The Senate is poised to give final approval to a bill that could lead to Florida nurses receiving multi-state licenses --- and allowing nurses from other parts of the country to work in Florida.
The House voted 111-1 last week to approve the bill (HB 1061), sponsored by state Rep. Cary Pigman, R-Avon Park. Only Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, voted against the measure.
The Senate took up the House bill Tuesday, setting it up for a final vote as soon as Wednesday.
The bill would lead to Florida entering into what is known as a "nurse licensure compact" with more than two dozen other states.
The proposal, sponsored in the Senate by state Sen. Denise Grimsley, R-Sebring, would allow Florida nurses who receive multi-state licenses to practice in other states that are part of the compact. Nurses from the other states would also be able to practice in Florida.
Supporters of the proposal say, in part, that it could help address nursing shortages in Florida.
