A bill for an act enacting the physician assistant licensure compact.

2025-2026 Regular Session

Creates a multistate physician assistant licensure compact that lets PAs practice in participating states under a compact privilege once seven states join.

Withdrawn.

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Summary: SF 312 — Physician Assistant Licensure Compact (Withdrawn)

Overview
- Purpose: SF 312 would have enacted the physician assistant licensure compact, creating a multistate framework that allows a physician assistant licensed in one participating state to practice in another participating state under a compact privilege, without applying for a separate license in the new state.
- Status: Withdrawn. The bill was introduced Feb 13, 2025, later substituted into HF 300 on Mar 26, 2025, and subsequently withdrawn on Mar 26, 2025. The compact would only take effect if a seventh participating state adopts it.

Key Provisions
- Multistate practice via compact privilege: A PA licensed in a participating state could practice in other participating states under a compact privilege rather than obtaining new licenses.
- Minimum licensure requirements: The compact would set baseline requirements for physician assistant licensure across participating states.
- Establishment of a compact commission: Creates an interstate compact commission (an instrumentality of participating states) to administer the compact’s operation.
- Commission governance and operations: The commission would have defined membership, powers, meetings, voting requirements, bylaws, committees, and finances.
- Data system: Establishment of a data system to support compact administration (licensure and enforcement data).
- Compliance and enforcement: Provisions governing state compliance, venue for judicial proceedings, defense and indemnification, and enforcement mechanisms across states.
- Legal framework: Provisions on effective dates, amendments, withdrawal, default, expulsion, severability, construction, and the binding effect of the compact in relation to other laws.
- Effective date mechanics: The compact becomes effective upon adoption by the seventh participating state.

Who is Affected
- Primary: Physician assistants licensed in participating states who wish to practice across state lines without securing separate licenses in each state.
- State boards and regulators: Licensure boards in participating states tasked with implementing and enforcing compact provisions, sharing data, and addressing disciplinary actions.
- Employers and patients: Benefit from streamlined mobility for PAs, potentially improving access to care and workforce flexibility; may face harmonized standards and enforcement processes.

Procedural and Timeline Details
- Introduced: February 13, 2025.
- Initial committee action: Committee report approving the bill on February 13, 2025.
- Substitution/attachment: February 13, 2025, the bill was attached to HF 300.
- Substitution and withdrawal: HF 300 substituted SF 312 on March 26, 2025, and SF 312 was withdrawn the same day.
- Effective date condition: The compact would take effect only after seven participating states adopt it.

Notes
- While the SF 312 framework outlines how a physician assistant licensure compact would operate, its withdrawal means the compact did not become law in this session. If reintroduced, similar provisions would need to progress through the legislative process and secure multiple state approvals to become effective.