H550 Bill Summary

• Repeals North Carolina's prior nurse licensure compact (G.S. 90-171.80 through 90-171.94) and replaces it with a new multistate licensing agreement effective upon enactment by 26 states or December 31, 2018, whichever is earlier.

• Establishes mutual recognition of multistate nursing licenses issued by a nurse's home state, allowing registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical/vocational nurses (LPN/VN) to practice in all party states under a single multistate licensure privilege.

• Creates the Interstate Commission of Nurse Licensure Compact Administrators, a joint public entity composed of one administrator per party state with authority to adopt uniform rules, conduct meetings, manage finances, and enforce compact provisions.

• Requires all party states to participate in a coordinated licensure information system to collect, store, and share information on nurse licensure, disciplinary history, adverse actions, investigations, and alternative program participation.

• Establishes that nurses must comply with state practice laws of the state where the patient is located, grants remote states authority to take adverse action against multistate licensure privileges, and requires criminal background checks and specific qualifications for multistate license eligibility.