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Read. Follow. Verify.Missouri establishes the Respiratory Care Interstate Compact to allow multi-state practice for respiratory therapists
Last action · April 21, 2026: Hearing Conducted S Emerging Issues and Professional Registration CommitteeSponsor: Patty Lewis
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What This Bill Would Do
Senate Bill 1519 establishes the Respiratory Care Interstate Compact, creating a streamlined pathway for licensed respiratory therapists to practice across participating member states. The measure sets requirements for state membership, defines s, establishes a regulatory commission, and mandates data sharing for adverse licensing actions.
Respiratory therapists holding an active license in a member state can obtain practice privileges in remote participating states without undergoing full separate licensing processes, subject to local scope of practice rules and jurisprudence requirements.
- Patty Lewis is a Democratic member of the Missouri Senate representing District 7. context
- Interstate occupational compacts are multi-state agreements that streamline licensing requirements for professionals across state lines. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Respiratory Therapists
Licensed respiratory therapists gain a streamlined pathway to obtain practice privileges in remote member states.
Respiratory Therapy Licensing Authority
State regulatory bodies must participate in the commission's data system, report adverse actions, and conduct criminal background checks.
Active Military Members and their spouses
Service members and their spouses can designate a home state license and are exempt from paying commission fees for compact privileges.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is required for a respiratory therapist to practice in a remote state under the compact?
How are active military members and their spouses affected by compact fees?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Check Your Understanding
1.According to the introduced version of 5905S.01I, what does the adoption of the Respiratory Care Interstate Compact expressly seek to facilitate?
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
3 actions- Apr 21, 2026SenateHearing Conducted S Emerging Issues and Professional Registration Committee
- Feb 5, 2026SenateFloorSecond Read and Referred S Emerging Issues and Professional Registration Committee
- Jan 7, 2026SenateIntroducedS First Read
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. The text on record is the 5905S.01I - Introduced version. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Creation of Interstate Licensure for Respiratory Care
The bill shifts respiratory therapy regulation from single-state licensing toward a multi-state compact model similar to nursing and physical therapy compacts.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.senate.mo.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy15Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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