Committee advances bill expanding licensing training and provisional licenses for internationally trained physicians

The Joint Ways and Means Committee on June 26 amended and reported out Senate Bill 476, which expands training definitions for professional licensing boards and allows the Oregon Medical Board to establish a provisional license category for internationally trained physicians.

Representative Valderrama introduced the work session and said SB 476 “expands training requirements for professional licensing boards and permits the Oregon Medical Board to establish a provisional license for internationally trained physicians.” The dash B6 conflict amendment aligns definitions such as “approved internship” and “approved school of medicine” with those in the enrolled version of Senate Bill 874 and adds definitions for “approved training program” and “internationally trained physician.”

Representative Valderrama recommended SB 476 “be amended by the dash B6 conflict amendment and be reported out due pass as amended.” Committee discussion included expressions of support and routine procedural remarks; Senator Girod said she would be “a yes on the amendment.” The committee moved the bill forward and recorded the motion as passed.

The action aligns SB 476 with SB 874 definitions to avoid inconsistencies across statutes governing medical licensure and training. The committee’s report-out forwards the amended bill to the next legislative step for further floor consideration.