Kansas House Bill HB2266

Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/4/25
• Refer: 2/4/25

Caption

Enacting the advanced practice registered nurse licensure compact to provide interstate practice privileges for advanced practice registered nurses.

Summary

HB 2266 enacts the Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) Compact in Kansas. The bill is designed to let APRNs who meet uniform licensure standards obtain a multistate license in their home state and practice in other compact states without having to secure separate licenses in each state. It establishes definitions, eligibility criteria, and rules for interstate practice, including recognition of APRN roles and population foci, criminal background checks, national certification, minimum practice hours, and requirements for maintaining an active, unencumbered RN and APRN license. The compact also creates a framework for shared regulation among participating states. It authorizes remote-state practice subject to the laws of the state where the patient is located, grants prescriptive authority for noncontrolled prescription drugs with state-specific rules for controlled substances, and sets out procedures for adverse actions, investigations, data sharing, and disciplinary coordination through a coordinated licensure information system. It further establishes an interstate commission to adopt binding rules, manage administration, and resolve disputes among party states.

Impact

If enacted, the bill would change Kansas law by joining an interstate APRN licensure compact and allowing qualified APRNs to practice across state lines under a multistate privilege. It would affect APRNs, nursing boards, healthcare employers, and patients by reducing duplicative licensure requirements, expanding interstate mobility, and standardizing core licensure and enforcement procedures across participating states. Kansas licensing authorities would also gain and share new responsibilities for background checks, reporting adverse actions, and participating in compact governance.

Sentiment

The available context suggests generally favorable treatment of the bill, or at least no recorded opposition in the materials provided. The bill was requested on behalf of the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, which suggests support from business and healthcare access interests. No committee transcript or vote record is included, so there is no documented floor or committee debate to indicate broader legislative sentiment beyond the bill’s pro-compact framing.

Contention

The main policy tensions inherent in the bill involve state regulatory control versus interstate portability. The compact requires Kansas to recognize multistate APRN privileges from other party states, share licensure and disciplinary information, and accept commission rules that have the force of law, which may raise concerns about reduced state autonomy. Other likely points of contention are the compact’s treatment of prescriptive authority, especially controlled substances, the ability of APRNs to practice independently without supervision or collaboration requirements in compact states, and the administrative burden of participating in a multistate commission and information-sharing system.