Agency and board officials told the Senate committee that interstate licensure compacts can speed practitioner mobility but that several practical and technical barriers have slowed the state's ability to issue compact privileges.

Susan Guile, executive director of the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts, said the physical therapy compact (passed by the legislature in 2021) cannot yet be used by applicants in Kansas because the state lacked FBI approval to disseminate national criminal-history records; she said she had received notice in the week of the hearing that the FBI's review had been completed and that Kansas was working with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation to finish implementation. "We received information this week that that has been approved," Guile said, and she estimated a target operational date of Dec. 1, subject to KBI and agency work.

Nicole Maddox, director of the KBI Information Services Division, explained the federal review requirement. States must have a statutory authority approved by the FBI to receive federal criminal history information; KBI said it coordinated statutory language consolidation and submitted statute language to the FBI (Senate Bill 491) in April 2024 and received the FBI's final review in October 2025. Maddox said the FBI's review times had previously taken 18'24 months; the bureau now says reviews will take weeks instead of months but the agency has not yet seen a systemic speed-up. KBI said it can process fingerprint checks in hours once approval is in place.

Contractors and professional associations urged quick action: John Monroe of an industry group for physical therapists said the approval will help young therapists and students across the region; AGC and other construction stakeholders noted compacts and reciprocity affect worker mobility and project delivery. David Fry of the Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board outlined separate compact implementation experience for psychology (PSYPACT), social work and counseling, including different compact designs (telehealth-focused vs multistate license) and the need to resolve background-check and eligibility issues. Fry described administrative burdens some compact commissions imposed (for example, pre-vetting licensees) and said the BSRB is pursuing regulation or statute fixes to permit opt-ins by currently licensed practitioners.

Officials and stakeholders asked the legislature to coordinate with KBI, consider consolidating statutory authorizations to reduce repeat FBI reviews and provide start-up funding or staff resources for agencies implementing compacts.

Ending: Agencies said compacts generally work as intended once operational, but federal background-check authority and administrative implementation steps at the KBI and compact commissions have been the primary causes of Kansas delays in issuing compact privileges. The committee requested additional follow-up data and timelines from agencies and the KBI.