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An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Commission To Streamline Veterans' Licensing and Certification Regarding Licensed Practical Nurses
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 32 MRSA §2251-A, as amended by PL 2003, c. 204, Pt. H, §6, is further amended to read:
§ 2251-A.Qualifications
An applicant for a license to practice as a licensed practical nurse shall submit to the board written evidence, verified by oath, that the applicant has the following qualifications.satisfies one of the following qualifications:
 
2. Approved program.   The applicant must have completed a prescribed curriculum in a state-approved program for the preparation of practical nurses and holds a diploma or certificate.; or
 
3.  Military training and experience.     The applicant:
 
A.  Served on active duty in the medical corps of any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States and spent an aggregate of at least 12 months rendering bedside patient care;
 
B.  Completed the basic course of instruction in nursing required by the branch of the Armed Forces of the United States in which the applicant served; and
 
C.  Was honorably discharged from active duty.
 
SUMMARY
This bill is reported out by the Joint Standing Committee on Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development pursuant to Resolve 2017, chapter 27. The bill implements a recommendation of the Commission To Streamline Veterans' Licensing and Certification regarding licensure of military medics and corpsmen as licensed practical nurses. Pursuant to the bill, a person who served on active duty in the medical corps of any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States, completed the basic course of instruction in nursing required by the branch of the Armed Forces of the United States in which the applicant served and was honorably discharged is eligible to take the examination for licensure as a licensed practical nurse.
The Joint Standing Committee on Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development has not taken a position on the substance of the bill and by reporting out this bill the committee is not suggesting and does not intend to suggest that it agrees or disagrees with any aspect of this recommendation from the Commission To Streamline Veterans' Licensing and Certification. The committee is reporting the bill out for the sole purpose of turning the commission's recommendation into a printed bill that can be referred to the committee for an appropriate public hearing and subsequent processing in the normal course. The committee is taking this action to ensure clarity and transparency in the legislative review of the commission's recommendation regarding licensure of military medics and corpsmen as licensed practical nurses.