Senate advances occupational-therapy licensure compact, flags small revenue impact and implementation costs

The Vermont Senate on April 19 heard committee reports and advanced H247, which would adopt the Occupational Therapy Licensure Compact to ease cross-border licensing for occupational therapists and address labor shortages.

On behalf of the Health and Welfare Committee, the reporting senator described the compact's goals: "increase the public's access to occupational therapist services through mutual recognition of other states' licenses," support military spouses, and enhance exchange of investigative information among member states. The bill updates 26 VSA, chapter 71, creates a compact commission (Vermont would have one seat), and sets fee and background-check requirements for participating licensees.

The reporter said the compact would set a $50 privilege-to-practice fee for out-of-state compact licensees and a $180 fee for Vermont in-state licensees and estimated a modest revenue loss to Vermont of roughly $19,000 per year from out-of-state licensees no longer obtaining a full Vermont license. Appropriations committee members noted an estimated $10,000 implementation cost to the Secretary of State and said the Office of Professional Regulation's revenue effects would be addressed within the budget process. Multiple committees recommended the bill and the Senate ordered it for third reading.

The floor record includes committee vote counts reported in committee (e.g., '500' and '700' votes in committee reports appear in the transcript as committee tallies), and the Appropriations Committee voted unanimously to support the bill. The transcript does not record final Senate passage of the bill on this date; senators ordered third reading.