AB305: Bill Text

AB305,15,7 (a) The licensing board of a remote state shall promptly report to the administrator of the coordinated licensure information system any remote state actions including the factual and legal basis for such action, if known. The licensing board of a remote state shall also promptly report any significant current investigative information yet to result in a remote state action. The administrator of the coordinated licensure information system shall promptly notify the home state of any such reports.

AB305,15,14 (b) The licensing board of a party state shall have the authority to complete any pending investigations for a nurse who changes his or her primary state of residence during the course of such investigations. It shall also have the authority to take appropriate actions, and shall promptly report the conclusions of such investigations to the administrator of the coordinated licensure information system. The administrator of the coordinated licensure information system shall promptly notify the new home state of any such actions.

AB305,15,17 (c) A remote state may take adverse action affecting the multistate licensure privilege to practice within that party state. However, only the home state shall have the power to impose adverse action against the license issued by the home state.

AB305,15,21 (d) For purposes of imposing adverse action, the licensing board of the home state shall give the same priority and effect to reported conduct received from a remote state as it would if such conduct had occurred within the home state. In so doing, it shall apply its own state laws to determine appropriate action.

AB305,15,24 (e) The home state may take adverse action based on the factual findings of the remote state, so long as each state follows its own procedures for imposing such adverse action.

AB305,16,6 (f) Nothing in this compact shall override a party state's decision that participation in an alternative program may be used in lieu of licensure action and that such participation shall remain nonpublic if required by the party state's laws. Party states must require nurses who enter any alternative programs to agree not to practice in any other party state during the term of the alternative program without prior authorization from such other party state.

AB305,16,9 (6) Article VI - Additional Authorities Invested in Party State Nurse Licensing Boards. Notwithstanding any other powers, party state nurse licensing boards shall have the authority to do any of the following:

AB305,16,12 (a) If otherwise permitted by state law, recover from the affected nurse the costs of investigations and disposition of cases resulting from any adverse action taken against that nurse.

AB305,16,21 (b) Issue subpoenas for both hearings and investigations that require the attendance and testimony of witnesses, and the production of evidence. Subpoenas issued by a nurse licensing board in a party state for the attendance and testimony of witnesses, or the production of evidence from another party state, or both, shall be enforced in the latter state by any court of competent jurisdiction, according to the practice and procedure of that court applicable to subpoenas issued in proceedings pending before it. The issuing authority shall pay any witness fees, travel expenses, mileage and other fees required by the service statutes of the state where the witnesses or evidence, or both, are located.

AB305,16,23 (c) Issue cease and desist orders to limit or revoke a nurse's authority to practice in their state.

AB305,16,24 (d) Promulgate uniform rules and regulations as provided for in sub. (8) (c).

AB305,16,25 (7) Article VII - Coordinated Licensure Information System.

AB305,17,5 (a) All party states shall participate in a cooperative effort to create a coordinated data base of all licensed registered nurses and licensed practical/vocational nurses. This system will include information on the licensure and disciplinary history of each nurse, as contributed by party states, to assist in the coordination of nurse licensure and enforcement efforts.

AB305,17,10 (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, all party states' licensing boards shall promptly report adverse actions, actions against multistate licensure privileges, any current significant investigative information yet to result in adverse action, denials of applications, and the reasons for such denials, to the coordinated licensure information system.

AB305,17,12 (c) Current significant investigative information shall be transmitted through the coordinated licensure information system only to party state licensing boards.

AB305,17,17 (d) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, all party states' licensing boards contributing information to the coordinated licensure information system may designate information that may not be shared with nonparty states or disclosed to other entities or individuals without the express permission of the contributing state.

AB305,17,21 (e) Any personally identifiable information obtained by a party states' licensing board from the coordinated licensure information system may not be shared with nonparty states or disclosed to other entities or individuals except to the extent permitted by the laws of the party state contributing the information.

AB305,17,25 (f) Any information contributed to the coordinated licensure information system that is subsequently required to be expunged by the laws of the party state contributing that information, shall also be expunged from the coordinated licensure information system.

AB305,18,4 (e) The compact administrators, acting jointly with each other and in consultation with the administrator of the coordinated licensure information system, shall formulate necessary and proper procedures for the identification, collection and exchange of information under this compact.

AB305,18,5 (8) Article VIII - Compact Administration and Interchange of Information.

AB305,18,7 (a) The secretary of the department, or his or her designee, shall be the administrator of this compact for this state.

AB305,18,12 (b) The compact administrator of each party state shall furnish to the compact administrator of each other party state any information and documents including, but not limited to, a uniform data set of investigations, identifying information, licensure data and disclosable alternative program participation information to facilitate the administration of this compact.

AB305,18,15 (c) Compact administrators shall have the authority to develop uniform rules to facilitate and coordinate implementation of this compact. These uniform rules shall be adopted by party states, under the authority invested under sub. (6) (d).

AB305,18,20 (9) Article IX - Immunity. No party state or the officers or employes or agents of a party state's nurse licensing board who acts in accordance with the provisions of this compact shall be liable on account of any act or omission in good faith while engaged in the performance of their duties under this compact. Good faith in this article shall not include wilful misconduct, gross negligence or recklessness.

AB305,18,21 (10) Article X - Entry into Force, Withdrawal and Amendment.

AB305,19,2 (a) This compact shall enter into force and become effective as to any state when it has been enacted into the laws of that state. Any party state may withdraw from this compact by enacting a statute repealing the same, but no such withdrawal shall take effect until 6 months after the withdrawing state has given notice of the withdrawal to the executive heads of all other party states.

AB305,19,5 (b) No withdrawal shall affect the validity or applicability by the licensing boards of states remaining party to the compact of any report of adverse action occurring prior to the withdrawal.

AB305,19,9 (c) Nothing contained in this compact shall be construed to invalidate or prevent any nurse licensure agreement or other cooperative arrangement between a party state and a nonparty state that is made in accordance with the other provisions of this compact.

AB305,19,12 (d) This compact may be amended by the party states. No amendment to this compact shall become effective and binding upon the party states unless and until it is enacted into the laws of all party states.

AB305,19,13 (11) Article XI - Construction and Severability.

AB305,19,23 (a) This compact shall be liberally construed so as to effectuate the purposes thereof. The provisions of this compact shall be severable and if any phrase, clause, sentence or provision of this compact is declared to be contrary to the constitution of any party state or of the United States or the applicability thereof to any government, agency, person or circumstance is held invalid, the validity of the remainder of this compact and the applicability thereof to any government, agency, person or circumstance shall not be affected thereby. If this compact shall be held contrary to the constitution of any state party thereto, the compact shall remain in full force and effect as to the remaining party states and in full force and effect as to the party state affected as to all severable matters.

AB305,20,5 (b) In the event party states find a need for settling disputes arising under this compact, the party states may submit the issues in dispute to an arbitration panel that will be comprised of an individual appointed by the compact administrator in the home state, an individual appointed by the compact administrator in the remote state or states involved and an individual mutually agreed upon by the compact administrators of all the party states involved in the dispute. The decision of a majority of the arbitrators shall be final and binding.

AB305, s. 18 Section 18. Effective dates. This act takes effect on the day after publication, except as follows:

AB305,20,9 (1) The repeal and recreation of section 441.11 (3) and (4) of the statutes takes effect on April 1, 2000, or the day after publication, whichever is later.

AB305,20,10 (End)