Source: http://legis.delaware.gov/json/BillDetail/GenerateHtmlDocumentEngrossment?engrossmentId=2502&docTypeId=6
Timestamp: 2019-04-25 23:57:23
Document Index: 89275379

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 1901', '§ 1902', '§ 1903', '§ 1904', '§ 1904', '§ 1904', '§ 1905', '§ 1906', '§ 1907', '§ 1908', '§ 1909', '§ 1909', '§ 1910', '§ 1911', '§ 1912']

Sen. Walsh & Sen. Henry & Rep. Bolden
Sen. Ennis; Reps. Baumbach, Jaques, Keeley, Kowalko, B. Short, Viola, Wilson
AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 24 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO A MULTISTATE NURSE LICENSURE COMPACT.
Section 1. Amend Chapter 19A, Title 24 of the Delaware Code by deleting Chapter 19A in its entirety and by making deletions as shown by strike through and insertions as shown by underline as follows:
Chapter 19A. Nurse Multistate Licensure Compact.
§ 1901A. Nurse Multistate Licensure Compact.
The State hereby enters into the Nurse Multistate Licensure Compact (“Compact”) as set forth in this chapter. The text of the Compact is as set forth in this chapter.
§ 1902A. Findings and declaration of purpose.
(a) The party states find the following:
(3) The expanded mobility of nurses and the use of advanced communication technologies as part of o ur nation’s health care delivery system require greater coordination and cooperation among states in the areas of nurse licensure and regulation.
(5) The current system of duplicative licensure for nurses practicing in multiple states is cumbersome an d redundant for both nurses and states.
(b) The general purposes of this Compact are to do the following:
(1) Facilitate the states’ responsibility to protect the public’s health and safety.
(2) Ensure and encourage the cooperation of party states in the areas of nurse licensure and regulation .
(3) Facilitate the exchange of information between party states in the areas of nurse regulation, inv estigation, and adverse actions.
(5) Invest all party states with the authority to hold a nurse accountable for meeting all state practice la ws in the state in which the patient is located at the time care is rendered through the mutual recognition of party state licenses.
§ 1903A. Definitions.
(a) “Adverse action” means any administrative, civil, equitable, or criminal action permitted by a state’s la ws which is imposed by a licensing board or other authority against a nurse, including actions against an individual’s license or multistate licensure privilege such as revocation, suspension, probation, monitoring of the licensee, limitation on the licensee’s practice, or any other encumbrance on licensure affecting a nurse’s authorization to practice, including issuance of a cease and desist action.
(b) “Alternative program” means a non-disciplinary monitoring program approved by a licensing board.
(c) “Coordinated licensure information system” means an integrated process for collecting, storing, and sha ring information on nurse licensure and enforcement activities related to nurse licensure laws that is administered by a nonprofit organization composed of and controlled by licensing boards.
(d) “Current significant investigative information” means one of the following:
(e) “Encumbrance” means a revocation or suspension of, or any limitation on, the full and unrestricted practice of nursing imposed by a licensing board.
(f) “Home state” means the party state that is the nurse’s primary state of residence.
(g) “Licensing board” means a party state’s regulatory body responsible for issuing nurse licenses.
(h) “Multistate license” means a license to practice as a registered or a licensed practical/vocational nurse (LPN/VN) issued by a home state licensing board that authorizes the licensed nurse to practice in all party states under a multistate licensure privilege.
(i) “Multistate licensure privilege” means a legal authorization associated with a multistate license per mitting the practice of nursing as either a registered nurse (RN) or LPN/VN in a remote state.
(j) “Nurse” means RN or LPN/VN, as those terms are defined by each party state’s practice laws.
(k) “Party state” means any state that has adopted this Compact.
(l) “Remote state” means a party state, other than the home state.
(m) “Single-state license” means a nurse license issued by a party state that authorizes practice only within the issuing state and does not include a multistate licensure privilege to practice in any other party state.
(n) “State” means a state, territory, or possession of the United States and the District of Columbia.
(o) “State practice laws” means a party state’s laws, rules, and regulations that govern the practice of nu rsing, define the scope of nursing practice, and create the methods and grounds for imposing discipline. “State practice laws” do not include requirements necessary to obtain and retain a license, except for qualifications or requirements of the home state.
§ 1904A. General provisions and jurisdiction.
(a) A multistate license to practice registered or licensed practical/vocational nursing issued by a home sta te to a resident in that state will be recognized by each party state as authorizing a nurse to practice as a registered nurse (RN) or as a licensed practical/vocational nurse (LPN/VN), under a mul tistate licensure privilege, in each party state.
