---
type: "Bill"
title: "AN ACT relating to physician assistants. Amend KRS 202A.011 to include physician assistants in the definition of \"qualified mental health professional.\""
description: "AN ACT relating to physician assistants. Amend KRS 202A.011 to include physician assistants in the definition of \"qualified mental health professional.\""
jurisdiction: "us/states/ky"
legislature: "Kentucky General Assembly"
session: "2018RS"
identifier: "HB 497"
citation: "Kentucky HB 497 (2018RS)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["D. Elliott", "S. Riggs"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 23
vote_count: 0
first_action: "2018-02-26"
last_action: "2018-04-13"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/71e6b6b9-2efe-4823-993f-26afe27e10d8"
source_url: "http://www.lrc.ky.gov/record/18RS/HB497.htm"
source_hash: "bae950b80860b31c8320483918c52bd69dfac28345b527c2171108df24620a6f"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ky"]
---

# Kentucky HB 497 (2018RS) — AN ACT relating to physician assistants. Amend KRS 202A.011 to include physician assistants in the definition of "qualified mental health professional."

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **HB 497 (As Introduced)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.lrc.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/18RS/HB497/orig_bill.pdf)
2. **HCS1** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.lrc.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/18RS/HB497/HCS1.pdf)
3. **Most Recent Version** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.lrc.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/18RS/HB497/bill.pdf)
4. **SCS1** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.lrc.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/18RS/HB497/SCS1.pdf)

## Sponsors

- D. Elliott — primary (person)
- S. Riggs — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2018-02-26** Introduced in House `introduction`
- **2018-02-28** To Health and Family Services (H) `referral-committee`
- **2018-03-06** Posted in committee
- **2018-03-14** Reported favorably, 1st reading, to Consent Calendar with Committee Substitute (1) `reading-1`
- **2018-03-15** 2nd reading, to Rules `reading-2`
- **2018-03-15** Posted for passage in the Consent Orders of the Day for Friday, March 16, 2018
- **2018-03-16** 3rd reading, passed 87-0 with Committee Substitute `reading-3, passage`
- **2018-03-19** Received in Senate
- **2018-03-20** To Health & Welfare (S) `referral-committee`
- **2018-03-22** Reported favorably, 1st reading, to Consent Calendar with Committee Substitute (1) `reading-1`
- **2018-03-27** 2nd reading, to Rules `reading-2`
- **2018-03-27** Posted for passage in the Consent Orders of the Day for Thursday, March 29, 2018
- **2018-03-29** 3rd reading, passed 37-0 with Committee Substitute (1) `reading-3, passage`
- **2018-03-29** Received in House
- **2018-03-29** To Rules (H) `referral-committee`
- **2018-04-02** Taken from Rules
- **2018-04-02** Posted for passage for concurrence in Senate Committee Substitute (1)
- **2018-04-02** House concurred in Senate Committee Substitute (1)
- **2018-04-02** Bill passed 92-0
- **2018-04-02** Enrolled, signed by Speaker of the House
- **2018-04-02** Enrolled, signed by President of the Senate
- **2018-04-02** Delivered to Governor
- **2018-04-13** Signed by Governor (Acts, ch. 165) `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/71e6b6b9-2efe-4823-993f-26afe27e10d8`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Kentucky legislature records).