Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

APPROVED                 CHAPTER
                                                                  JUNE 9, 2025                  220
                                                                 BY GOVERNOR              PUBLIC LAW
                                  STATE OF MAINE
                                          _____
                           IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
                        TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FIVE
                                          _____
                                  H.P. 1175 - L.D. 1757
   An Act to Update the Laws Governing Osteopathic Physician Licensing
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
    Sec. 1. 32 MRSA §2562, first ¶, as amended by PL 1997, c. 50, §2, is further
amended to read:
    The board shall meet in June of each year hold regular monthly meetings and any
additional special meetings at a time and place the chair may designate. The board shall
elect one of its members as chair annually and one of its members as secretary-treasurer,
to hold office at the pleasure of the board. The secretary-treasurer shall ensure proper
management of the board's finances. Special meetings may be called at the pleasure of the
chair and in case of the death or inability of the chair, the secretary-treasurer may call
special meetings. The board shall cause a seal of suitable inscription to be procured and
affixed to papers that may require the seal, shall keep a correct record of its proceedings
and has power to make rules, not inconsistent with this chapter, it considers necessary for
the successful enforcement of its authority and the performance of its duties. As part of the
biennial relicensure process, the board shall prepare and distribute to each licensed
osteopathic physician practicing in the State a copy of its code of ethics and current rules
relative to continuing medical education. The chair and the secretary-treasurer may
administer oaths in matters connected with the duties of the board. The records of the board
must include a report of all money received and disbursed by the board and a list of all
applicants for licenses, including the name and location of the school or college of
osteopathic medicine approved by the American Osteopathic Association that granted the
degree to each applicant and whether the applicant was granted or denied a license. These
records, or duplicates, must always be open to inspection in the office of the Secretary of
State during regular office hours. Four members of the board constitute a quorum for the
transaction of business. A license to practice osteopathic medicine may not be granted,
except on an affirmative vote of a majority of the board.
    Sec. 2. 32 MRSA §2571, as amended by PL 2001, c. 492, §1, is repealed and the
following enacted in its place:
§2571. Licensure; qualifications; fees
                                   Page 1 - 132LR0429(02)
    Except as otherwise specified by this chapter, an applicant for licensure as an
osteopathic physician in this State must satisfy the following requirements.
    1. Osteopathic education. An applicant must graduate from an osteopathic medical
school designated as accredited by the American Osteopathic Association's Commission
on Osteopathic College Accreditation.
    2. Postgraduate training. An applicant who has graduated from an accredited
osteopathic medical school prior to January 1, 2026 must have satisfactorily completed at
least 12 months in a medical graduate educational program accredited by the Accreditation
Council on Graduate Medical Education or the American Osteopathic Association. An
applicant who has graduated from an accredited osteopathic medical school on or after
January 1, 2026 must have satisfactorily completed at least 36 months in a graduate
educational program accredited by the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical
Education or the American Osteopathic Association.
The board may not require an applicant for initial licensure or license renewal as an
osteopathic physician under this chapter to obtain certification from a specialty medical
board or to complete maintenance of certification as a condition of licensure. For the
purposes of this subsection, "maintenance of certification" means a program that requires
a physician to engage in periodic examination, self-assessment, peer evaluation or other
activities to maintain certification from a specialty medical board.
    3. Examination. An applicant must achieve a passing score on each component of
the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners' Comprehensive Osteopathic
Medical Licensing Examination of the United States, known as the COMLEX-USA
examination, or other examinations designated by the board as the qualifying examination
or examinations for licensure.
    4. Fees. An applicant must pay a fee up to $600 plus the cost of the qualifying
examination or examinations. Fees set in this chapter are nonrefundable application fees or
administrative processing fees payable to the board at the time of application or at the time
board action is requested.
     5. No cause for disciplinary action. An applicant may not be licensed unless the
board finds that the applicant is qualified and no cause exists, as set forth in section 2591-A,
that may be considered grounds for disciplinary action against a licensed physician.
     6. Special license categories. The board may issue a license limited to the practice of
administrative medicine, or any other special license, as set forth by routine technical rule
of the board adopted pursuant to Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
    Sec. 3. 32 MRSA §2572, as amended by PL 1997, c. 50, §4, is repealed.
    Sec. 4. 32 MRSA §2573, as amended by PL 2001, c. 492, §2, is further amended to
read:
§2573. Temporary licensure
     An osteopathic physician in good repute who is a graduate of a school or college of
osteopathic medicine approved by the American Osteopathic Association, serving as a
fellow, an intern or resident physician in a hospital in this State, shall register with the board
and must be issued a temporary license by the board evidencing the right to practice only
under hospital control. Such a license may not be issued for a period in excess of one year
                                     Page 2 - 132LR0429(02)
but may be renewed from time to time, not to exceed an aggregate of 5 years. The license
must be in a form prescribed by the board and may be revoked or suspended by the board
with the suspension or revocation effective immediately when written notification from the
board is received by the hospital. An examination may not be required for applicants for
this temporary license. The fee for such a license may not be more than $450.
                                  Page 3 - 132LR0429(02)
Statutes affected: 
Bill Text ACTPUB , Chapter 220: 32.2562, 32.2571, 32.2572, 32.2573