NATA Beat: Summer 2026 Advocacy Updates

August 12, 2026 by Beth Sitzler

Every day, NATA is working on behalf of the athletic training profession. With staff members experienced in all aspects of the legislative and regulatory process, the NATA Government Affairs Department is the sole department focused on advocacy for the profession. NATA’s goal is to ensure that all ATs can work to the fullest extent of their education and skill set. These bipartisan efforts consist of five key areas: state legislation, federal legislation, regulatory, reimbursement and NATAPAC.

NATA Beat includes a quarterly eblast dedicated to these government affairs efforts, ensuring members have the latest insight into the work being done to advocate for the profession. Accompanying the eblast, NATA Now provides further highlights each quarter in a quick, easy-to-digest format.

You can also follow @MyNATABeat on X, which provides real-time updates on advocacy efforts that matter to the athletic training profession.

Learn more about the NATA Government Affairs Department and what NATA is doing for you in the new “NATA Advocacy” video.

State Legislation

AT Compact Update

At the time of publishing, 10 states have signed AT Compact legislation into law. Lead by the Board of Certification for the Athletic Trainer, the AT Compact is an interstate occupational licensure compact for athletic trainers that facilitates multistate practice by streamlining licensure processes, reducing administrative burdens and improving public protection through enhanced sharing of disciplinary and investigative information among states. The compact enables eligible athletic trainers to obtain a "compact privilege" to practice in other participating states while maintaining licensure in their state of qualifying licensure. For more information, visit the AT Compact website.

NATA Attends 2026 NCSL Summit

NATA exhibited at the National Conference of State Legislatures Summit in Chicago July 27-29. The summit brought together state legislators and legislative staff from all 50 states and U.S. territories for three days of collaboration, innovation and bipartisan dialogue.

WyoATA Attends NATA Legislative Boot Camp

NATA visited Wyoming for a legislative bootcamp with the Wyoming Athletic Trainers’ Association July 31-Aug. 1.

NATA Advocacy By the Numbers

So far in 2026, NATA has:

Held 21 national and state grassroots advocacy campaigns
Sent 4,412 emails to legislators
Tracked 404 federal and state bills

Federal Legislation

Save the Date: Policy Summit and Capitol Hill Day

The 2027 NATA Policy Summit and Capitol Hill Day is March 22-23, 2027, in Washington, D.C. Stay tuned to NATA’s communication channels for more information.

NATA Discusses Important AT Topics With Legislators

So far in the 119th Congress, NATA has met with more than 150 federal Senate and House offices regarding our legislative priorities. Topics discussed include AT workforce initiatives and protections, patient safety, education funding and access to student loans.

NATA Hosts Tactical Athlete Policy Briefing

NATA hosted the “Optimizing the Tactical Athlete” policy briefing May 21 on Capitol Hill. The briefing focused on the expanding role of athletic trainers within the U.S. armed services and their growing importance to warfighter readiness. The event brought together House and Senate staffers, key stakeholders and military health leaders to discuss how athletic trainers support service members across operational, rehabilitation and human performance settings. Read more about the policy briefing on NATA Now.

NATA Attends Higher Education Policy Briefing

In June, NATA participated in a congressional briefing examining the potential impacts of the Department of Education’s Reimagining and Improving Student Education final rule on graduate professional education programs. A cross-disciplinary panel discussed how changes to federal student loan limits could affect access to graduate education and future workforce pathways. Read more about the event on NATA’s LinkedIn page.

NATA Hits the Hill With Fellow Advocates

In May, NATA teamed up with other health care providers on Capitol Hill to advocate for fair pay, mental health and workplace safety. FIGS sponsored the event and actor Noah Wiley was a special guest speaker. This event was part of our ongoing work with the Lorna Breen Foundation and the ALL IN Coalition.

Summer Summits Discuss Armed Forces, Youth Sports

NATA President A.J. Duffy III, MS, ATC, PT, and NATA Director of Government Affairs Deanna Kuykendall attended the H2F Symposium in May. NATA also attended the Project Play Summit in Boston in May.

ATs Included in Proposed Name, Image, Likeness Bill

NATA has met with several members of Congress and committee staff to advocate for AT protections in name, image, likeness legislation. Recently, Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, Vice Chair Maria Cantwell, Sen. Chris Coons and Sen. Eric Schmitt introduced bipartisan NIL legislation that includes some protections. The portion of the bill that reference athletic trainers states:

“(1) IN GENERAL.—Medical personnel, including athletic trainers, physical therapists, and physicians, shall have the autonomous, unchallengeable authority to determine medical management and return to play decisions for student athletes under their care at an institution. (2) LIMITATION ON NONMEDICAL PERSONNEL.—No coach or other nonmedical personnel of an institution may attempt to influence or disregard the decisions of medical personnel with respect to the medical management and return to play decisions for student athletes under their care at the 18 institution.”

