Nurse Licensure Compact
The Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) is an agreement that allows mutual recognition (reciprocity) of a nursing license between member U.S. states ("compact states"). Enacted into law by the participating states, the NLC allows a nurse who is a legal resident of and possesses a nursing license in a compact state (their "home state") to practice in any of the other compact states (the "remote states") without obtaining additional licensure in the remote states. It applies to both registered and practical nurses and is also referred to as a multi-state license.{{cite web
|url= http://www.ncsbn.org/nlc.htm
|title= Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC)
|publisher= National Council of State Boards of Nursing
|date= 2009-11-30
|access-date= 2009-11-30}}
Per the NLC rules, nurses who are licensed in and legal residents of a compact state may not hold licenses from other compact states{{spaced ndash}}that is, they can only hold one compact state license at a time, which must be from their home state, and a nurse temporarily practicing in a remote state retains their license in their home state. However, if a nurse changes their primary state of residence from one compact state to another compact state, they must transfer their license by applying for licensure by endorsement in the new home state; upon issuance of the new home state license, the license from the former home state is inactivated.
A license obtained in a compact state that is not one's state of legal residency is not recognized by the other compact members, so nurses who are legal residents of non-compact states must obtain licenses for each compact state in which they wish to practice.{{cite web |title=NLC FAQs |url=https://www.ncsbn.org/nlc-faqs.htm |publisher=National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. |access-date=22 September 2020}}{{cite web |title=Moving Scenarios Factsheet |url=https://www.ncsbn.org/2018_Moving_Scenarios_Factsheet.pdf |publisher=National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. |access-date=22 September 2020}}
Participating states
File:Nurse Licensure Compact Member Status Map5-18-24.svg
As of July, 2025, the 41 NLC states are:
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Connecticut (tentative implementation date: 10/01/25)
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts (implementation pending)
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania- as of July 7, 2025
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- The territory of the US Virgin Islands has passed NLC legislation and entered the compact, but is awaiting an implementation date
- Guam has a partial implementation, which allows nurses who hold active, multi-state NLC licenses to practice in Guam. Nurses who claim Guam as their primary place of residency, however, cannot apply for a multi-state license until the [https://www.aspen.edu/altitude/compact-nursing-states/ NLC] is fully implemented.
Non-participating states
Eight other states and the District Of Columbia all have active NLC bills. They are: Alaska, Hawaii, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, and Oregon.
In New York, Republican Asm. Robert Castelli first proposed joining the compact in 2010.{{cite web |last=McGhee |first=Moira K. |date=26 February 2025 |title=What Are the Nurse Licensure Compact States? (Updated February 2025) |url=https://www.vivian.com/community/career-resources/nurse-compact-states/ |website= |publisher=Vivian Health |access-date=13 May 2025}}{{cite web |author= |date=20 April 2010 |title=New York Assembly Bill A10762 |url=https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?Actions=Y&Committee%26nbspVotes=Y&Floor%26nbspVotes=Y&Summary=Y&Text=Y&bn=A10762&default_fld=&term=2009 |website=New York State Assembly |publisher=New York State Legislature |access-date=13 May 2025}} Other Republicans like minority leader Sen. Rob Ortt have consistently and repeatedly introduced bills, and the Democratic-led committees have consistently withheld them without a vote.