South Carolina lawmakers consider occupational licensing changes regarding criminal convictions

South Carolina lawmakers are considering two bills (SB 165 and HB 3605) that would prohibit the state from denying occupational licenses based on previous criminal convictions.

In addition, HB 3605 would require the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation to send a letter to licensees about complaints against their license that lead to an investigation and inform licensees when matters have been reviewed and resolved. Licensing boards must also designate a hearing officer to attend informal conferences about license investigations when a licensee requests it.

The Senate Committee on Labor, Commerce and Industry passed SB 165, while the House Committee on Labor, Commerce and Industry advanced HB 3605. Both chambers will consider the measures. Read more from The Center Square.

Legislation to regulate and license midwives in Mississippi fails

Two bills (SB 2793 and HB 1081) that would create licensure and regulation — by a newly established board — for midwives in Mississippi died in committee on Jan. 31.

Mississippi is one of 14 states that does not regulate or license direct-entry midwives, who practice without first becoming a nurse. Certified nurse midwives in the state are licensed as advanced practice registered nurses, but currently there are only 26 certified nurse midwives in Mississippi, and only a few are allowed to deliver babies.

Advocates say that regulating midwifery could help address Mississippi’s lack of maternity health care and protect mothers and babies from those practicing without proper training. Currently, more than half of Mississippi’s 82 counties are considered “maternity care deserts,” with no hospitals providing obstetric care and no OB-GYNs. Mississippi prevents free-standing, midwife-led clinics for low-risk births and prohibits certified nurse midwives from performing in-home births – both of which are popular in other states and in Europe.

SB 2793 and HB 1081 failed to make it out of the House and Senate public health committees by the Jan. 31 deadline. When asked about the status of HB 1081 in the final days of January, House Public Health Chairman Sam Mims said he was unaware of it. Read more about the effort to regulate midwives in Mississippi from Mississippi Today.

95% of physicians, medical learners support pan-Canadian licensure to improve access to care: CMA poll

A recent Canada-wide poll conducted by the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) found that physicians and medical learners across Canada overwhelmingly support the implementation of pan-Canadian licensure to reduce barriers to physician mobility and improve access to patient care.

In their survey responses, 95% of respondents indicated that they are very supportive (87%) or somewhat supportive (8%) of pan-Canadian licensure. Seventy-five percent felt that it would improve access to health care in rural, remote and northern communities, and 71% said it would improve access to primary and specialty care.

A press release from the CMA defined pan-Canadian licensure as: “The ability for physicians with full licenses to practice independently without restrictions or for medical resident trainees registered in any Canadian jurisdiction to practice or train in any other Canadian jurisdiction without having to acquire more than one license or pay additional licensing fees.”

Noting that Canada continues to face urgent health care staffing shortages across provinces, CMA President Dr. Alika Lafontaine said physicians recognize that pan-Canadian licensure is “one tool to help address regional inequalities in care delivery while supporting cross-border virtual care and enabling physicians to support their colleagues across jurisdictions.”

Executive order aims to reduce wait times for professional licensing in Pennsylvania

On Feb. 1, Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order aimed at reducing long wait times for professional applicants seeking to enter their fields in Pennsylvania.

Under the order, state agencies will be held to firm timelines to review license applications or repay applicants for the costs of fees. Agencies will have 90 days to review all licenses, certificates, and permits and submit recommendations for timelines to the governor’s office. The governor’s office will develop processing times based on those recommendations and make them available to the public once finalized. If an agency misses its deadline, it must reimburse the applicant.

The measure aims to alleviate critical labor shortages in the state and help frontline workers like nurses and teachers get to work faster. “At a time when we need every qualified nurse and hospital worker on the job, we cannot have nurses kept off the job because of paperwork delays,” Shapiro said at a news conference.

Read more about the order here.

South Dakota aims to reduce barriers for addiction counseling licensure

South Dakota lawmakers are considering legislation that would remove barriers to addiction counseling licensure for people with felony convictions.

Currently, someone with a criminal conviction applying for an addiction counseling license must wait five years after their incarceration or must have complied with all parts of their probation. A new bill would allow them to have their application considered by the South Dakota Board of Addiction and Prevention Professionals, which can then grant the license if they determine the person does not pose a risk to public safety. Each licensing application would be considered on a case-by-case basis and the board would have authority to ask the applicant to take a physical or mental health exam.

The change stands to benefit both applicants and South Dakotans seeking addiction counseling. As Jennifer Stalley, who testified on behalf of the Board of Addiction and Prevention Professionals, pointed out, many people in the addictions field are going through recovery themselves and may have entered recovery by way of some criminal convictions. “We have a number of people who have first-hand experience in these areas,” she said. “That is an asset to the profession in many ways.”

The bill also extends the renewal period for licensing from every year to every two years and allows licensees to place their license on inactive status for up to four years. The Senate Health and Human Services committee approved the legislation on Jan. 30 and it will now head to the Senate for consideration. Read more in the Argus Leader.

More news:

• Two Massachusetts state legislators used the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT to help draft two proposals to regulate its usage. One bill would put a series of protections in place – such as requiring AI companies to register and disclose information about their algorithms with the attorney general’s office – and the other bill would regulate the use of AI technology in providing any mental health services.
• The University of Wisconsin Superior is now offering a unique online early childhood special education license program. Upon completion, graduates have the option to walk away with four different licenses.
• The number of Philippine-educated nurses that took the U.S. licensure exam for the first time in 2022 was the highest in 14 years, according to Quezon City Rep. Marvin Rillo, who serves as vice chairman of the Committee on Higher and Technical Education in the Philippines’ House of Representatives.
• The Florida A&M University School of Nursing reported dramatic improvement on its students’ NCLEX performance. The spring 2022 cohort had a pass rate of 81.82%, the strongest the program has seen in five years. The school was previously at risk of losing its accreditation in fall 2020 due to low passing grades, with an overall pass rate of 66.67% that year.

Also noteworthy:

• Ensuring governments are prepared for a multi-cloud future (Forbes)
• State and local CIOs: Here are your priorities for 2023 (Governing)

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.