TO THE COMMISSIONER OF
LICENSURE OR CERTIFICATION AS AN ACUPUNCTURIST, OR
AS A PERSON ENTITLED TO PERFORM SIMILAR SERVICES
UNDER A DIFFERENT DESIGNATION, IN ANOTHER STATE OR
JURISDICTION WHOSE REQUIREMENTS FOR PRACTICING IN
SUCH CAPACITY ARE SUBSTANTIALLY SIMILAR TO OR
HIGHER THAN THOSE OF THIS STATE AND THAT THERE ARE
NO DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS OR UNRESOLVED COMPLAINTS
PENDING. ANY PERSON COMPLETING THE REQUIREMENTS OF
THIS SECTION IN A LANGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH
SHALL BE DEEMED TO HAVE SATISFIED THE REQUIREMENTS
OF THIS SECTION.
[(c)] (d) Notwithstanding the provisions of
subsection (b) of this section, the department
shall, prior to January 1, 1999, issue a license
to any applicant who presents to the department
satisfactory evidence that he has (1) passed the
National Commission for the Certification of
Acupuncturists written examination by test or by
credentials review, (2) successfully completed the
practical examination of point location skills
offered by the National Commission for the
Certification of Acupuncturists, and (3)
successfully completed a course in clean needle
technique prescribed by the department pursuant to
subsection (b) of this section.
[(d)] (e) Licenses shall be renewed annually
in accordance with the provisions of subsection
(e) of section 19a-88, AS AMENDED. The fee for
renewal shall be one hundred dollars.
[(e)] (f) No license shall be issued under
this section to any applicant against whom
professional disciplinary action is pending or who
is the subject of an unresolved complaint in this
or any other state or territory of the United
States.
[(f)] (g) Nothing in section 19a-89c,
20-206aa, 20-206cc or this section shall be
construed to prevent licensed practitioners of the
healing arts, as defined in sections 20-1 and
20-196, physical therapists or dentists from
providing care or performing services consistent
with accepted standards within their respective
professions.
[(g)] (h) Notwithstanding the provisions of
subsection (a) of this section, any person
certified by an organization approved by the
Commissioner of Public Health may practice
auricular acupuncture for the treatment of alcohol
and drug abuse, provided the treatment is
performed under the supervision of a physician
licensed under chapter 370 and is performed in
either (1) a private free-standing facility
licensed by the Department of Public Health for
the care or treatment of substance abusive or
dependent persons, or (2) a setting operated by
the Department of Mental Health and Addiction
Services. The Commissioner of Public Health shall
adopt regulations, in accordance with the
provisions of chapter 54, to ensure the safe
provision of auricular acupuncture within private
free-standing facilities licensed by the
Department of Public Health for the care or
treatment of substance abusive or dependent
persons.
Approved April 24, 1998