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HB 5150

Health occupations: respiratory therapists; licensure for respiratory therapists; modify. Amends secs. 16204, 16344, 18701, 18703, 18707 & 18709 of 1978 PA 368 (MCL 333.16204 et seq.) & adds secs. 18710 & 18712.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Steve Frisbie and 6 co-sponsors

HB 5150 expands respiratory therapists' scope (ECMO, bronchoscopy, arterial/venous lines, life-support, emergencies) with new licensure rules, supervision, and fees.

REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH POLICY
#healthoccupations:respiratorytherapists #stateagencies(existing):licensingandregulatoryaffairs
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Bill Summary · HB 5150

Summary — HB 5150 (Introduced March 14, 2025; reproduced Oct. 28, 2025)

Purpose

HB 5150 amends Michigan’s Public Health Code (1978 PA 368) to modify licensure, definitions, scope of practice, and regulation of respiratory therapists (Part 187). The bill updates statutory definitions, expands and clarifies permitted respiratory care activities, adjusts licensure fees, and adds two new statutory sections (18710 and 18712) to Part 187.

Key provisions and changes

  • Definitions and supervisory roles

    • Clarifies and expands definitions relevant to respiratory care, including “medical director,” “physician,” “qualified licensed practitioner,” and “practice of respiratory care.”
    • Specifies that a medical director must be a physician responsible for quality, safety, appropriateness, and effectiveness of respiratory care services and must assist in quality monitoring, protocol development, and competency validation.

  • Expanded scope of practice

    • Explicitly lists activities included within respiratory care services, adding or clarifying advanced procedures such as:
    • Management and operation of mechanical ventilatory support and other life‑support systems.
    • Performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation, inserting and maintaining artificial airways, and arterial and venous lines, and hemodynamic monitoring.
    • Initiation of emergency procedures (as authorized under board rules).
    • Performing therapeutic and diagnostic bronchoscopy, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, electrophysiological monitoring, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).
    • Adds authority for development, implementation, and modification of respiratory care plans and protocols consistent with prescriber orders and clinical pathways.

  • Licensure and title protection

    • Reinforces that use of titles such as “respiratory therapist,” “respiratory care practitioner,” or abbreviations (e.g., R.T., R.C.P.) is restricted to individuals licensed under Part 187.

  • Continuing education carve‑out

    • Retains provision in Section 16204 that the continuing‑education requirement for pain and symptom management does not apply to individuals licensed under Part 187.

  • Fee schedule adjustments

    • Revises fees for individuals licensed or seeking licensure under Part 187. The bill lists (as amended) the following fees:
    • Application processing fee: $75.00
    • License fee, per year: $82.70
    • Temporary license: $75.00
    • Limited license: $27.50

  • New sections added

    • Adds sections 18710 and 18712 to Part 187; the bill text indicates additional statutory provisions for respiratory therapist licensure and practice, though the summary text here does not reproduce those sections in full.

Who is affected

  • Licensed and prospective respiratory therapists and respiratory care practitioners.
  • Employing entities: hospitals, outpatient services, home‑care agencies, durable medical equipment providers, and educational programs.
  • Physicians and other qualified licensed practitioners who order or supervise respiratory care.
  • Patients receiving advanced cardiopulmonary and life‑support care.

Legislative status and timeline

  • Filed: March 14, 2025 (House)
  • Committee activity: Referred to Higher Education (April 7, 2025); committee hearings and substitute reported favorably in April 2025; placed on calendars and considered in May 2025 (laid on table subject to call).
  • Companion bill: SB 2361.
  • Bill electronically reproduced: October 28, 2025; introduced and referred to House Committee on Health Policy on October 28, 2025.

Practical implications / considerations

  • Expanding explicit scope to include high‑acuity procedures (ECMO, bronchoscopy, insertion of vascular lines, hemodynamic monitoring) could affect training, credentialing, employer policies, and oversight requirements (medical director responsibility and board rulemaking).
  • Fee increases (if enacted as shown) raise costs for applicants and annual licensees.
  • Implementation will require rulemaking by the relevant licensing board to operationalize practice standards, emergency procedures, and educational/competency requirements.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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