House passes Venkat, Marcell bills to eliminate need for redundant physician assistant licenses
Rep. Arvind Venkat June 23, 2026 | 4:30 PM
HARRISBURG, June 23 – The Pennsylvania House has unanimously passed two bipartisan bills introduced by state Reps. Arvind Venkat and Kristin Marcell that would eliminate administrative burdens to make it easier for physician assistants to receive their licenses.
In hospitals, PAs are often overseen by both allopathic and osteopathic physicians. Current law requires PAs to be licensed by both boards that oversee these occupations, the State Board of Medicine and the State Board of Osteopathic Medicine. House Bills 75 and 76 would eliminate this redundancy and allow PAs to work under the supervision of either type of doctor, regardless of licensing board.
“As an emergency physician, I have worked hand-in-hand with physician assistants for my entire career. The work they do is absolutely crucial to the delivery of high-quality healthcare,” said Venkat, D-Allegheny. “This legislation will eliminate an unnecessary barrier for PAs to continue doing this lifesaving work. I am thankful to Rep. Marcell for her collaboration on this legislation and to my other colleagues for the overwhelming support for these bills.”
“These bills remove unnecessary red tape and make it easier for physician assistants and physicians to work together in caring for patients," said Marcell, R-Bucks. "I am grateful to Rep. Venkat for his partnership on this effort and pleased to see the House come together in support of a practical change that benefits health care providers, hospitals and the patients they serve."
The two-bill package will now move to the Senate for consideration. During the previous legislative session, both bills received unanimous support both in the House and the relevant Senate committee, but were not considered by the full Senate.