HARRISBURG (TNS) — A bill that would update Pennsylvania’s background check process so that the commonwealth could finally implement interstate licensing for nurses is heading to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk.
The state Senate on Wednesday approved a House bill that would implement FBI background check standards into the licensing process for healthcare professionals, something that has been holding up the years-long process to get Pennsylvania healthcare workers’ licenses accepted in other states, and vice versa.
“This represents months of negotiation between the state and federal government,” Rep. Frank Burns, D-Cambria County, the bill’s prime sponsor, said in a news release after the Senate vote.
“As a result, it will make Pennsylvania’s interstate compacts operational, which help health systems to have more flexibility in hiring and for health practitioners from out-of-state to find jobs in Pennsylvania,” Burns continued.
The bill would require the Pennsylvania Department of State to submit applicants’ fingerprints for an FBI check, use those results in determining a license applicant’s eligibility, and develop procedures to comply with federal information handling standards.
This process is required by a number of inter-state license reciprocity systems, which Pennsylvania is in various stages of joining.
In September, for instance, nurses from other states in the 41-state Nurse Licensure Compact could begin practicing in Pennsylvania without getting a separate Pennsylvania nursing license — but not the other way around.
Asked about the issue during a budget hearing earlier this year, state department officials said FBI background check compliance was the primary holdup in getting Pennsylvania medical licenses recognized in other states.
Fully joining license compacts, lawmakers say, could help address Pennsylvania’s shortages of skilled healthcare professionals and the “brain drain” of students who get licensed out-of-state in order to be more mobile.
Nursing capacity is of particular concern. A study by The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania found that vacancy rates for direct-care registered nurses rose from 20.5% to 30.7% between 2019 and 2022.
A labor market study from economic consultant Mercer in 2021 projected that Pennsylvania will face the largest nursing gap out of the 50 states by 2026, with 20,345 fewer registered nurses than needed.