Regulatory

Joint Letter Supports Preserving In-Person Care

In July, NATA and the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine sent a joint letter expressing reservations about Medicare's Competitive Bidding Program and Remote Item Delivery policies for orthotic devices. The organizations voiced concerns that these policies could encourage or require mail-order distribution of orthopedic braces in place of in-person clinical evaluation and fitting and urged policymakers to preserve patient access to in-person orthopedic brace fitting and protect the ability of qualified health care professionals to provide these services.

More To Come: Affordable Housing

NATA is working with representatives from the Department of Housing and Urban Development on affordable housing initiatives. We will be teaming up to host roundtable discussions with ATs over the next few months.

Coalition Updates

All 50 states have now been visited by Team Up For Sports Safety, with recent events taking place in New York, Montana and Idaho.
Started in 2023, the Smart Heart Sports Coalition is advocating for the implementation of three best practice policies to prevent death from Sudden Cardiac Arrest:

Emergency action plans for each high school athletic venue that are widely distributed, posted, rehearsed and updated annually;
Clearly marked automated external defibrillator (AEDs) at each athletic venue or within 1-3 minutes of each venue where high school practices or competitions are held; and,
CPR and AED education for coaches.

Currently, 35 states have all three policies in place. More coalition work will be done this fall and in the upcoming state legislative sessions in 2027.

NATA has joined the Advanced Professions Workforce Alliance steering committee to address recent rule changes in student loan lending. The Department of Education initially omitted athletic trainers, as well as dozens of other prominent health care professions, from a defined list of “professional” degree programs. After a court issued a stay on key parts of the rule, the Department of Education updated the list of defined professions and included athletic training. For latest information, visit the Federal Student Aid website.

Reimbursement

NATA offers resources to ATs help demonstrate their value and worth through revenue models, improve their understanding of the business of athletic training or help them navigate reimbursement for athletic training services. Visit the Revenue & Reimbursement section of the NATA website for more information.

NATAPAC

Chuck Kimmel Memorial NATAPAC Luncheon

The Chuck Kimmel Memorial NATAPAC Luncheon was held July 1, during the 77th NATA Clinical Symposia & Expo in Philadelphia. More than 180 attendees purchased tickets to hear keynote speaker Linda Fabrizio Mazzoli, MS, LAT, ATC, who delivered an inspiring presentation on becoming an influential leader within your sphere of influence. She encouraged attendees to use their influence to positively impact others by supporting, encouraging and leading those around them.

This year marked the first time the Southeast Athletic Trainers' Association (SEATA) partnered with NATA as the supporting sponsor of the luncheon. Through its sponsorship, SEATA hosted a dedicated table for District Nine students, helping introduce future athletic trainers to NATAPAC and its mission. The Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers’ Society was also recognized for its commitment to student engagement through member-sponsored student attendance.

The luncheon raised more than $15,000 for NATAPAC, making it the organization's largest annual fundraising event. The continued generosity of attendees and sponsors helps ensure NATAPAC can effectively advocate for the athletic training profession at the federal level.

NATAPAC District Events

NATAPAC Advisory Board members were busy the first half of 2026 hosting information tables and events at their respective district events to raise awareness and educate members about NATAPAC.

District events and fundraisers included coffee tumblers at the Eastern Athletic Trainers' Association Annual Meeting & Clinical Symposia; bottomless beer mugs at the Mid-America Athletic Trainers' Association Annual Meeting and Symposium; cornhole tournament mulligans at the Rocky Mountain Athletic Trainers' Association Clinical Symposium; Hawaiian music and shaved ice at the Far West Athletic Trainers' Association Annual Meeting & Clinical Symposia; axe throwing tournament at the Southwest Athletic Trainers' Association Annual Meeting; special designation lanyards at the Southwest Athletic Trainers’ Annual Meeting; and trivia night at the Northwest Athletic Trainers' Association Annual Meeting.

NATAPAC Supports NATA Advocacy in D.C.

During the 2025-26 election cycle, NATAPAC has contributed $93,000 to the campaigns of federal legislators who support the priorities and advocacy efforts of NATA. An additional $42,000 has been approved for disbursement through the remainder of the 2026 election cycle.

NATAPAC contributions support strategic advocacy efforts led by the NATA Government Affairs team, including attendance at small-group fundraising events and the organization of in-district site visits. These opportunities allow NATA leaders and members to engage directly with members of Congress and their staff, fostering meaningful conversations about the association's legislative and regulatory priorities and the critical role athletic trainers play in improving patient care.

NATAPAC strategically supports candidates who:

Value the athletic training profession.
Support the advancement of NATA's legislative agenda.
Understand the impact and importance of athletic trainers.
Maintain open lines of communication and are accessible to NATA.
Demonstrate effectiveness in advancing legislation and serve in influential committee or leadership positions.
Advocate for policies that strengthen the athletic training profession.

By investing in these relationships, NATAPAC helps ensure that athletic training has a strong, respected voice in the federal policymaking process.

Save the Date: NATAPAC Sweepstakes

NATAPAC will once again hold its annual sweepstakes fundraiser Sept. 9-30. Three winners will get to pick their choice of Apple iPad Air, Apple Watch or Apple iPhone 17e. Ticket prices will be: