Department of State briefs House committee on licensing reforms; nurse, medical compacts set for June 2025

Acting Commissioner Aaron Claggett of the Department of State told the House Professional Licensure Committee that the Department has reduced application processing times across boards, will implement several interstate licensure compacts in June 2025, and has selected a new vendor to replace its licensing system in 2026. Michael Rosenberry, director of the Bureau of Enforcement Investigations (BEI), provided enforcement and inspection statistics and described inspector training and procedures.

The session was an informational briefing on the Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs (BPOA), licensure compacts, licensure modernization, fee structure, the disciplinary and inspection process, and Sunrise evaluations — topics the Department said affect licensees across health, business and trade boards and the public who rely on licensed services.

Claggett summarized BPOA’s role and recent operational changes. BPOA, she said, was established in 1963 to support licensing boards and commissions and “protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public.” She reported staffing and organizational elements (division chiefs, board administrators, program and quality‑assurance analysts) and said the bureau employs more than 350 people to process applications, handle renewals, perform enforcement work and support boards. Claggett cited board sizes and licensee populations: the Nurse Licensing Division has about 340,000 licensees; cosmetology about 127,000; pharmacy about 46,000; the Real Estate Commission about 67,000; and vehicle dealer licensing about 42,000.

Claggett also described technology and process changes aimed at speeding…