(b) A state must implement procedures for considering the criminal history records of applicants for initial mult istate license or licensure by endorsement. Such procedures shall include the submission of fingerprints or other biometric-based information by applicants for the purpose of obtaining an applicant’s criminal history record information from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the agency responsible for retaining that state’s criminal records.
(1) Meets the home state’s qualifications for licensure or renewal of licensure, as well as, all other applicable state laws.
(2) Has (a) graduated or is eligible to graduate from a licensing board-approved RN or LPN/VN prelicensure education program; or (b) graduated from a foreign RN or LPN/VN prelicensure education program that (a) has been approved by the authorized accrediting body in the applicable country and (b) has been verified by an independent credentials review agency to be comparable to a licensing board-approved prelicensure education program.
(3) Has, if a graduate of a foreign prelicensure education program not taught in English or if English is not the individual’s native language, successfully passed an English proficiency examination that includes the components of reading, speaking, writing, and listening.
(4) Has successfully passed an NCLEX Examination or recognized predecessor, as applicable.
(6) Has submitted, in connection with an application for initial licensure or licensure by endorsement, fingerprints or other biometric data for the purpose of obtaining criminal history record information from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the agency responsible for retaining that state’s criminal records.
(10) Is subject to self-disclosure requirements regarding current participation in an alternative prog ram.
(d) All party states shall be authorized, in accordance with existing state due process law, to take adv erse action against a nurse’s multistate licensure privilege such as revocation, suspension, probation, or any other action that affects a nurse’s authorization to practice under a multistate licensure privilege, including cease and desist actions. If a party state takes such action, it shall p romptly notify the administrator of the coordinated licensure information system. The administrator of the coordinated licensure information system shall promptly notify the home state of any such a ctions by remote states.
(e) A nurse practicing in a party state must comply with the state practice laws of the state in which the cli ent is located at the time service is provided. The practice of nursing is not limited to patient care, but shall include all nursing practice as defined by the state practice laws of the party state in which the client is located. The practice of nursing in a party state under a multistate licensure privilege sub jects a nurse to the jurisdiction of the licensing board, the courts, and the laws of the party state in which the client is located at the time service is provided.
(f) Individuals not residing in a party state shall continue to be able to apply for a party state’s single-sta te license as provided under the laws of each party state. However, the single-state license gra nted to these individuals will not be recognized as granting the privilege to practice nursing in any oth er party state. Nothing in this Compact shall affect the requirements established by a party state for the issuance of a single-state license.
(1) A nurse, who changes primary state of residence after this Compact’s effective date, must meet all applicable requirements under § 1904A(c) of this title to obtain a multistate license from a new home state.
(2) A nurse who fails to satisfy the multistate licensure requirements in § 1904A(c) of this title due to a disqu alifying event occurring after this Compact’s effective date shall be ineligible to retain or renew a multistate license, and the nurse’s multistate license shall be revoked or deactivated in accordance with applicable rules adopted by the Interstate Commission of Nurse Licensure Comp act Administrators (“Commission”).
§ 1905A. Applications for licensure in a party state.
(a) Upon application for a multistate license, the licensing board in the issuing party state shall ascertain, through the coordinated licensure information system, whether the applicant has ever held, or is the holder of, a license issued by any other state, whether there are any encumbrances on any license or multistate licensure privilege held by the applicant, whether any adverse action has been taken against any license or multistate licensure privilege held by the applicant, and whether the applicant is curre ntly participating i n an alternative program.
(c) If a nurse changes primary state of residence by moving between two party states, the nurse must app ly for licensure in the new home state, and the multistate license issued by the prior home state will be deactivated in accordance with applicable rules adopted by the Commission.
(2) A multistate license shall not be issued by the new home state until the nurse provides satis factory evidence of a change in primary state of residence to the new home state and satisfies all applicable requirements to obtain a multistate license from the new home state.
(d) If a nurse changes primary state of residence by moving from a party state to a non-party state, the multistate license issued by the prior home state will convert to a single-state license, valid only in the former home state.
§ 1906A. Additional authorities invested in party state licensing boards.
(1) Take adverse action against a nurse’s multistate licensure privilege to practice within that party sta te.
a. Only the home state shall have the power to take adverse action against a nurse’s license issu ed by the home state.
b. For purposes of taking adverse action, the home state licensing board shall give the same prio rity and effect to reported conduct received from a remote state as it would if such conduct had occurred within the home state. In so doing, the home state shall apply its own sta te laws to determine appropriate action.
(2) Issue cease and desist orders or impose an encumbrance on a nurse’s authority to practice wit hin that party state.
