US Defense Department: states' military spouse licensing efforts "spotty"
The director of the Defense Department state liaison office has stated that states' efforts to reduce licensing barriers for military spouses have been "spotty." Based on research reviewing licensing and certification policies for military spouses in all 50 states, he notes that while some states have developed temporary licenses or an expedited licensing process, some states have not done that well in addressing the issues. The state liaison office plans to present further information to those states' legislatures and "ask them to progress further."
DC's mayor has proposed legislation to automatically seal criminal records for arrests that were not prosecuted or did not end in conviction. The proposal would also reduce wait times for record sealing and possibly expand the types of convictions eligible for record sealing. This could pave the way for those with arrest records to apply for professional licenses in certain circumstances.
A group of legislators in Nebraska hopes to bring forward a bill next session that would require regular review of professional licensing requirements with a goal of imposing the "least restrictive regulation." The legislators, along with the Platte Institute and the American Civil Liberties Union, intend to travel the state presenting their proposed legislation. The bill could be designated as priority legislation for the 2018 session.
The National Conference of State Legislatures, National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, and the Council of State Governments have announced 11 states to participate in a peer learning consortium focused on occupational licensing policy. The consortium is made possible by a grant from the US Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration, with a goal of sharing best practices and solutions to occupational licensing issues such as reducing labor market barriers and improving license portability. Over the next three years, the partner organizations will provide technical assistance to the selected states to develop a personalized state action plan. Selected states are Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Nevada, Utah and Wisconsin. CLEAR executive director Adam Parfitt is participating on the NCSL Expert Panel for the project.
The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation has issued an emergency order to suspend some roofing regulations in counties listed in the Disaster Declaration after Hurricane Irma. Roofing repair work will not need to be subcontracted from a certified or registered contractor. Occupational or professional businesses that had to relocate due to hurricane damage will have any DBPR fees waived.
The College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Alberta has created a Professionalism on Social Media Practice Guideline. The purpose of the guideline is to set out minimum expectations for LPNs to make informed decisions to maintain professionalism when using social media. The guide gives strategies for maintaining therapeutic boundaries, upholding privacy and confidentiality, keeping a professional image, and practicing the duty to report. The guide also notes that findings of unprofessional conduct may result from inappropriate use of personal social media accounts.
The Oklahoma Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision is the first state to adopt the Uniform Application for Physician Assistants. The Federation of State Medical Boards and the American Academy of PAs developed the application such that applicants can complete and send one application to state medical boards in multiple states in which they wish to practice. The UA system stores applicant data in a permanent data repository that can be accessed in any state that has adopted the UA. Data from FSMB's Federation Credentials Verification Service will auto-populate into the UA system.