TATS had huge success this year in developing new relationships and strengthening our already strong connections with legislators during Capitol Hill Day 2016 on March 23rd. The TATS contingent was able to see the State Senate in action as they finalized legislation for the 2016 session. Senator Jim Tracy also took a portion of his floor time to have the TATS representatives recognized by the entire State Senate for the collective efforts of athletic trainers across Tennessee.

We were also able to have several important meetings with Representatives Joe Towns and G.A. Hardaway to discuss issues related to youth sports safety and concussion legislation. Representative Hardaway spent an extra amount of time sharing with us his personal desire to promote safe sports and his willingness to work with TATS to ensure the safety of athletic individuals across Tennessee, especially our children.

We were also able to have meetings with Senators Janice Bowling and Jeff Yarbro and discuss the important role of athletic trainers in secondary schools and our desire to see every high school in Tennessee have care provided by an athletic trainer. Because of the busy day that our legislators had planned, some scheduled meetings had to be cancelled, but the one-on-one meetings we were able to have were highly productive.

TATS was represented at Capitol Hill Day by the following members: Peggy Bratt, Michael Gerlach, Tim Hoskins, Alan Killingsworth, Ray Knight, Clint Sanders, Brad Swope, and Cumberland University AT Student Megan Hacker. Special thanks to our lobbyists Chuck Welch and Zach Bates for preparing our day on Capitol Hill and scheduling our legislator meetings.

We hope many others are able to participate in legislative efforts to promote athletic training in the future. If you would like to become involved in our legislative efforts, reach out to the TATS Governmental Affair Committee by contacting Alan Killingsworth.