State tech leaders outline cybersecurity workforce planning recommendations

A recent report from the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) and the National Governors Association (NGA) outlines the measures state governments can take to strengthen their cybersecurity workforces. The report depicts a public sector workforce in decline, pointing out that at the beginning of 2022, the job opening rate for state and local governments was at its highest point in over 20 years. 

Drawing on insight from advisers, public officials, and other experts, the report attempts to identify roadblocks in the nationwide effort to achieve a strong cybersecurity workforce in the public sector. According to NASCIO and NGA, these roadblocks include the unavailability of remote work options, the lack of internship opportunities for entry-level workers, and the length of hiring processes for new employees.  

Having spoken with experts in the field about possible solutions, the two organizations are proposing a set of recommendations for state governments to address this issue. These recommendations include digital transformation to allow for remote work arrangements, collaboration with cybersecurity stakeholders to develop talent more effectively, and a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the hiring process. Read more StateTech. 

Kansas recognizes credentials for health care workers traveling with athletes 

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly signed a new bill allowing health care professionals from out of state to provide care to athletes visiting the state for practices or competitions. Under Senate Bill 131, sports waivers issued by the State Board of Healing Arts will let physicians and other professionals maintain working relationships with their clients as they travel across state lines into Kansas.  

Prior to the passage of this legislation, Kansas was one of only four states (along with Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Hawaii) to not issue waivers for out-of-state sports medicine professionals. The new law also cuts down on licensing requirements for behavioral science professionals and allows pharmacy technicians to administer vaccinations. 

Professional associations including the American Medical Society of Sports Medicine and the Kansas Academy of Family Physicians expressed support for the bill, arguing that athletes deserve continuity of care as they travel across state lines. Proponents also say the new law will make Kansas a more attractive destination for sporting events in the future. Read more at The Topeka Capital-Journal. 

Georgia mandates doctors to clarify license types, educational degrees 

A new law in Georgia will require health care professionals to clarify their license type or educational degrees in all public-facing communications, including advertisements, name badges, and interactions with patients. It would also require professionals with doctoral degrees who are not medical doctors or physicians to clarify this to patients. Those who fail to do so could be subject to disciplinary action. 

Supporters of the law believe it empowers patients to be better informed on the professionals caring for them, while critics believe nurse practitioners, pharmacists, physical therapists, and other workers with doctoral preparation will be shortchanged by the new rules. April Kapu, DNP, president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, believes it may become more difficult for health professionals to share their full academic credentials. 

New Jersey passed similar legislation in 2020 which also places restrictions on how health care workers can refer to themselves and requires doctors to clarify their license types and degrees in advertisements. Bethany Sherrer, JD, MBA, of the Medical Association of Georgia (MAG), said the law is a win for Georgia patients and expressed support for clarifying how non-physicians use the term “doctor.” Read more at Medpage Today. 

Wisconsin lawmakers move to create reciprocal licensing standards for out-of-state professionals  

Legislators in Wisconsin are attempting to establish a “universal licensure recognition standard” for professionals attempting to practice with credentials from out of state. A new bill sponsored by GOP lawmakers would allow the state government to provide reciprocal credentials to professionals certified in their fields in other states. 

The bill, initially developed by the Legislative Council Study Committee on Occupational Licenses, seeks to expand a reciprocal licensing standard that already exists for military families. The committee wrote in a memo that the newly expanded standard would apply to professionals “credentialed in good standing” outside the state, even if they do not currently reside in Wisconsin. 

The Legislative Reference Bureau provided an additional analysis of the bill, pointing out that if enacted, the new legislation would replace other reciprocal licensing provisions currently active in the state. Applicants would be unable to receive a reciprocal license if their current credential is under any sort of restriction or if they are under investigation by a licensing board. Read more at WISBusiness.com. 

California debates regulating athletic trainers under new legislation 

California may soon become the final state in the nation to regulate athletic trainers, thanks to a new bill sponsored by Assemblymember Dr. Akilah Weber. Assembly Bill 796 would require athletic trainers to register with the state to practice in their field. It does not, however, include a requirement for trainers to be licensed. In the bill’s language, the term “athletic trainer” is broad enough in scope to cover those present at athletic events as well as those in more disconnected, administrative roles. 

The bill arrives at a time of increasing concern over occupational licensing requirements throughout the nation. Some critics of overly restrictive licensing rules argue that while regulations do protect consumers, they can also hinder employment opportunities for professionals. Weber’s legislation attempts to address this by including a “sunset” provision allowing for an assessment of the necessity of its new Athletic Trainer Registration Committee at an unspecified future date. 

Still, some opponents believe the bill is overly broad. Critics argue the legislation as it stands would allow any registered “athletic trainer” to work with patients who are not athletes in any traditional sense of the word. Some also argue it allows trainers to provide “medical services” that go beyond the scope of athletic training. The bill currently awaits passage by the Assembly Committee on Appropriations. Read more at Capitol Weekly. 

More news:

• Two U.S. Senators have reintroduced a bill intended to improve security regulations in the banking sector. The Bank Service Compact Examination Act, put forth by Senators Kevin Cramer and Elizabeth Warren, would establish clarity for state and federal regulators in their oversight of third-party Technology Service Providers (TSPs) and improve information sharing between these regulators. 
• Crypto companies looking to operate in Hong Kong should not expect a light-touch approach to regulation as the city sets up its licensing regime, according to Monetary Authority Chief Executive Eddie Yue. Though the city’s crypto rules have recently been loosened, Yue said the government would not be allowing an FTX-type event to occur as a result of excessive deregulation. 
• Psilocybin therapy for serious mental health conditions is close to becoming a reality in Oregon, as the Oregon Health Authority recently issued its first-ever license for the treatment to EPIC Healing Eugene. This is all thanks to a 2020 ballot measure, entitled the Oregon Psilocybin Services Act, which allows adults over the age of 21 to access psilocybin treatment at licensed facilities in the state. 
• South Carolina will no longer allow licensing boards to deny occupational licenses to applicants over prior criminal convictions, thanks to a recent measure signed by Governor Henry McMaster. H.3605 forbids this type of license denial unless the applicant’s convictions “directly relate to the duties, responsibilities, or fitness of the occupation or profession for which the applicant is seeking a license.”

Also noteworthy:

Interesting opinion, commentary, and analysis from the web:

• ‘The possibility of a cyberattack’ is keeping hospital CEOs up at night (Advisory Board) 
• Report finds regulators knew of Silicon Valley Bank problems but didn’t push bank to act (Mountain View Voice) 
• Regulators offer candid assessment of the root causes for SVB and signature failures (Lexology) 
• Is the world leaving America behind on crypto regulation? (Blockworks) 
• Number of bills moving in state legislatures on Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact (American Dental Association) 
• Emergency permits, state licensure programs help ACS mitigate special ed teacher shortage (The Herald Bulletin)

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.