Bill > HB2774

This bill authorizes the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to join four interstate occupational licensure compacts designed to improve public access to professional services and reduce the burden of obtaining multiple state licenses: the Audiology and Speech-Language Compact, the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact, the Physician Assistant Compact, and the Social Work Licensure Compact. Under these compacts, qualified professionals holding an active, unencumbered license in their home state can obtain a "compact privilege" or multistate authorization to practice in other participating member states, including via telehealth, without needing to acquire a separate full license in each state. The legislation outlines the framework for each compact, which includes establishing a joint administrative commission with rulemaking powers, maintaining a centralized data system to track licensee information and adverse disciplinary actions, mandating criminal background checks for applicants, and allowing remote states to enforce their own practice laws and take disciplinary actions against out-of-state providers who violate local standards. Additionally, the bill includes specific provisions to support military personnel and their spouses by allowing them to maintain their home state designation while on active duty, and it directs the respective Pennsylvania state licensing boards to implement temporary regulations and begin accepting compact privilege applications within designated timeframes following the law's enactment.