Gov. Mike Dunleavy has introduced legislation (HB 131, SB 124) to enter Alaska into the Multistate Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC), which will bolster healthcare access and nursing opportunities across the state.
The NLC is the longest-standing licensure compact in the nation with 43 U.S. jurisdictions already members and another seven with legislation pending.
The 2024 Alaska Healthcare Workforce Analysis shows that Alaska hospitals experience a 22% vacancy rate in registered nurse positions and need over 1,400 new nursing recruits annually. Alaska’s nursing schools graduate around 325 students combined per year, and currently, many of those nurses leave to establish residency in an NLC state so they can practice as travel nurses.
By joining, Alaska will offer more options to encourage new nursing graduates to retain or obtain residency in Alaska, increase flexibility and practice opportunities for existing Alaska nurses, and remove barriers that currently disincentivize experienced nurses from other states from coming to and especially establishing residency in the state. All while retaining state sovereignty and ensuring public safety.
Gov. Dunleavy says it would increase access to healthcare for all Alaskans while ensuring the state retains full jurisdictional authority over nursing practice within the borders. “The Nurse Licensure Compact is an essential part of the state’s priority to ensure we have the most competitive licensing process that attracts professional talent and allows them to get to work quickly.”
Commissioner Julie Sande said the NLC legislation is the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development’s top legislation priority this year. “Alaska’s hospitals, healthcare facilities, and residents all need more access to qualified nurses. As the state projected to have the worst nursing shortage in the nation in the next five years, we need to do all we can to address this crisis now.”
This legislation also aligns with the Senate’s priority—as stated by Senate President Gary Stevens in a January 28, 2025, press release—to change the approach to recruiting and retaining a highly qualified workforce to help the state and local economies, increase public safety, and provide opportunities for the next generation to continue to call Alaska home.
The Alaska Board of Nursing is unanimously supportive of joining the NLC. Surveys conducted with all Alaska-licensed nurses in 2019 and 2023 verify support to join.
For more information on the NLC, visit ProfessionalLicense.alaska.