Wyoming committee advances bill to license internationally trained physicians

At a Labor, Health & Social Services Committee meeting Monday, the panel advanced Senate File 155, a bill to create provisional state licenses for internationally trained physicians who have an offer of employment from a Wyoming health care provider.

Sponsor Senator Dan Driscoll presented the bill as a response to statewide physician shortages and described it as model legislation already passed in other states. "I'm going to walk through this fairly quickly. This is a piece of model legislation that's come, it's been passed in 14 other states," Driscoll said.

The bill would authorize the State Board of Medicine to issue a provisional license to an international physician who: submits a board application, passes a criminal background check ("if practically available" as amended), pays fees, demonstrates eligibility for a federal immigration status that allows medical practice in the United States, and achieves the required passing score on the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination as referenced in Wyoming statutes. Provisional licensees would be required to obtain federal work authorization before commencing clinical work; they may apply for the provisional license before obtaining that authorization but may not practice until it is in hand. Under the amended language, a provisional licensee who completes three years of active practice in Wyoming would be "eligible to apply to convert" that provisional license to a full license rather than receiving an automatic grant.

The committee adopted multiple amendments before advancing the bill. Key changes included inserting the phrase "if practically available" after the criminal background check requirement; replacing the word "revoke" with "suspend" for loss of licensure tied to employment and adding a timeline that a suspended provisional license be revoked if the physician cannot obtain new Wyoming employment within six months; clarifying continuing medical education compliance to align provisional holders with existing Board requirements; and several scrivener corrections (for example, adding the word "licensed" and the word "been" in specified lines). The committee also struck language requiring a provisional licensee to remain with their original sponsor after the provisional period.

Kevin Bonhamblest, executive director of the Board of Medicine, told the committee the board does not take a formal position but urged caution. "This is not a bad bill...I think this is a solution in search of a problem," he said, adding implementation questions about how to verify foreign criminal background checks and foreign work experience, and how the board would track when a sponsored physician leaves employment. Bonhamblest proposed several specific drafting fixes and recommended working on the measure in the interim to ensure it is implementable.

Supporters and stakeholders who testified included Eric Boehly of the Hawaiian Hospital Association, who said some Wyoming facilities have already employed internationally trained physicians under J-1 visas but noted visa-processing time and credentialing hurdles; Jonathan Wilson, who described work elsewhere helping states draft similar laws; Heath Waddell, a physician in Crook County who trained overseas, who urged mentorship and oversight for clinicians new to U.S. practice; and representatives of Americans for Prosperity and Cicero Action who expressed support for the bill and willingness to collaborate on amendments. "There is interest in using internationally trained physicians," Boehly said, while Jonathan Wilson noted the bill is not a panacea but one possible pathway to increase provider supply.

Debate on constitutional and practical concerns arose in committee. Senator Scott asked whether employment-contingent provisions could raise 13th Amendment issues; Bonhamblest said he had noted a "servitude" question in his notes and warned the draft could create a very strong noncompete-like effect if not revised. Committee members and the sponsor agreed to pursue additional drafting changes in collaboration with the Board of Medicine.

After amendments were adopted, Senator Scott moved the bill forward. The roll call on Senate File 155 as amended recorded three ayes and two excused: Senators Hutchings, Scott and Chairman Barlow voted in favor; Senators Crum and Steinmetz were excused. The chair said sponsors and stakeholders should meet to formalize the adopted amendments and outstanding drafting questions.

Votes at a glance: Senate File 155 (International Physician Licensing) — advanced as amended; roll call: 3 ayes, 2 excused.

The committee signaled the bill will move forward with additional interim work between the committee and the Board of Medicine to resolve verification, tracking and constitutional concerns before final floor consideration.