House Bill 156 Alabama 2026 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Paul W. LeeRepresentative

Republican

Session

2026 Regular Session

Title

Physician Assistants; interstate licensure compact, established

Summary

Alabama would adopt the Physician Assistant Licensure Compact to let PAs practice in participating states with a portable license.

What This Bill Does

HB156 adopts the PA Licensure Compact, enabling licensed PAs from one member state to provide medical services in other member states through a compact privilege. The practice location for a PA is where the patient is located at the time of the encounter, and state licensing boards retain authority to take adverse actions against a PA’s license in their state. A national PA Licensure Compact Commission and a coordinated data system would oversee rules, eligibility, investigations, and enforcement across states. The bill also includes military family protections and sets an implementation date of October 1, 2026.

Who It Affects

• Physician assistants (PAs): may obtain a compact privilege to practice in multiple participating states, subject to education, certification, conduct, and jurisprudence requirements.
• Participating states, licensing boards, and the PA Licensure Compact Commission: will license PAs, enforce adverse actions, manage investigations, and run the data system and official rules across the compact.

Key Provisions

• Adopts the PA Licensure Compact to recognize licenses across participating states.
• Defines Compact Privilege and eligibility requirements for PAs (education, NCCPA certification, no felony/misdemeanor history, no controlled-substance licensing issues, and other state requirements).
• Allows a PA to practice in a remote state under the remote state’s laws when the PA has a qualifying license from a participating state; enables adverse actions by remote states and reporting to the commission.
• Establishes the PA Licensure Compact Commission and an executive committee to oversee rules, budgets, compliance, data sharing, and investigations; requires rules to have the force of law in participating states.
• Creates a coordinated data system to track licensure, adverse actions, and significant investigative information accessible to participating states.
• Provides for enforcement, dispute resolution, and possible state withdrawal; sets an effective implementation date of October 1, 2026.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano-2025-08-07 on Mar 10, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Occupational Licensing Boards