Bill
SB 5499
Washington adopts the Interstate Nurse Licensure Compact, granting a single multistate license to RNs/LPNs to practice across member states with shared disciplinary data.
Status: Enacted (Chapter 123, Laws of 2023). Governor signed April 20, 2023. Effective date: July 23, 2023.
Purpose
- Adopts the Interstate Nurse Licensure Compact (the Compact) in Washington to allow qualified registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical/vocational nurses (LPNs/LVNs) to practice across member states under a single multistate license and to improve interstate coordination of licensure, enforcement, and public protection.
Key provisions
- Multistate license and privilege
- A nurse who is a resident of a Compact member state may obtain a multistate license from that “home state.” That multistate license confers a “multistate licensure privilege” allowing the nurse to practice in other Compact (“party”) states without separate licensing in each state.
- A nurse may hold only one multistate license at a time. If the nurse moves to a nonparty state, the multistate license converts to a single‑state license from the prior home state.
- Eligibility and application requirements
- Home states may issue multistate licenses only to applicants who meet uniform qualifications, including passing an approved exam and submitting to a criminal background check (fingerprints/biometric information).
- Licenses are renewable provided qualification and conduct standards continue to be met.
- Interstate Commission
- Establishes the Interstate Commission of Nurse Licensure Compact Administrators (the Commission) to administer the Compact, adopt rules and bylaws, and coordinate implementation.
- Each party state's licensing authority head (or designee) is a Commission member; each member has one vote.
- The Commission may levy annual assessments on party states to cover its reasonable costs, must hold at least one public meeting per year, and must follow public rulemaking procedures (60‑day notice, hearing; emergency rules must undergo full rulemaking within 90 days).
- The Commission may resolve disputes, provide remedial assistance to defaulting states, and, if necessary, bring legal action in federal court; a defaulting state may be terminated by majority vote of party states after other remedies are exhausted.
- Information sharing and discipline
- Party states must participate in a coordinated licensure information system that houses licensure and disciplinary history for RNs/LPNs.
- Remote states (where the nurse is practicing under privilege) have jurisdiction to take adverse action against a nurse’s multistate licensure privilege within that state and must promptly notify the information system.
- Only the home state may take adverse action against the license itself; the home state must treat reported conduct from remote states as if it occurred in the home state and report all adverse actions to the information system.
- State law and agency changes
- The Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission is renamed the “Board of Nursing” in statute and given rulemaking authority to implement Compact obligations.
- The Act imposes certain reporting requirements on entities that employ multistate licensees (summary-level mention in the enacted text; see statute for specifics).
- Limitations
- The Commission cannot change state-specific single-state licensing requirements, a state’s scope-of-practice laws, labor laws, methods/grounds for discipline, or employer statutory obligations.
Who is affected
- Nurses: RNs and LPNs/LVNs who meet the Compact’s eligibility criteria (increased interstate mobility; one multistate license at a time).
- State nursing boards/Board of Nursing: new administrative obligations, participation in the coordinated data system, member role in the Commission.
- Employers (hospitals, long‑term care, telehealth providers): hiring and compliance responsibilities when employing multistate licensees; required to report as specified in statute.
- Patients and public: intended benefit of improved oversight, faster deployment of nursing resources across states, and unified disciplinary information.
Implementation and timeline
- Washington’s enactment effective July 23, 2023. The Compact becomes operative for Washington in accordance with the Compact’s terms (and as coordinated with other party states).
- Parties must connect to and contribute to the coordinated licensure information system; the Commission will adopt rules and assessments to fund operations.
Practical impact and considerations
- Intended to reduce duplicative licensure, facilitate telehealth and nurse mobility, and strengthen interstate information exchange on disciplinary matters.
- Requires systems and procedural changes at the Board of Nursing and IT/data-sharing connections to the Compact’s information system.
- Raises operational questions for employers and regulators about reporting obligations, jurisdiction for discipline, and protections for privacy and due process; statute includes procedural safeguards for rulemaking, public meetings, and dispute resolution.
For the full statutory language and implementing rules, consult the enacted chapter (Ch. 123, Laws of 2023) and subsequent Board of Nursing and Commission rules.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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