State Rep. April Weaver, R-Alabaster, and State Sen. Greg Reed, R-Jasper, have sponsored House Bill 44 and Senate Bill 38 with the support of The Alabama Board of Nursing. These bills would bring the Enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact to Alabama, a program that would allow nurses with multi-state licenses to work in Alabama.
Currently, the state of Alabama only issues single-state licenses. If the bill passes, Alabama will join 31 states in the eNLC.
If the bill takes effect, Alabama nurses will have the option to join the eNLC and nurses from other states with multi-state licenses could practice in Alabama.
According to the Alabama Board of Nursing, the bill would help alleviate current nursing shortages in rural hospitals.
It would also allow nurses from other states to obtain temporary positions in the event of a natural disaster or state emergency without waiting for a declaration of emergency, provide telehealth services to Alabama patients and provide easier nursing education online.
Military spouse nurses would also be able to easily keep working if moved to the state without having to obtain a new license.
