CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT
SENATE BILL 5180
Chapter 317, Laws of 2024
68th Legislature
2024 Regular Session
INTERSTATE TEACHER MOBILITY COMPACT
EFFECTIVE DATE: June 6, 2024
Passed by the Senate March 7, 2024 CERTIFICATE
Yeas 41 Nays 6
I, Sarah Bannister, Secretary of
the Senate of the State of
DENNY HECK Washington, do hereby certify that
President of the Senate the attached is SENATE BILL 5180 as
passed by the Senate and the House
of Representatives on the dates
hereon set forth.
Passed by the House March 7, 2024
Yeas 96 Nays 1
SARAH BANNISTER
LAURIE JINKINS Secretary
Speaker of the House of
Representatives
Approved March 28, 2024 10:28 AM FILED
March 29, 2024
Secretary of State
JAY INSLEE State of Washington
Governor of the State of Washington
 SENATE BILL 5180
AS RECOMMENDED BY THE CONFERENCE COMMITTEE
Passed Legislature - 2024 Regular Session
State of Washington 68th Legislature 2023 Regular Session
By Senators Hunt, Hawkins, and Mullet
Prefiled 01/05/23. Read first time 01/09/23. Referred to Committee
on Early Learning & K-12 Education.
1 AN ACT Relating to the licensure and employment of out-of-state
2 teachers; amending RCW 28A.405.220; and adding a new chapter to Title
3 28A RCW.
4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
5 ARTICLE I
6 PURPOSE
7 NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The purpose of this compact is to
8 facilitate the mobility of teachers across the member states, with
9 the goal of supporting teachers through a new pathway to licensure.
10 Through this compact, the member states seek to establish a
11 collective regulatory framework that expedites and enhances the
12 ability of teachers to move across state lines. This compact is
13 intended to achieve the following objectives and should be
14 interpreted accordingly. The member states hereby ratify the same
15 intentions by subscribing hereto:
16 (1) Create a streamlined pathway to licensure mobility for
17 teachers;
18 (2) Support the relocation of eligible military spouses;
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 1 (3) Facilitate and enhance the exchange of licensure,
2 investigative, and disciplinary information between the member
3 states;
4 (4) Enhance the power of state and district level education
5 officials to hire qualified, competent teachers by removing barriers
6 to the employment of out-of-state teachers;
7 (5) Support the retention of teachers in the profession by
8 removing barriers to relicensure in a new state; and
9 (6) Maintain state sovereignty in the regulation of the teaching
10 profession.
11 ARTICLE II
12 DEFINITIONS
13 NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. As used in this compact, and except as
14 otherwise provided, the following definitions shall govern the terms
15 herein:
16 (1) "Active military member" means any person with full-time duty
17 status in the armed forces of the United States, including members of
18 the national guard and reserve.
19 (2) "Adverse action" means any limitation or restriction imposed
20 by a member state's licensing authority, such as revocation,
21 suspension, reprimand, probation, or limitation on the licensee's
22 ability to work as a teacher.
23 (3) "Bylaws" means those bylaws established by the commission.
24 (4) "Career and technical education license" means a current,
25 valid authorization issued by a member state's licensing authority
26 allowing an individual to serve as a teacher in prekindergarten
27 through grade 12 public educational settings in a specific career and
28 technical education area.
29 (5) "Charter member states" means a member state that has enacted
30 legislation to adopt this compact where such legislation predates the
31 initial meeting of the commission after the effective date of the
32 compact.
33 (6) "Commission" means the interstate administrative body which
34 membership consists of delegates of all states that have enacted this
35 compact, and which is known as the interstate teacher mobility
36 compact commission.
37 (7) "Commissioner" means the delegate of a member state.
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 1 (8) "Eligible license" means a license to engage in the teaching
2 profession which requires at least a bachelor's degree and the
3 completion of a state approved program for teacher licensure.
4 (9) "Eligible military spouse" means the spouse of any individual
5 in full-time duty status in the active armed forces of the United
6 States, including members of the national guard and reserve on active
7 duty moving as a result of a military mission or military career
8 progression requirements or are on their terminal move as a result of
9 separation or retirement (to include surviving spouses of deceased
10 military members).
11 (10) "Executive committee" means a group of commissioners elected
12 or appointed to act on behalf of, and within the powers granted to
13 them by, the commission as provided for herein.
