Committee approves amendment delaying licensure action for internationally trained physicians and requests a state report

The Senate Health & Welfare Committee approved an amendment to S142 that delays the effective date of an alternative pathway to licensure for internationally trained physicians and medical graduates and requires the Department of Health to produce a report.

The amendment (draft 1.1) preserves the bill’s pathway structure but strikes the immediate effective date and requires the Department of Health, in collaboration with the Board of Medical Practice, to report by Jan. 15 on other states’ processes, the resources and external expertise needed to evaluate credentials, proposed qualifications and supervision requirements for licensure, and any statutory authority required to implement a licensing program in Vermont.

Jessica Shabbano of the Department of Health told the committee the department supports additional time to review implementation, noting many states are still in early stages of adopting similar legislation and that the work will require significant resources and expertise. "The department and the board do have some significant concerns about the amount of resources and the expertise it's going to take to implement this," Shabbano said.

Committee members agreed the amendment does not change the bill’s substantive licensing pathway in section two but gives the legislature time to evaluate alternatives and act on the report. The committee then voted to move the amended S142 favorably to the full Senate; members noted the House may make further changes and that additional timing and implementation decisions will follow once the department’s report is available.

The amendment sets rulemaking to begin in July 2027 if the legislature later proceeds and moves the primary licensing authorization timeline to 2028 in the draft language.