SB0677 Summary: Nurse Licensure Compact

• Illinois ratifies the Nurse Licensure Compact, allowing registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical/vocational nurses (LPNs/VNs) licensed in their home state to practice in other compact member states under a multistate license and licensure privilege.

• Establishes the Interstate Commission of Nurse Licensure Compact Administrators to oversee implementation, coordinate licensure information systems, and enforce compact rules through rulemaking authority.

• Requires participating states to conduct criminal background checks using fingerprints or biometric data for initial licensure applicants and set uniform licensure requirements including education, English proficiency, and NCLEX exam passage.

• Nurses practicing across state lines must comply with the state practice laws where the patient is located; home states retain sole authority to take adverse actions against nurses' licenses while remote states can restrict multistate privileges.

• Compact becomes effective upon legislative enactment by at least 26 states or December 31, 2018, and does not supersede existing state labor laws.