HARRISBURG, Pa. (WTAJ) — In an effort to address healthcare worker shortages, Rep. Frank Burns created legislation that would allow interstate licensing compacts to become operational.
That bill, H.B. 2200, was sent to the Governor Shapiro on Wednesday, July 3. The legislation would require applicants in healthcare professions to submit fingerprints as part of their criminal history records check. It also lays out a process that Pennsylvania State Police and state licensing boards must follow in considering them.
This change in law facilitates Pennsylvania’s entry into interstate compacts, which allow a licensee to practice in other participating states with just one license. Previous efforts to implement the compacts were unsuccessful without this fingerprinting process in place.
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“Anyone who has waited hours or even days in an emergency room or had trouble finding a professional that is taking new patients will welcome this legislation,” Burns, chairman of the House Professional Licensure Committee said. “This represents months of negotiation between the state and federal government. 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.”