Safe Harbor Practitioner Exemption Laws

National Health Freedom Action has a special commitment to supporting the passage of Safe Harbor Exemption bills that protect access to health care practitioners who do not hold state occupational licenses and are currently practicing in the public domain.  Below are links to the Safe Harbor Exemption bills passed into law in various states.  Historically these health care practitioners have been unfairly charged with practice of medicine without a license.  Safe Harbor Exemption laws for these practitioners protect consumer access to the broad range of health care and healing practitioners, such as herbalists, traditional naturopaths, homeopaths, body workers, and culturally specific healing practices, that are not currently regulated by the states and that do not rise to the level of concern requiring state oversight, certification, registration, or licensure. Eleven states now protect consumer access to these practitioners on some level, including Oklahoma, Idaho, Minnesota, Rhode Island, California, Louisiana, New Mexico, Arizona (limited exemption for homeopaths only), Colorado, Nevada, and Maine.  Fifteen additional states have introduced similar legislation within the past ten years.  More states are preparing to do so in the future.

  • 1994 – Oklahoma Statute 59-480  (Oklahoma Parameters for Jurisdiction of Physician Licensing Act) – Oklahoma Allopathic and Surgical Licensure and Supervision Act.
  • 1976 – Idaho 54-1804  (Idaho Exemptions to the Medical Practice Act) – Unlicensed Practice. Penalties and Remedies Relating to Unlicensed Practice.