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Nurse Licensure Compact

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) is an agreement that allows mutual recognition (reciprocity) of a nursing license between member U.S. states ("compact states"). Enacted into law by the participating states, the NLC allows a nurse who is a legal resident of and possesses a nursing license in a compact state (their "home state") to practice in any of the other compact states (the "remote states") without obtaining additional licensure in the remote states. It applies to both registered and practical nurses and is also referred to as a multi-state license.[1]

Per the NLC rules, nurses who are licensed in and legal residents of a compact state may not hold licenses from other compact states – that is, they can only hold one compact state license at a time, which must be from their home state, and a nurse temporarily practicing in a remote state retains their license in their home state. However, if a nurse changes their primary state of residence from one compact state to another compact state, they must transfer their license by applying for licensure by endorsement in the new home state; upon issuance of the new home state license, the license from the former home state is inactivated.

A license obtained in a compact state that is not one's state of legal residency is not recognized by the other compact members, so nurses who are legal residents of non-compact states must obtain licenses for each compact state in which they wish to practice.[2][3]

Participating states

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Map of Nurse Licensure Compact
  NLC Member

As of May, 2025, the 41 NLC states are:

  • Alabama
  • Arizona
  • Arkansas
  • Colorado
  • Connecticut (tentative implementation date: 10/01/25)
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Idaho
  • Indiana
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Louisiana
  • Maine
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts (implementation pending)
  • Mississippi
  • Missouri
  • Montana
  • Nebraska
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • New Mexico
  • North Carolina
  • North Dakota
  • Ohio
  • Oklahoma
  • Pennsylvania (partial implementation as of September 5, 2023-tentative full implementation date: 2025)
  • Rhode Island
  • South Carolina
  • South Dakota
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Utah
  • Vermont
  • Virginia
  • Washington
  • West Virginia
  • Wisconsin
  • Wyoming
  • The territory of the US Virgin Islands has passed NLC legislation and entered the compact, but is awaiting an implementation date
  • Guam has a partial implementation, which allows nurses who hold active, multi-state NLC licenses to practice in Guam. Nurses who claim Guam as their primary place of residency, however, cannot apply for a multi-state license until the NLC is fully implemented.

Eight other states and the District Of Columbia all have active NLC bills. They are: Alaska, Hawaii, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, and Oregon.

Non-participating states

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In New York, Republican Asm. Robert Castelli first proposed joining the compact in 2010.[4][5] Other Republicans like minority leader Sen. Rob Ortt have consistently and repeatedly introduced bills, and the Democratic-led committees have consistently withheld them without a vote.[6][7] Opposition from unions like the New York State Nurses Association and National Nurses United argue that joining the compact would lower state licensing standards, undermine union protections, and fail to address the root causes of the nurse staffing crisis such as wages, working conditions, and enforcement of staffing laws.[8]

References

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  1. ^ "Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC)". National Council of State Boards of Nursing. 2009-11-30. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  2. ^ "NLC FAQs". National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  3. ^ "Moving Scenarios Factsheet" (PDF). National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  4. ^ McGhee, Moira K. (26 February 2025). "What Are the Nurse Licensure Compact States? (Updated February 2025)". Vivian Health. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  5. ^ "New York Assembly Bill A10762". New York State Assembly. New York State Legislature. 20 April 2010. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  6. ^ Dollinger, Marilyn L. (2 December 2022). "Nurse Licensure Compact Information". American Nurses Association of New York. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  7. ^ "Higher Education Committee, New York State Assembly". Ballotpedia. Lucy Burns Institute. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  8. ^ Kane, Pat (Fall 2023). "Lowering Nurse Licensing Standards Won't Solve the Nurse Staffing Crisis — But Could Harm Patient Care". NY Nurse. New York State Nurses Association. Retrieved 13 May 2025.

NLC history and basic information, bill progress, position statements

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