Committee gives due pass to amended bill creating provisional licensure pathway for internationally trained physicians
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Summary
The committee approved an amended HB127 that establishes a provisional licensing step and telemedicine registry to ease licensure for internationally trained physicians while preserving Medical Board rulemaking authority; the medical board supports the amended bill but cautioned about implementation costs.
House Bill 127, as amended, cleared the committee with a due pass recommendation after members adopted an amendment creating a multi-step provisional licensure pathway for internationally trained physicians and a telemedicine registry to facilitate out‑of‑state telehealth and recruitment.
Sponsor testimony framed the bill as addressing physician shortages by providing a provisional license with benchmarks, ensuring job offers in-state and protecting patient safety through staged evaluation. The amendment was developed with input from Workforce Solutions and the New Mexico Medical Board.
Dr. Karen Carson, chair of the Medical Board, said the board supports the amended bill but asked for explicit rulemaking authority and flagged the costs the board will incur establishing a provisional license and registry, noting the board is self-funded and must follow LFC budget recommendations.
Committee members asked about which countries’ training would be considered substantially equivalent and whether telemedicine would allow out-of-country practice; the medical board chair said the board would mirror other states in identifying countries with substantially equivalent training and that the registry requires an active U.S. license, not foreign-only practice.
The committee adopted the amendment and reported HB127 as amended with no recorded opposition at the time of committee action and will move the bill forward for further consideration.
