Senate Bill 190 seeks to ratify Wisconsin's entry into the Respiratory Care Interstate Compact, which will enable respiratory care practitioners to practice across member states more easily. The bill establishes a Respiratory Care Interstate Compact Commission responsible for overseeing the compact's operations, including creating bylaws, managing operational costs, and facilitating a process for practitioners to obtain a compact privilege to practice in other states. It also includes provisions for a coordinated database to track licensure and disciplinary actions and outlines mechanisms for resolving disputes among member states.

In addition to establishing the compact, the bill modifies existing statutes related to the certification and regulation of respiratory care practitioners. It removes the requirement for the Medical Examining Board to mandate a statutes and rules examination for certification, allowing applicants to affirm their understanding of relevant laws instead. The bill also clarifies the board's authority to investigate allegations of unprofessional conduct and negligence, including provisions for summarily suspending or limiting licenses, certificates, or compact privileges if there is probable cause of violations. The amendments broaden the board's authority by explicitly including "certificate" and "respiratory care compact privilege" alongside "license."

Statutes affected:
Bill Text: 146.81(1)(d), 146.81, 146.997(1)(d)5, 146.997, 256.15(4)(a)3, 256.15, 440.03(13)(b)(intro.), 440.03, 440.15, 448.01(9s), 448.01, 448.01(12)
Text as Enrolled: 146.81(1)(d), 146.81, 146.997(1)(d)5, 146.997, 256.15(4)(a)3, 256.15, 448.01(9s), 448.01, 448.01(12), 448.02(5), 448.02, 448.02(6), 448.02(8)(a), 448.02(8)(c), 448.03(1m), 448.03, 448.05(5r)(title), 448.05