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This session, Delegate Glenn Davis introduced HB1489, a bill to license Naturopathic doctors in Virginia. A similar bill was defeated two years ago in both the House and the Senate. It has been studied three separate times in the last 15-16 years and each study recommended against licensure. A main difference in this bill and the one that was defeated two years ago is that language that was included two years ago to protect unlicensed Virginians from discussing and using natural health was omitted in this version. It states that it is illegal to practice naturopathic medicine without a license and then includes a very broad definition of the ‘practice of naturopathic medicine’ which includes “promotion or restoration of health” and “support and stimulation of a patient's inherent self-healing process’. This would severely limit what an individual can say or even talk about. It is interesting that the things that this bill would prevent unlicensed Virginians from doing or saying are the same things that individuals have done for decades. Another point is that while the full Board of Health Professions voted against licensure, the committee conducting the study had made it clear in the hearing that unlicensed practitioners should keep their jobs. Our focus at VA4HF is protecting the rights of Virginians to seek health advice from whoever they choose and the right of Virginians to provide advice and consultation on the use of natural health products. Any licensure bill needs to include these priorities.