(3) Complete any pending investigations of a nurse who changes primary state of residence during the course of such investigations. The licensing board shall also have the authority to take ap propriate action and shall promptly report the conclusions of such investigations to the administrator of the coordinated licensure information system. The administrator of the coordinated licensure information system shall promptly notify the new home state of any such act ions.
(4) Issue subpoenas for both hearings and investigations that require the attendance and testimony of witnesses, as well as, the production of evidence. Subpoenas issued by a licensing board in a party state for the attendance and testimony of witnesses or the production of evidence from another party state shall be enforced in the latter state by any court of competent jurisdiction according to the practice and procedure of that court applicable to subpoenas issued in proceedings pending before it. The issuing authority shall pay any witness fees, travel expenses, mileage, and other fees required by the service statutes of the state in which the witnesses or evid ence are located.
(5) Obtain and submit, for each nurse licensure applicant, fingerprint or other biometric-based information to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for criminal background checks, receive the results of the Federal Bureau of Investigation record search on criminal background checks, and us e the results in making licensure decisions.
(b) If adverse action is taken by the home state against a nurse’s multistate license, the nurse’s multistate licensure privilege to practice in all other party states shall be deactivated until all encumbrances have been removed from the multistate license. All home state disciplinary orders th at impose adverse action against a nurse’s multistate license shall include a statement that the nurse’s multistate licensure privilege is deactivated in all party states during the pendency of the order.
(c) Nothing in this Compact shall override a party state’s decision that participation in an alternative pro gram may be used in lieu of adverse action. The home state licensing board shall deactivate the multistate licensure privilege under the multistate license of any nurse for the duration of the nurse’s par ticipation in an alternative program.
§ 1907A. Coordinated l icensure information system and exchange of information.
(c) All licensing boards shall promptly report to the coordinated licensure information system any adverse action; any current significant investigative information; denials of applications, with the reasons for such denials; and nurse participation in alternative programs known to the licensing board regardless of whether such participation is deemed nonpublic or confidential under state law.
(e) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, all party state licensing boards contributing information to the coordinated licensure information system may designate information that may not be shared with non-party states or disclosed to other entities or individuals without the express permission of the contributing state.
(f) Any personally identifiable information obtained from the coordinated licensure information system by a party state licensing board shall not be shared with non-party states or disclosed to other entities or individuals except to the extent permitted by the laws of the party state contributing the information.
(h) The Compact administrator of each party state shall furnish a uniform data set to the Compact administrator of each other party state, which shall include, at a minimum all of the following:
§ 1908A. Establishment of the Interstate Commission of Nurse Licensure Compact Administrators.
(a) The party states hereby create and establish a joint public entity known as the Interstate Commission of Nurse Licensure Compact Administrators (“Commission”).
(2) Each administrator shall be entitled to 1 vote with regard to the promulgation of rules and creation of bylaws and shall otherwise have an opportunity to participate in the business and affairs of the Commission. An administrator shall vote in person or by such other means as provided in the bylaws. The bylaws may provide for an administrator’s participation in meetings by telephone or other means of communication.
(4) All meetings shall be open to the public and public notice of meetings shall be given in the same manner as required under the rulemaking provisions in § 1909A of this title.
b. The employment, compensation, discipline, or other personnel matters, practices, or procedures related to specific employees or other matters related to the Commission’s internal personnel practices and procedures.
(c) The Commission shall, by a majority vote of the administrators, prescribe bylaws or rules to govern its conduct as may be necessary or appropriate to carry out the purposes and exercise the powers of this Compact, including all of the following:
(2) Providing reasonable standards and procedures for the following:
(3) Providing reasonable procedures for calling and conducting meetings of the Commission, ensuring reasonable advance notice of all meetings, and providing an opportunity for attendance of such meetings by interested parties, with enumerated exceptions designed to protect the public’s interest, the privacy of individuals, and proprietary information, including trade secrets. The Commission may meet in closed session only after a majority of the administrators vote to close a meeting in whole or in part. As soon as practicable, the Commission must make public a copy of the vote to close the meeting revealing the vote of each administrator, with no proxy votes allowed.
(1) To promulgate uniform rules to facilitate and coordinate implementation and administration of this Compact. The rules shall have the force and effect of law and shall be binding in all party states.
(4) To borrow, accept, or contract for services of personnel, including employees of a party state or nonprofit organizations.
(5) To cooperate with other organizations that administer state compacts related to the regulation of nursing, including sharing administrative or staff expenses, office space, or other resources.
(6) To hire employees, elect or appoint officers, fix compensation, define duties, grant such individuals appropriate authority to carry out the purposes of this Compact, and to establish the Commission’s personnel policies and programs relating to conflicts of interest, qualifications of personnel, and other related personnel matters.
