Text: SF00401 Text: SF00403 Text: SF00400 - SF00499 Text: SF Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
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1 1 Section 1. NEW SECTION. 272D.1 INTENT.
1 2 The general assembly finds that there are foreign
1 3 professionals living in the state of Iowa who possessed
1 4 professional licenses and credentials and practiced
1 5 professionally in their home country, but are unable to
1 6 practice their professions in this state. Barriers to
1 7 practice by foreign professionals in this state include the
1 8 loss or destruction of records evidencing professional
1 9 licensure, limited English proficiency, and bureaucratic
1 10 impediments in the state's existing professional licensure
1 11 regulatory system. The general assembly finds that foreign
1 12 professionals formerly practicing in their home country are a
1 13 tremendous unused human resource, and that allowing qualified
1 14 foreign professionals to practice in the state of Iowa will
1 15 benefit the state and is consistent with efforts to attract a
1 16 skilled professional workforce. It is the intent of the
1 17 general assembly to simplify and expedite the licensure of
1 18 qualified foreign professionals to practice in this state.
1 19 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION. 272D.2 DEFINITIONS.
1 20 As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise
1 21 requires:
1 22 1. "Appropriate professional licensing board" means a
1 23 licensing board under the jurisdiction of the department of
1 24 agriculture and land stewardship, the department of commerce,
1 25 or the Iowa department of public health which is listed in
1 26 section 272C.1, or any other agency, board, or professional
1 27 association authorized to regulate the licensure and practice
1 28 of a profession in this state.
1 29 2. "Board" means the board of foreign professional
1 30 examiners created in section 272D.3.
1 31 3. "Qualified foreign professional" means an immigrant who
1 32 possesses a professional license or credential in the
1 33 individual's native country, and who is determined by the
1 34 board to be qualified to practice professionally in this
1 35 state.
2 1 Sec. 3. NEW SECTION. 272D.3 BOARD ESTABLISHED.
2 2 A board of foreign professional examiners is established
2 3 consisting of the director of the department of economic
2 4 development or the director's designee, the director of the
2 5 division of professional licensure of the Iowa department of
2 6 public health or the director's designee, the director of the
2 7 department of human services or the director's designee, the
2 8 director of the department of education or the director's
2 9 designee, and a designee selected by the governor. The
2 10 governor's designee shall convene the board and serve as
2 11 chairperson. The purpose of the board shall be to expedite
2 12 the professional licensure and credentialing of qualified
2 13 foreign professionals within the state of Iowa, to eliminate
2 14 or reduce barriers to licensing and credentialing that are
2 15 determined by the board to unreasonably deny foreign
2 16 professionals the ability to practice in this state, and to
2 17 promote an atmosphere which encourages foreign professionals
2 18 to live and work in this state.
2 19 Sec. 4. NEW SECTION. 272D.4 DUTIES OF THE BOARD.
2 20 The board shall have the following powers and duties:
2 21 1. To adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A necessary to
2 22 carry out the provisions of this chapter.
2 23 2. To retain employees and contract for services.
2 24 3. To directly accept, process, and rule on applications
2 25 from foreign professionals for licensure in this state. The
2 26 board shall consider the provision of adequate protection to
2 27 consumers in ruling on an application, and may place limits on
2 28 the practice of a foreign professional, including a
2 29 probationary period or practice, supervised practice, or
2 30 required education concurrent with or preceding the granting
2 31 of a probationary practice, provided that the limits
2 32 themselves do not form or constitute an unreasonable barrier
2 33 to practice. The limits may be subject to periodic review at
2 34 the request of the foreign professional.
2 35 4. To issue a final ruling on an application no later than
3 1 six months from the date of original submission. Failure to
3 2 take action within six months from the date of original
3 3 submission shall constitute a ruling in favor of the granting
3 4 of a license, subject to any limitations determined by the
3 5 board, and a license shall be issued by the appropriate
3 6 professional licensing board pursuant to section 272D.5.
