WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee, on Monday released the following statement after Governor Lamont signed legislation to make it easier for spouses of active duty service members and others who are relocating to the state to receive the licenses and certifications necessary to work in health care and other industries.

“Granting military spouses necessary certifications to work in Connecticut’s health care system upon relocation is a great step forward. Doing so will make Connecticut a more welcoming state for military families and support our economic recovery from COVID-19. It’s also the least we can do to make sure military families aren’t jumping through unnecessary hoops when they move to our state,” said Murphy. “At the federal level, I’ve introduced bipartisan legislation to provide a temporary uniform medical licensing standard during the pandemic. We live in a mobile society, and it is time to take a serious look at modernizing the licensure process in states and at the federal level to improve patient access to qualified health care professionals even after COVID-19.”

In February, Murphy and U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) re-introduced the Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, which would provide temporary licensing reciprocity for all practitioners or professionals, including those who treat both physical and mental health conditions, in all states for all types of services (in-person and telehealth) during the COVID-19 response. More specifically, the TREAT Act would:

·         Enable health care professionals licensed in good standing to care for patients (whether in-person or through telehealth visits) from any state during the current national public health emergency without jeopardizing their state licensure or facing potential penalties for unauthorized practice of medicine;

·         Require the health care professional to obtain oral or written acknowledgment of services;

·         Require health care professionals who use this authority to notify a state or local licensing board within 30 days of first practicing in a state other than where licensed or certified;

·         Preclude any service that is otherwise prohibited by a state where a patient is located and require adherence to specified prescribing requirements of the state;

·         Allow authority for a state where a health care professional has practiced under this reciprocity measure to pursue investigations and disciplinary actions, including the ability to exclude a clinician from practicing in the state under the Act;

·         Not include health care professionals otherwise licensed under a compact agreement or licensed in the state where the patient resides; and

·         Apply the licensure reciprocity for the duration of the COVID-19 public health emergency, followed by a 180-day phase out period.

 

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