14 (11) "Licensing authority" means an official, agency, board, or
15 other entity of a state that is responsible for the licensing and
16 regulation of teachers authorized to teach in prekindergarten through
17 grade 12 public educational settings.
18 (12) "Member state" means any state that has adopted this
19 compact, including all agencies and officials of such a state.
20 (13) "Receiving state" means any state where a teacher has
21 applied for licensure under this compact.
22 (14) "Rule" means any regulation promulgated by the commission
23 under this compact, which shall have the force of law in each member
24 state.
25 (15) "State" means a state, territory, or possession of the
26 United States, and the District of Columbia.
27 (16) "State practice laws" means a member state's laws, rules,
28 and regulations that govern the teaching profession, define the scope
29 of such profession, and create the methods and grounds for imposing
30 discipline.
31 (17) "State specific requirements" means a requirement for
32 licensure covered in coursework or examination that includes content
33 of unique interest to the state.
34 (18) "Teacher" means an individual who currently holds an
35 authorization from a member state that forms the basis for employment
36 in the prekindergarten through grade 12 public schools of the state
37 to provide instruction in a specific subject area, grade level, or
38 student population.
39 (19) "Unencumbered license" means a current, valid authorization
40 issued by a member state's licensing authority allowing an individual
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 1 to serve as a teacher in prekindergarten through grade 12 public
2 educational settings. An unencumbered license is not a restricted,
3 probationary, provisional, substitute, or temporary credential.
4 ARTICLE III
5 LICENSURE UNDER THE COMPACT
6 NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. (1) Licensure under this compact pertains
7 only to the initial grant of a license by the receiving state.
8 Nothing herein applies to any subsequent or ongoing compliance
9 requirements that a receiving state might require for teachers.
10 (2) Each member state shall, in accordance with the rules of the
11 commission, define, compile, and update as necessary, a list of
12 eligible licenses and career and technical education licenses that
13 the member state is willing to consider for equivalency under this
14 compact and provide the list to the commission. The list shall
15 include those licenses that a receiving state is willing to grant to
16 teachers from other member states, pending a determination of
17 equivalency by the receiving state's licensing authority.
18 (3) Upon the receipt of an application for licensure by a teacher
19 holding an unencumbered eligible license, the receiving state shall
20 determine which of the receiving state's eligible licenses the
21 teacher is qualified to hold and shall grant such a license or
22 licenses to the applicant. Such a determination shall be made in the
23 sole discretion of the receiving state's licensing authority and may
24 include a determination that the applicant is not eligible for any of
25 the receiving state's eligible licenses. For all teachers who hold an
26 unencumbered license, the receiving state shall grant one or more
27 unencumbered license(s) that, in the receiving state's sole
28 discretion, are equivalent to the license(s) held by the teacher in
29 any other member state.
30 (4) For active military members and eligible military spouses who
31 hold a license that is not unencumbered, the receiving state shall
32 grant an equivalent license or licenses that, in the receiving
33 state's sole discretion, is equivalent to the license or licenses
34 held by the teacher in any other member state, except where the
35 receiving state does not have an equivalent license.
36 (5) For a teacher holding an unencumbered career and technical
37 education license, the receiving state shall grant an unencumbered
38 license equivalent to the career and technical education license held
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1 by the applying teacher and issued by another member state, as
2 determined by the receiving state in its sole discretion, except
3 where a career and technical education teacher does not hold a
4 bachelor's degree and the receiving state requires a bachelor's
5 degree for licenses to teach career and technical education. A
6 receiving state may require career and technical education teachers
7 to meet state industry recognized requirements, if required by law in
8 the receiving state.
9 ARTICLE IV
10 LICENSURE NOT UNDER THE COMPACT
11 NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. (1) Except as provided in section 3 of
12 this act, nothing in this compact shall be construed to limit or
13 inhibit the power of a member state to regulate licensure or
14 endorsements overseen by the member state's licensing authority.
15 (2) When a teacher is required to renew a license received
16 pursuant to this compact, the state granting such a license may
17 require the teacher to complete state specific requirements as a
18 condition of licensure renewal or advancement in that state.
19 (3) For the purposes of determining compensation, a receiving
20 state may require additional information from teachers receiving a
21 license under the provisions of this compact.
22 (4) Nothing in this compact shall be construed to limit the power
23 of a member state to control and maintain ownership of its
24 information pertaining to teachers, or limit the application of a
25 member state's laws or regulations governing the ownership, use, or
26 dissemination of information pertaining to teachers.