(7) To accept any and all appropriate donations, grants, and gifts of money, equipment, supplies, materials, and services and to receive, utilize, and dispose of the same; provided that at all times the Commission shall avoid any appearance of impropriety or conflict of interest.
(8) To lease, purchase, accept appropriate gifts, or donations of, or otherwise to own, hold, improve, or use any property, whether real, personal, or mixed; provided that at all times the Commission shall avoid any appearance of impropriety.
(i) Qualified Immunity, defense, and indemnification.
(2) The Commission shall defend any administrator, officer, executive director, employee, or representative of the Commission in any civil action seeking to impose liability arising out of any actual or alleged act, error, or omission that occurred within the scope of Commission employment, duties, or responsibilities, or that the person against whom the claim is made had a reasonable basis for believing occurred within the scope of Commission employment, duties, or responsibilities; provided that nothing herein shall be construed to prohibit that person from retaining his or her own counsel; and provided further that the actual or alleged act, error, or omission did not result from that person’s intentional, willful or wanton misconduct.
§ 1909A. Rulemaking.
(c) Prior to promulgation and adoption of a final rule or rules by the Commission, and at least 60 days in advance of the meeting at which the rule will be considered and voted upon, the Commission shall file a notice of proposed rulemaking as follows:
(1) On the website of the Commission.
(d) The notice of proposed rulemaking shall include the following:
(2) The text of the proposed rule or amendment, and the reason for the proposed rule.
(k) Upon determination that an emergency exists, the Commission may consider and adopt an emergency rule without prior notice, opportunity for comment, or hearing, provided that the usual rulemaking procedures provided in this Compact and in this section shall be retroactively applied to the rule as soon as reasonably possible, in no event later than 90 days after the effective date of the rule. For the purposes of this provision, an emergency rule is one that must be adopted immediately in order to do any of the following:
(l) The Commission may direct revisions to a previously adopted rule or amendment for purposes of correcting typographical errors, errors in format, errors in consistency, or grammatical errors. Public notice of any revisions shall be posted on the website of the Commission. The revision shall be subject to challenge by any person for a period of 30 days after posting. The revision may be challenged only on grounds that the revision results in a material change to a rule. A challenge shall be made in writing, and delivered to the Commission, prior to the end of the notice period. If no challenge is made, the revision will take effect without further action. If the revision is challenged, the revision may not take effect without the approval of the Commission.
§ 1910A. Oversight, dispute resolution, and enforcement.
(2) The Commission shall be entitled to receive service of process in any proceeding that may affect the powers, responsibilities, or actions of the Commission, and shall have standing to intervene in such a proceeding for all purposes. Failure to provide service of process in such proceeding to the Commission shall render a judgment or order void as to the Commission, this Compact, or promulgated rules.
(1) If the Commission determines that a party state has defaulted in the performance of its obligations or responsibilities under this Compact or the promulgated rules, the Commission shall do all of the following:
(2) If a state in default fails to cure the default, the defaulting state’s membership in this Compact may be terminated upon an affirmative vote of a majority of the administrators, and all rights, privileges, and benefits conferred by this Compact may be terminated on the effective date of termination. A cure of the default does not relieve the offending state of obligations or liabilities incurred during the period of default.
(1) Upon request by a party state, the Commission shall attempt to resolve disputes related to the Compact that arise among party states and between party and non-party states.
(3) The remedies in this section are not the exclusive remedies of the Commission. The Commission may pursue any other remedies available under federal or state law.
§ 1911A. Effective d ate, w ithdrawal, and amendment.
(a) This Compact shall become effective and binding on the earlier of the date of legislative enactment of this Compact into law by no less than 26 states or December 31, 2018. All party states to this Compact, that also were parties to the prior Nurse Licensure Compact, superseded by this Compact, (“Prior Compact”), are deemed to have withdrawn from said Prior Compact within 6 months after the effective date of this Compact.
(c) Any party state may withdraw from this Compact by enacting a statute repealing the same. A party state’s withdrawal shall not take effect until 6 months after enactment of the repealing statute.
(e) Nothing contained in this Compact shall be construed to invalidate or prevent any nurse licensure agreement or other cooperative arrangement between a party state and a non-party state that is made in accordance with the other provisions of this Compact.
(g) Representatives of non-party states to this Compact shall be invited to participate in the activities of the Commission, on a nonvoting basis, prior to the adoption of this Compact by all states.
§ 1912A. Construction and severability.
Section 2. This Act takes effect on December 31, 2018, or on the date on which 26 states have enacted the Compact into law, notice of which the Director of the Division of Professional Regulation must provide to the Registrar of Regulations.