Update May 10, 2012: The House adjourned for the session in the wee hours of this morning, WITHOUT taking a final vote on the National Nurse Licensure Compact. That means it’s dead for this year. It will most likely come back next session, so stay tuned, but for now, be proud of all the calls, emails, letters and visits that nurses made to stop this dangerous bill!
This troubling story (published by Pro Publica and USA Today) provides yet another reminder why we need your help in opposing the National Nurse Licensure Compact bill moving through the state legislature. Please take a moment to read the story and then contact your legislator!
Issue Background:
The Compact is still moving on two different tracks. 1) A stand-alone bill is moving in both bodies, and passed a key committee in the House on Wednesday and passed the full Senate on Thursday. We anticipate it will be up for a full floor vote in the House very soon. 2) The Compact is also part of the Senate version of the Health and Human Services Omnibus Bill.
The Omnibus bill is currently in conference committee, where legislators are working out the differences between the two versions. As the conference committee wraps up its work, we are hopeful that the Compact will be removed from the HHS omnibus bill.
The most important thing you can do to stop the Compact from putting your patients and your profession at risk is to CALL THE GOVERNOR TODAY at 651-201-3400. The Governor is on record opposing this bill and has not to our knowledge changed his position. But we need to give him as much support as we can so he can do the right thing with confidence. If you haven’t done this already, it will just take a minute. Tell the person who answers (or the voicemail) your name, that you’re a registered nurse, and that you oppose the Nurse Licensure Compact, and thank the Governor for his position on the issue.