Borowski-led effort to restore professional licensure for Certified Chiropractic Assistants clears major hurdle; heads to PA Senate
Rep. Lisa Borowski June 2, 2026 | 4:46 PM
HARRISBURG, June 2 – The PA House passed today, in a bipartisan vote of 193-8, legislation authored by state Rep. Lisa Borowski, D-Delaware, that would modernize chiropractic care in Pennsylvania by re-establishing Certified Chiropractic Assistants as a licensed profession in the state. Pennsylvania is the only state in the country that doesn’t offer this recognition.
Since 2018, Pennsylvania chiropractors have been severely limited by this lack of support, which prevents them from delegating tasks such as therapeutic exercise to chiropractic assistants. This has resulted in increased costs for patients, delays in care, and a shrinking workforce.
“We’ve been steadily losing chiropractors in PA, primarily because of the impractical regulatory obstacle that prevents them from delegating work to chiropractic assistants,” Borowski said. “We’re also seeing many chiropractors retire, and this lack of support for their work creates a competitive disadvantage that prevents new providers from establishing practices in PA.”
House Bill 1106 would define a CCA’s responsibilities as outlined by the Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards to guarantee quality care. When other states did the same, Borowski said, it alleviated the burden of going without support for chiropractors, improved patient satisfaction, and resulted in an overall higher standard of care at these practices.
While chiropractors in Pennsylvania are allowed to delegate certain in-office tasks to employees, the lack of professional licensure for those employees -- and the defined set of competencies it would establish -- creates legal ambiguity over what tasks can and cannot be delegated.
“I’m excited we’re one step closer to righting this wrong done to Pennsylvania’s chiropractic care community and to the patients who depend on it for care. And I’m grateful to the co-prime sponsors who helped us advocate along the way; my neighbor in Delco, Rep. Jennifer O’Mara, Rep. Tim Brennan from Bucks County, and Rep. John Lawrence from Chester County,” Borowski said. “I’m confident our Senate colleagues will agree it’s time to take this commonsense step to retain these specialized care providers and allow them to deliver a higher degree of care to Pennsylvanians.”