335.300. Findings and declaration of purpose. - Missouri Statutes

Findings and declaration of purpose.

335.300. 1. The party states find that:

(1) The health and safety of the public are affected by the degree ofcompliance with and the effectiveness of enforcement activities related tostate nurse licensure laws;

(2) Violations of nurse licensure and other laws regulating the practiceof nursing may result in injury or harm to the public;

(3) The expanded mobility of nurses and the use of advancedcommunication technologies as part of our nation's health care delivery systemrequire greater coordination and cooperation among states in the areas ofnurse licensure and regulation;

(4) New practice modalities and technology make compliance withindividual state nurse licensure laws difficult and complex;

(5) The current system of duplicative licensure for nurses practicing inmultiple states is cumbersome and redundant to both nurses and states.

2. The general purposes of this compact are to:

(1) Facilitate the states' responsibility to protect the public's healthand safety;

(2) Ensure and encourage the cooperation of party states in the areas ofnurse licensure and regulation;

(3) Facilitate the exchange of information between party states in theareas of nurse regulation, investigation, and adverse actions;

(4) Promote compliance with the laws governing the practice of nursingin each jurisdiction;

(5) Invest all party states with the authority to hold a nurseaccountable for meeting all state practice laws in the state in which thepatient is located at the time care is rendered through the mutual recognitionof party state licenses.

(L. 2009 S.B. 296)