BC plans to streamline licensing for internationally trained nurses

British Columbia Premier David Eby announced new measures to streamline licensing for internationally trained nurses and support Canadian-trained nurses who want to get back into the workforce. The province plans to spend $1.3 million to streamline the licensing process, with an overall goal of reducing the registration waiting period from the current three years to between four and nine months. “We know the journey to securing a career health profession can be more challenging for those who are new to our country,” said Cynthia Johansen, CEO of the B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives. “We want to help applicants to gain registration in the right nursing role as quickly as possible … and without compromising public safety.”

For Canadian-trained nurses, the government will offer financial support of up to $4,000 to cover applications, assessments and eligible travel costs for current nurses to re-enter the system. There will also be up to $10,000 in bursaries for any additional education they might need to get back to work. Read more from CBC News.

French financial regulator supports faster mandatory licensing for crypto firms

France’s financial markets authority (AMF) wants to force crypto companies to seek a license if they aren’t already registered in the country, its chair Marie-Anne Barbat-Layani said last week. Barbat-Layani is supporting a 2022 proposal by the French Senate that would mandate crypto firms to be licensed by Oct. 1, 2023, in anticipation of the European Union’s new Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) regulation coming into effect in 2024.

While a number of prominent companies have registered with the AMF – a process that involves checks on companies’ governance and compliance with anti-money laundering rules – no provider has yet been issued a license.

France Deputy Central Bank Governor Denis Beau said it would be “desirable” to have mandatory licensing in the country ahead of the MiCA law going into effect. However, the Senate’s legal amendment to require all unregistered crypto companies operating in the country to seek a license was opposed by the French government. The National Assembly’s Finance Committee will discuss the measure on Jan. 17. Read more from CoinDesk.

New report calls for expanded pathways to licensure for internationally trained physicians in Ontario

World Education Services (WES) and Internationally Trained Physicians of Ontario (ITPO) are calling on the Province of Ontario to expand pathways to licensure for internationally trained physicians (ITPs) in a new policy paper. Their report specifically calls for the implementation of three measures: the implementation of a Practice Ready Assessment (PRA) program for ITPs; expanded access to medical residency training for ITPs; and the establishment of pathways for ITPs to practice as Clinical Assistants under a defined class of registration with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO).

According to WES/ITPO, adoption of these measures would have significant benefits, including: improved patient health and well-being; better use of health human resources; a reduction in the persistent underutilization of ITP medical skills; enhanced equity in health care delivery; and significant health cost savings.

The recommendations come as the province continues to grapple with urgent labor shortages in health care. A news release announcing the new policy paper noted that more than 1.3 million Ontarians do not have access to a family doctor, and this number could increase to more than 3 million by 2025. While thousands of physicians have immigrated to Canada in recent years, they continue to face barriers to professional registration and re-entry into their occupations.

NC moves forward with pilot of teacher licensure and pay reform proposal

North Carolina’s State Board of Education is moving forward with implementing a pilot of a new licensure and pay model for teachers. At a recent meeting, board attorney Allison Schafer took members through the many legislative actions that would be needed in order for a pilot to be implemented, which included authority to institute the pilot, giving the pilot schools waivers from current licensure requirements, new “rights or duties” for the board, and approval of funds to pay increased salaries to teachers in the pilot.

Under North Carolina’s current system, teachers are paid based on their years of experience. The new proposal would introduce different levels of licensure and corresponding pay, ranging from apprentice teachers to advanced leadership roles.

According to State Board Chair Eric Davis, the board is aiming for a fall launch of the pilot, which is expected to be a minimum of two years. If the General Assembly makes the statutory changes required to allow the pilot, the board will work with the Professional Educator Preparation and Standards Commission (PEPSC) to identify any changes needed to its rules and policies for implementation. Read more from EducationNC.

Washington House Speaker expresses support for removing state barriers to work

Occupational licensing reform in Washington state will continue to be on the legislative agenda in 2023, according to House Speaker Laurie Jinkins. Jinkins recently said that workforce development will be a top priority for the upcoming legislative session and made a specific mention of reducing the burden of occupational licenses in the state. “Frequently our licensing requirements over time grow into a place where they are actually protecting people from entrants, from competitors coming into an industry. We don’t want to do that,” she said in an interview with TVW host Mike McClanahan. She also noted that they need to focus on “competency, not about protecting people from entry and competitors into practice.”

In a recent report, the Institute for Justice found that Washington state requires government licenses to work in a larger number of job categories than any other state and ranked Washington’s total burden of occupational licensing 8th worst in the nation.

Lawmakers have made progress on reducing state barriers to work over the last two legislative sessions. Building on last year’s passage of legislation that eased restrictions on people with criminal records, the House is currently considering a bill (HB 1009) that would ease licensing barriers for military spouses who move to the state.

However, while the Washington Policy Center praised HB 1009 as “a nice step,” the think tank said that the legislation “doesn’t go far enough to link licensing to competence, as Speaker Jinkins mentioned” and should be strengthened. Read more on the Washington Policy Center blog.

More news:

• Connecticut’s first round of recreational cannabis sales for adults 21 and older kicked off last week at seven existing medical marijuana establishments across the state, less than two years after Gov. Ned Lamont signed legislation legalizing retail sales. By the end of the day, state regulators reported more than $250,000 in sales generated during the first seven hours.
• Applications for personal marijuana cultivation licenses in Missouri are now available on the Missouri Cannabis Regulation Division website. Under Amendment 3, which legalizes recreational, adult-use marijuana in the state, any Missouri resident over the age of 21 may apply for a $100 personal cultivation registration license, which is valid for one year.
• The Maryland Board of Pilots voted to establish a policy limiting the use of cellphones for ship pilots, after an investigation determined that the pilot of the 1,095-foot cargo carrier Ever Forward, which ran aground in Chesapeake Bay 10 months ago, spent about half of its two-hour voyage on phone calls. Under the new policy, licensed pilots traveling in Maryland are to communicate by cellphone “only for navigational, operational, maritime safety, national security, or other professional purposes.”
• Georgia lawmakers are working to reduce occupational licensing barriers for people with criminal records this legislative session. The bipartisan effort is being spearheaded by state Sen. Brian Strickland and Rep. Patty Bentley in collaboration with the Georgia Justice Project.

Also noteworthy:

• Telemedicine and remote medical monitoring — DOJ enforcement underscores state licensure and outsourcing diligence considerations (Sidley)
• 2022’s seismic shift in US tech policy will change how we innovate (MIT Technology Review)

Disclaimer: The thoughts, opinions, and commentary of the articles we share links to in Week in Brief do not necessarily reflect those of Ascend Magazine or Thentia.