SB 196

This bill ratifies and enters Wisconsin into the Interstate Medical Licensure

Compact (compact), which provides for, as stated in the compact, "a streamlined

process that allows physicians to become licensed in multiple states." Provisions in

the compact are to be administered by boards that regulate physicians in the states

that are parties to the compact (member boards). Significant provisions of the

compact include:

1. The creation of an Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Commission

(commission), which includes two representatives of each member board. The

commission has various powers and duties granted in the compact, including

overseeing the administration of the compact, enforcing the compact, adopting

bylaws, promulgating binding rules for the compact, employing an executive director

and employees, and maintaining records.

2. A process whereby a physician who possesses a license to engage in the

practice of medicine issued by a member board and who satisfies other criteria

designates a state where the physician is already licensed as his or her state of

principal license and applies to the member board in that state for licensure through

the compact. After a verification and registration process that includes a background

check, the physician may receive an "expedited license" in other states that are

parties to the compact. If a physician's license in his or her state of principal license

is revoked or suspended, then all expedited licenses issued by other states are

revoked or suspended as well until each is reinstated.

3. The ability for member boards to conduct joint investigations of physicians

and the ability of member states to issue subpoenas that are enforceable in other

states.

4. The creation of a coordinated information system including a database of all

physicians who have applied for or received an expedited license. The compact

requires, or in other cases allows, for member boards to submit public actions,

complaints, or disciplinary information to the commission.

The compact provides that it becomes effective upon being enacted into law by

seven states and that it may be amended upon enactment of an amendment by all

member states. A state may withdraw from the compact by repealing the statute

authorizing the compact, but the compact provides that a withdrawal does not take

effect until one year after the effective date of that repeal.

The compact provides that laws of a member state that are not inconsistent

with the compact may be enforced, but that all laws of a member state in conflict with

the compact are superseded to the extent of the conflict.

In addition to enacting the compact, the bill provides all of the following:

1. Numerous limitations on the sharing of information under the compact

about physicians, including limiting disclosures to physicians who have designated

or applied to designate this state as their state of principal license or who hold or are