HB 10 New Mexico House · 2026 Regular Session

PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT INTERSTATE COMPACT

HB 10 establishes the Physician Assistant Licensure Interstate Compact, allowing physician assistants (PAs) licensed in one participating state to practice in other participating states without needing separate licenses. It requires states to mutually recognize PAs' licenses and mandates that PAs practice under the jurisdiction of the state where the patient is located at the time of care. The compact specifically benefits military families by enabling active-duty personnel and their spouses to use their home state license in other participating states, while states retain authority to take disciplinary action against PAs for safety concerns. This eliminates licensing barriers for PAs working across state lines while maintaining patient safety standards.

Issues: ✓ Healthcare

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Feb 2026

House Passage

Jan 2026

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Jan 17, 2026 Last action Mar 24, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

introduced version → JC substitute · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was revised from its introduced version to a House Judiciary Committee substitute, which significantly expanded the scope of the legislation by adding requirements for criminal background checks, amending the Medical Practice Act, and including provisions to prohibit employers from requiring PAs to seek Interstate Compact licensure as a condition of employment. The changes also add new sections to the Physician Assistant Act and modify the Medical Board's duties to include criminal history background checks for applicants.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to include mandatory criminal background checks for physician assistant licensure applicants and added protections against employer discrimination based on a PA's participation in the Interstate Compact.

REQUIREMENT

Added mandatory criminal background check requirements for physician assistant license applicants, including submission of fingerprints for state and federal criminal history reports.

ELIGIBILITY

Added a new section prohibiting employers from requiring physician assistants to seek licensure through the Interstate Compact as a condition of employment.

ENFORCEMENT

Amended the Medical Practice Act to require the Medical Board to prescribe procedures for submitting fingerprints for criminal history background reports and to obtain state and national criminal history record information on applicants.

DEFINITION

Added comprehensive definitions for terms including 'criminal background check,' 'data system,' 'compact privilege,' and 'remote state' to support the Interstate Compact framework.

TIMELINE

Added provisions establishing the effective date of the compact as occurring when the statute is enacted in the seventh participating state, with a wind-up period of at least one year for states withdrawing from the compact.

Floor votes · House Jan 28, 2026

How they voted

64–0

Passed · 2 other

Total votes 66

Jan 28, 2026

D Democratic40

39 Yea 1

97% Yea

R Republican26

25 Yea 1

96% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 14, 2026

Upper · Passed

DO PASS, as amended, committee report adopted

upper

Jan 29, 2026

Introduced

Sent to Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee & Senate Judiciary Committee

upper

Jan 28, 2026

Lower · Passed

passed House

lower

Jan 27, 2026

Lower · Passed

DO NOT PASS, replaced with committee substitute

lower

Jan 21, 2026

Lower · Passed

DO PASS committee report adopted

lower

Jan 20, 2026

Introduced

Sent to House Health & Human Services Committee & House Judiciary Committee

lower

Jan 17, 2026

Introduced

Sent to House Pre-file

lower

5 primary · 0 co-sponsors