New Mexico Supreme Court drops immigration barriers to practicing law

Beginning in October, adults who are not U.S. citizens will be permitted to practice law in New Mexico under a rule change approved by the state’s Supreme Court on Aug. 19. Once the change comes into effect, citizenship or immigration status will no longer be a basis for denying an attorney’s license to an adult who holds a law degree and meets other qualifications for admittance to the New Mexico Bar Association. Under the present rule, a licensed attorney must be a citizen or national, a legal permanent resident or otherwise authorized to work in the U.S. Other requirements for admission to the Bar remain in place. Read more in Las Cruces Sun News.

Provincial funding aims to speed up licensing for internationally educated nurses in Nova Scotia

The provincial government has provided funding to the Nova Scotia College of Nursing aimed at streamlining and expediting the licensing of internationally educated nurses. The one-time funding amount of $340,000, provided in June, is allowing the college to hire more staff to support its review of the registration and licensing process for nurses who gained their credentials abroad. According to Health Minister Michelle Thompson, the funding announcement builds on the government’s other initiatives to secure and retain enough nurses needed to meet increasing demand. The college has already implemented several changes to its licensing process, including adding more options to meet the English language proficiency requirement, giving earlier access to the national registration exam, allowing earlier entry and return to practice, and reducing the documentation required. The number of internationally educated nurses has grown this year, with more than 210 nurses obtaining their license so far in 2022 and 185 applicants currently in the registration and licensing process. Read more from CBC.

Ethics board says South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem may have ‘engaged in misconduct’

A South Dakota ethics board said it found sufficient information that Gov. Kristi Noem may have “engaged in misconduct” after reviewing a complaint alleging she intervened in her daughter’s application for a real estate appraiser license. The allegations stem from a 2020 meeting Noem called with the labor secretary and then-director of the appraiser certification program, where a plan was discussed to give the governor’s daughter another chance to show she could meet federal standards in her appraiser work. Noem, who faces re-election this year, claims she followed the law in handling her daughter’s licensure and that she received no special treatment. However, the three retired judges on the Government Accountability Board determined that “appropriate action” could be taken against her, though they didn’t specify the action and left it unclear how they would proceed. The board also referred a separate complaint surrounding Noem’s use of state-owned airplanes to the state attorney general’s office for further investigation. Read more from The Hill.

British Columbia opens consultation on proposed restricted insurance agent licensing regime

British Columbia’s Ministry of Finance is seeking feedback from the insurance industry and interested parties regarding its proposed restricted insurance agent licensing regime until October 3. A restricted insurance agent license authorizes a corporate licensee, such as sole proprietors, corporations, and partnerships, to sell insurance through its employees and agents based in the province. According to the ministry, restricted insurance agent licenses will facilitate easier public access to insurance products while ensuring appropriate oversight of their sale. The new regime will require the government to introduce regulations prescribing which businesses are eligible to hold a restricted agent license and what types of insurance are authorized to be sold. Once regulations are in place, the Insurance Council of BC will begin accepting applications for restricted licenses. Read more from Canadian Lawyer.

Hackers demand $10M to end cyberattack on Paris regional hospital

The CHSF Hospital Centre in Corbeil-Essonnes, southeast of Paris, is the victim of an ongoing cyberattack that has caused disruption to emergency services and surgeries. Hackers have reportedly issued a demand of $10 million dollars for the ransomware attack to be stopped, as the Paris prosecutor’s office and Centre for Combating Digital Crime (C3N) division continue to investigate. The hospital says the attack has rendered inaccessible “all the hospital’s business software, storage systems – particularly medical imaging – and the information system relating to patient admissions,” causing people who require treatment to be redirected to other hospitals. This incident is the latest in a string of cyberattacks against hospitals in France. Last April, the computer systems of nine hospitals in the Grand Est region were compromised by hackers and in March, a hospital in Ajaccio was also the victim of a ransomware attack. Read more at RFI.

Other news:

• Virginia’s Warren County School Board voted unanimously to allow Warren County Public Schools (WCPS) to partner with James Madison University and Laurel Ridge Community College to create a pathway for its paraprofessional employees to become licensed teachers in the areas of early childhood education, elementary education, or special education.
• The Department of Community Development (DCD) in Abu Dhabi has formed strategic partnerships with specialized academic institutions to assess and enhance the quality of social care professional licensing procedures in the emirate.
• Lisa Daubenhauser of Seymour, Connecticut was arrested and charged with fourth-degree sexual assault and practicing massage therapy without a license after an alleged victim told police that she was inappropriately touched while receiving a massage.

Also noteworthy:

• ‘I thought I might die at home’: Canada’s health-care system is crumbling, experts say (CTV News)
• The casualties of California legalizing pot: Growers who went legal (Washington Post)
• ‘The enforcement is almost non-existent’: Without state funds, Minnesota THC market hard to monitor (StarTribune)
• How local governments plan to spend infrastructure funds (Governing)
• 13 Common types of cyber attacks and how to prevent them (TechTarget)
• Regulatory investigation red flags that signal significant risk for companies (Reuters)

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