COLUMBUS (WKRC) – To put the process of a bill in sports terms, the first quarter just ended. House Bill 484 updates the guidelines for athletic trainers to provide health care they are trained to give, like taping the ankle of visiting athletes, which the current act limits.

The bill came up for a vote Tuesday in the Ohio House Health Committee. It passed unanimously.

The bill was first presented in February before the pandemic put a pause on the process.

Since resuming, House Bill 484 had three consecutive weeks of hearings, where it sought little opposition on the committee floor. It did have an amendment, which clarified the bill’s language on what athletic trainers are allowed to do.

“We’ve listened and responded as proved today with the unanimous bipartisan support,” Republican Rep. Cindy Abrams of Harrison said.

The vote comes at a crucial time in the legislative schedule. This is the last week before the legislature breaks for summer.

“The second quarter is going to be on the Ohio House Floor tomorrow, then we’re at half-time over the summer break,” Abrams said. “Then we’re going to go over to the Senate and do the same thing in the third and fourth quarter.”

Tuesday marked the first small victory for athletic trainers in the 29 years since the Practice Act was introduced. So what does that mean for the bill’s game plan?

“I certainly don’t like to call my shot,” Republican Rep. Rick Carfagna from Genoa Township, the bill’s co-sponsor, said. “I feel we’re in a much better place now than when we introduced the bill.”

If the bill passes on the House floor Wednesday, it will start the whole process over in the Senate this fall.