Text: SF00401 Text: SF00403 Text: SF00400 - SF00499 Text: SF Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
PAG LIN 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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