27 (5) Nothing in this compact shall be construed to invalidate or
28 alter any existing agreement or other cooperative arrangement which a
29 member state may already be a party to, or limit the ability of a
30 member state to participate in any future agreement or other
31 cooperative arrangement to:
32 (a) Award teaching licenses or other benefits based on additional
33 professional credentials including, but not limited to, national
34 board certification;
35 (b) Participate in the exchange of names of teachers whose
36 license has been subject to an adverse action by a member state; or
37 (c) Participate in any agreement or cooperative arrangement with
38 a nonmember state.
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 1 ARTICLE V
2 TEACHER QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS FOR LICENSURE
3 UNDER THE COMPACT
4 NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. (1) Except as provided for active military
5 members or eligible military spouses in section 3(4) of this act, a
6 teacher may only be eligible to receive a license under this compact
7 where that teacher holds an unencumbered license in a member state.
8 (2) A teacher eligible to receive a license under this compact
9 shall, unless otherwise provided for herein:
10 (a) Upon their application to receive a license under this
11 compact, undergo a criminal background check in the receiving state
12 in accordance with the laws and regulations of the receiving state;
13 (b) Comply with any applicable conditions of employment in the
14 receiving state; and
15 (c) Provide the receiving state with information in addition to
16 the information required for licensure for the purposes of
17 determining compensation, if applicable.
18 ARTICLE VI
19 DISCIPLINE/ADVERSE ACTIONS
20 NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. (1) Nothing in this compact shall be
21 deemed or construed to limit the authority of a member state to
22 investigate or impose disciplinary measures on teachers according to
23 the state practice laws thereof.
24 (2) Member states shall be authorized to receive, and shall
25 provide, files and information regarding the investigation and
26 discipline, if any, of teachers in other member states upon request.
27 Any member state receiving such information or files shall protect
28 and maintain the security and confidentiality thereof, in at least
29 the same manner that it maintains its own investigatory or
30 disciplinary files and information. Prior to disclosing any
31 disciplinary or investigatory information received from another
32 member state, the disclosing state shall communicate its intention
33 and purpose for such disclosure to the member state which originally
34 provided that information.
35 ARTICLE VII
36 ESTABLISHMENT OF THE INTERSTATE TEACHER MOBILITY
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1 COMPACT COMMISSION
2 NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. (1) The interstate compact member states
3 hereby create and establish a joint public agency known as the
4 interstate teacher mobility compact commission:
5 (a) The commission is a joint interstate governmental agency
6 comprised of states that have enacted the interstate teacher mobility
7 compact.
8 (b) Nothing in this interstate compact shall be construed to be a
9 waiver of sovereign immunity.
10 (2) Membership, voting, and meetings.
11 (a) Each member state shall have and be limited to one delegate
12 to the commission, who shall be given the title of commissioner.
13 (b) The commissioner shall be the primary administrative officer
14 of the state licensing authority or their designee.
15 (c) Any commissioner may be removed or suspended from office as
16 provided by the law of the state from which the commissioner is
17 appointed.
18 (d) The member state shall fill any vacancy occurring in the
19 commission within 90 days.
20 (e) Each commissioner shall be entitled to one vote about the
21 promulgation of rules and creation of bylaws and shall otherwise have
22 an opportunity to participate in the business and affairs of the
23 commission. A commissioner shall vote in person or by such other
24 means as provided in the bylaws. The bylaws may provide for
25 commissioners' participation in meetings by telephone or other means
26 of communication.
27 (f) The commission shall meet at least once during each calendar
28 year. Additional meetings shall be held as set forth in the bylaws.
29 (g) The commission shall establish by rule a term of office for
30 commissioners.
31 (3) The commission shall have the following powers and duties:
32 (a) Establish a code of ethics for the commission;
33 (b) Establish the fiscal year of the commission;
34 (c) Establish bylaws for the commission;
35 (d) Maintain its financial records in accordance with the bylaws
36 of the commission;
37 (e) Meet and take such actions as are consistent with the
38 provisions of this interstate compact, the bylaws, and rules of the
39 commission;
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 1 (f) Promulgate uniform rules to implement and administer this
2 interstate compact. The rules shall have the force and effect of law
3 and shall be binding in all member states. In the event the
4 commission exercises its rule-making authority in a manner that is
5 beyond the scope of the purposes of the compact, or the powers
6 granted hereunder, then such an action by the commission shall be
7 invalid and have no force and effect of