3 7 5. To establish and collect fees in an amount
3 8 corresponding to the level of fees collected by professional
3 9 licensing boards pursuant to section 147.80. Costs incurred
3 10 by the board, to the extent not defrayed by fees, shall be
3 11 reimbursed from the budgets of the respective professional
3 12 licensing boards in proportion to the ratio of the number of
3 13 applications processed by the board and referred for issuance
3 14 of a license to a particular licensing board to the total
3 15 number of applications processed and referred for licensure by
3 16 the board.
3 17 Sec. 5. NEW SECTION. 272D.5 LICENSURE.
3 18 Within sixty days following the approval by the board of an
3 19 application from a foreign professional, the appropriate
3 20 licensing board shall issue a license, notwithstanding any
3 21 provision to the contrary which, absent approval by the
3 22 foreign professional licensure board, would disqualify an
3 23 applicant from licensure. A license shall be issued subject
3 24 to the limits specified by the board in ruling upon an
3 25 application. A license issued pursuant to this section shall
3 26 be subject to a review procedure every six months as
3 27 established by the appropriate board by rule.
3 28 Sec. 6. NEW SECTION. 272D.6 LICENSE REVOCATION OR
3 29 SUSPENSION.
3 30 In addition to the grounds for revocation or suspension
3 31 referred to in section 147.55, a license issued by the
3 32 appropriate licensing board based upon the recommendation of
3 33 the board of foreign professional licensure may be revoked or
3 34 suspended by the appropriate licensing board that issued the
3 35 license.
4 1 EXPLANATION
4 2 This bill provides for the licensure of qualified foreign
4 3 professionals. The bill contains findings by the general
4 4 assembly that there are foreign professionals living in the
4 5 state of Iowa with professional licenses, credentials, and
4 6 backgrounds who are unable to practice in this state due to
4 7 barriers such as the loss or destruction of records, limited
4 8 English proficiency, and bureaucratic impediments in the
4 9 state's existing professional licensure regulatory system.
4 10 The bill provides that the general assembly finds that foreign
4 11 professionals are a tremendous unused human resource, that
4 12 allowing qualified foreign professionals to practice in the
4 13 state of Iowa will benefit the state and is consistent with
4 14 efforts to attract a skilled professional workforce, and that
4 15 the general assembly intends to simplify and expedite the
4 16 licensure of qualified foreign professionals.
4 17 The bill provides for the appointment of a board of foreign
4 18 professional examiners to expedite the professional licensure
4 19 and credentialing of qualified foreign professionals within
4 20 the state of Iowa, to eliminate or reduce barriers to
4 21 licensing and credentialing, and to promote an atmosphere
4 22 which encourages foreign professionals to live and work in the
4 23 state. The board is given various powers and duties,
4 24 including the power to directly accept, process, and rule on
4 25 applications from foreign professionals for licensure. The
4 26 board is required to consider the provision of adequate
4 27 consumer protection when ruling on an application, and may
4 28 stipulate limits on the practice of a foreign professional.
4 29 The bill provides that failure to rule on an application
4 30 within six months from the date of original submission
4 31 constitutes a ruling in favor of the granting of a license.
4 32 The board is permitted to establish and collect fees in an
4 33 amount corresponding to the level of fees collected by
4 34 professional licensing boards pursuant to Code section 147.80,
4 35 and costs incurred by the board are to be reimbursed from the
5 1 budgets of the respective professional licensing boards. The
5 2 bill provides that within 60 days following the approval by
5 3 the board of foreign professional licensure, the appropriate
5 4 licensing board shall issue a license, notwithstanding any
5 5 provision to the contrary which, absent approval by the
5 6 foreign professional licensure board, would disqualify an
5 7 applicant from licensure. The bill provides that a license
5 8 shall be issued subject to the limits specified by the board
5 9 in ruling upon an application, and shall be subject to a
5 10 review procedure every six months as established by the board
5 11 by rule. The bill provides that in addition to the grounds
5 12 for revocation or suspension referred to in Code section
5 13 147.55, a license issued by the appropriate licensing board
5 14 based upon the recommendation of the board of foreign
5 15 professional licensure may be revoked or suspended by the
5 16 appropriate licensing board that issued the license.
5 17 LSB 2237SS 79
5 18 rn/cls/14
Text: SF00401 Text: SF00403 Text: SF00400 - SF00499 Text: SF Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
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