Breaking News on Important Legislative Issue: National Nurse Licensure Compact

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In: Activism, Politics

Last Friday you received an email notifying you about the hearing on the National Nurse Licensure Compact (SF230, also known as the Interstate Nurse Licensure Compact) scheduled for today in the Minnesota Senate. We have gotten more specific information on the timing of the hearing: the Compact will be last on the agenda for the hearing, and we have been told by Health and Human Services Committee staff to expect the compact to come up sometime between 5:00 and 6:30 pm tonight. Schedules at the Legislature are very fluid and things may change, so we can’t give you an exact start time, but we believe that if you arrive by 6:00 pm you will be there in time to hear the discussion. MNA President Linda Hamilton will testify in opposition to National Nurse Licensure.

What: National Nurse Licensure Compact Hearing, Senate Health and Human Services Committee

Where: Room 15, Minnesota Capitol (ground floor, directly below Rotunda)

When: Between approximately 5:00 and 6:30 pm

Why: The Compact is supported by the Long-term Care Industry and other Health Care Corporations.  MNA STRONGLY OPPOSES this controversial legislation because of the risks it poses to patient safety, our nursing practice, and to our union.

Many of you have asked about parking at the Capitol. The closest public parking will be at meters on John Ireland Blvd (in front of the Department of Transportation Building), Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd (between the Judicial Center and the Centennial Building) and Cedar Street (in front of the Centennial Building). Parking meters take quarters only (one quarter = 12 minutes) but meters aren’t enforced after 4:30 pm. Click here for information about visiting the Capitol.

Why does MNA oppose National Nurse Licensure? 

Threats to Nursing Practice
The compact is a radical change in how we regulate nurse licensure in our state today. It would allow nurses to practice within our state without a MN license.  This bill could result in a “race to the bottom” as nurses without the same licensure standards or requirements would be allowed to work side- by- side with MN nurses. We believe the regulation of Nurse Practice is a States’ Right Issue and this bill would give the NCNBS (National Council of State Boards of Nursing) control over Minnesota’s nursing practice without public accountability.

Threats to Patient Safety
No evidence exists that entering into an Interstate Compact improves patient safety. In fact, a recent investigation of 5 compact states by Propublica, an investigative journal, found four dozen examples of nurses who continued to work even though another compact state had barred them. Their licenses were suspended for a number of issues including ignoring patients’ needs, stealing medications, and missing crucial tests or changes in a patient’s condition. The Compact may actually multiply the risk to patients because the Compact impedes the state’s ability to ensure non-resident nurses fulfill the same qualifications for practice that are expected of resident nurses.

Threats to Our Union
The Compact also poses a threat to our union. It allows multistate corporations to move nurses across state lines under the regulatory radar. We believe the compact would cause potential disruption by out-of-state nurses on our contract negotiations and union action and that employer intimidation and discipline of nurses advocating for their patients could increase under the compact. Without a state licensure system, the thousands of nurses who crossed our picket lines this summer would not pay a licensure fee nor could they be easily tracked by our BON.