Senate committee advances uniform licensure bill aimed at speeding licenses for out-of-state professionals

At a Senate Workforce Development Committee hearing, lawmakers voted unanimously to give Senate Bill 2395 a do‑pass recommendation after testimony that the measure would create baseline licensing standards and speed approval for professionals licensed in other states.

Supporters said the bill implements recommendations from a multi‑board study conducted by the former state labor commissioner and the Department of Labor, and that the changes are intended to reduce delays in licensure that can impede workforce recruitment.

The bill would establish a set of uniform procedures for occupational licensing boards that the bill applies to, including a 10 business‑day target for issuing licenses once a "routine" or "clean" application is complete, authorization for board staff to issue provisional or temporary licenses until a board can ratify them, a requirement that any state‑specific jurisprudence (law) exam be offered at least monthly, and a limited set of reporting and review obligations for boards.

Nathan Swaholic, who described himself as the former North Dakota labor commissioner and who led the study the bill is based on, told the committee the objective was to remove avoidable barriers for practitioners seeking licensure here. "We want to make sure those peoples can get licensed in a timely fashion," he said, and noted the committee settled on 10 business days after debating shorter time frames. Swaholic described the study as including a 40‑page report, a 53‑question questionnaire issued to boards, and direct meetings with 42 boards subject to the review.

Senator David Hoag (State Senator, Minot, District 38), the bill sponsor in the…