Update, February 19, 2019 at 9:50 a.m. CST:

The projected implementation date for Louisiana has changed from December 1, 2018, to July 1, 2019.

Original article:

Louisiana legislators passed Senate Bill 202 last Thursday, making Louisiana the 31st state to enter the Enhanced Nursing Licensure Compact, according to a Louisiana State Board of Nursing press release.

The bill, introduced by Sen. Barrow Peacock and Sen. Ronnie Johns on March 12 and signed into law last week, will enable Louisiana nurses to apply for compact licenses, which will allow them to work in any eNLC states without having to apply for a single state license.

It also means current compact license holders can apply for Louisiana jobs after the implementation date. The state has six months to establish eNLC processes, and the current projected implementation date is Dec. 1, 2018, according to the state board press release.

“[Passing] Senate Bill 202..was a team effort,” Sen. Peacock said in a statement to the Louisiana Hospital Association. “It was the way the process should work, and it was educating the members of the legislature of the importance of the nursing compact. This is a win for medical outcomes, for our nurses and for the great state of Louisiana.”

While the exact impact on travel nurse activity is hard to measure, states that join the eNLC have a proven track record of getting more attention from travelers soon after, according to StaffDNA job board data.

The eNLC went into effect early this year, updating the original Nursing Licensure Compact by adding uniform licensure and federal background check requirements.

Five non-NLC states joined the eNLC when it was implemented, and Kansas brought the total to six after passing legislation in March.

Of the remaining non-compact states, Indiana, Michigan, Rhode Island, New York, Vermont, Massachusetts and New Jersey currently have legislation in the works to join the eNLC.

To see a detailed map of all states in the enhanced Nursing Licensure Compact, click here.