Nurse Licensure Compact Implementation in Pennsylvania – Moving Forward but Not Quite There!

Pennsylvania joined the Nurse License Compact on July 1, 2021, when Governor Wolf signed Act 68 Nurse Licensure Compact Into law. 

But, due to the FBI’s concerns about how criminal background checks would be handled, full implementation of Act 68 was placed on hold until these concerns were resolved. 

Three years later, resolution came in the form of Act 79 of 2024 (formerly HB 2200)“FBI-Approved Language to Implement Licensure Compacts”, which was signed into law on July 17, 2024 by Governor Shapiro. 

Act 79 of 2024 amends Title 63 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes. Act 79 of 2024 provides that applicants for initial licenses, certificates, or interstate compact licenses, in a healthcare field (including nurses and others) must submit fingerprints for a background check to the PA State Police. The PA State Police will then send the fingerprints to the FBI for identity verification and a national criminal history check. Current Pennsylvania license holders do not need to submit fingerprints for a criminal history check for renewal of their PA license.

Pennsylvania’s nearly 300,000 licensed Registered Nurses (RNs) and Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) are one step closer, but not quite there yet, to being able to obtain a multi-state license (MSL), and work in the other 41 Nurse License Compact (NLC) states without obtaining additional licenses in other states. Of note, as of Sept. 5, 2023, Pennsylvania partially implemented Act 68 Nurse Licensure Compact, allowing RNs and LPNs who hold multi-state licenses from other states through the NLC to provide in-person and telehealth services to PA patients.

So, now that Act 79 of 2024 is signed into law, what are the next steps? At the July 12, 2024 PA State Board of Nursing (SBN) meeting, attendees learned:

• The FBI provided only conditional language to the legislature to include in HB2200 which became Act 79 of 2024. The FBI wanted the legislation to be approved first, and then the FBI will review the resultant approved language to determine their final approval.
• Once the FBI finally approves the language:
  • The SBN will need time to determine how to collect background checks and store this information. The PA State Police will contract with an outside vendor who will set up fingerprinting, storage, and transfer of information to the FBI for national criminal background checks. 
  • The SBN will write temporary regulations for currently licensed nurses to obtain a multi-state license, and for new nursing school graduates who reside in Pennsylvania to apply for a multi-state license. (The decision was made to prepare “temporary NLC regulations” because they can be approved faster, although they have a shorter lifespan, whereas preparing “full development of NLC regulations” would take about 1 1/2 years due to multiple tiers of review and approval.)
  • The SBN will need time to develop guidance on how nursing licensees can convert from single to multi-state licenses.
• Prior SBN meeting minutes noted that technological changes are being made to the Pennsylvania Licensing System (PaLS) so that it is ready to issue multi-state licenses.

Nurses in Pennsylvania can thank Governors Shapiro and Wolf, and their state legislators who voted in favor of the bills that became Act 79 of 2024 and Act 68 Nurse Licensure Compact. However, Senator Lisa BOSCOLA stands out as the champion for Nurse Licensure Compact in Pennsylvania. She was the initial author and sponsor for the bill that became Act 68 Nurse Licensure Compact, then worked with House Rep. Frank Burns, the FBI, and the PA State Police to prepare the language used in companion bills SB1165 and HB2200, which were introduced in April 2024. As a result of her diligence, Act 79 of 2024 brings Pennsylvania’s nurses one more step closer to obtaining multi-state licenses when full implementation of Act 68 Nurse Licensure Compact occurs!

Visit PA State Board of Nursing and NCSBN’s Nurse Licensure Compact for more information.

Photo Credit: ID 125353194 | Nurse © Rido | Dreamstime.com