{{cite web |last=Dollinger |first=Marilyn L. |date=2 December 2022 |title=Nurse Licensure Compact Information |url=https://www.anany.org/news/nurse-licensure-compact-information/ |website= |publisher=American Nurses Association of New York |access-date=13 May 2025}}{{cite web |author= |date= |title=Higher Education Committee, New York State Assembly |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Higher_Education_Committee,_New_York_State_Assembly |website=Ballotpedia |publisher=Lucy Burns Institute |access-date=13 May 2025}} Opposition from unions like the New York State Nurses Association and National Nurses United argue that joining the compact would lower state licensing standards, undermine union protections, and fail to address the root causes of the nurse staffing crisis such as wages, working conditions, and enforcement of staffing laws.{{cite web |last=Kane |first=Pat |date=Fall 2023 |title=Lowering Nurse Licensing Standards Won’t Solve the Nurse Staffing Crisis — But Could Harm Patient Care |url=https://www.nysna.org/news/ny-nurse-fall-2023/lowering-nurse-licensing-standards |website=NY Nurse |publisher=New York State Nurses Association |access-date=13 May 2025}} Commissioner of Health James McDonald testified in support of joining the compact in 2023.{{cite web |date=28 February 2023 |title=Joint Legislative Hearing In the Matter of the 2023-2024 Executive Budget on Health |url=https://www.nysenate.gov/transcripts/269 |website= |publisher=New York State Senate |access-date=4 May 2025 |quote=I do think interstate licensure compacts will help every hospital in the state, including safety-nets, quite frankly. … I think it's long since time for New York to do this.}} Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul's fiscal year 2025 and 2026 budget proposals to join the compact were rejected by the Legislature.{{cite web |date=16 January 2024 |title=FY 2025 Executive Budget Agency Appropriations: Health, Department of |url=https://www.budget.ny.gov/pubs/archive/fy25/ex/agencies/appropdata/HealthDepartmentof.html |publisher=New York State Division of the Budget |access-date=14 June 2025}}{{cite web |title=FY 2026 New York State Executive Budget Briefing Book |url=https://www.budget.ny.gov/pubs/archive/fy26/ex/book/briefingbook.pdf |publisher=New York State Division of the Budget |date=21 January 2025 |access-date=14 June 2025 |format=PDF}}{{cite web |author= |date=8 May 2025 |title=State Budget Update 5/7/25 – NYSAFP |url=https://www.nysafp.org/2025/05/08/state-budget-update-5-7-25-nysafp/ |publisher=New York State Association of Family Physicians |access-date=14 June 2025}}
References
{{reflist}}
NLC history and basic information, bill progress, position statements
- [https://www.brookings.edu/2023/02/08/nurse-licensure-compacts-before-during-and-after-covid/ Compact History]
- [https://www.aspen.edu/altitude/compact-nursing-states/ Compact Nursing States: 2023 Updated Guide for RNs]
- [https://www.ncsbn.org/video/explanation-of-the-nurse-licensure-compact-for-nurses Explanation Of The NLC For Nurses]
- [https://dailynurse.com/the-nurse-licensure-compact-accessibility-ease-and-portability/ More Explanation Of The NLC]
- [https://www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/Portals/5/pub/NLC_Facts_Jan2024.pdf For Alaska Nurses]
- [https://www.senatedems.ct.gov/public-health-leaders-welcome-final-passage-of-nurse-licensure-compacth For Connecticut Nurses]
- [https://www.civilbeat.org/2023/02/hawaii-is-short-medical-workers-are-interstate-compacts-the-solution For Hawaii Nurses]
- For Illinois Nurses: https://www.ana-illinois.org/news/jackie-morris-championing-nursing-advocacy-and-the-fight-for-the-nurse-licensure-compact-in-illinois/
- [https://www.mass.gov/doc/implementation-of-the-nurse-licensure-compact-pdf/download For Massachusetts Nurses]
- [https://ana-michigan.org/Nursing-Compact-Legislation For Michigan Nurses]
- For Minnesota Nurses: https://mn.gov/boards/nursing/licensure/nurse-license-compact/
- [https://nevadanursingboard.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/NSBN-NLC-RESOURCE.pdf For Nevada Nurses]
- For New York Nurses:
https://youtu.be/gmnxHZ5BEOU - [https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2023R1/Downloads/PublicTestimonyDocument/52829 For Oregon Nurses]
- For Pennsylvania Nurses: https://www.ncsbn.org/news/pennsylvania-to-fully-implement-nlc-july-7-2025
{{nursing}}