Sec. 1. 32 MRSA §2205-A, sub-§1, ¶B, as enacted by PL 1985, c. 361, §2, is amended to read:

B. Has been duly licensed by examination by the nursing board of a state or territory of the United States or a province of Canada, provided that the examination is considered by the board to be equivalent in all essentials to Maine's examination and provided that the license of the applicant is in good standing and that there is no cause for suspension or revocation of that license. Acceptable examinations include the State Board Examination, State Board Test Pool Examination, the National Council Licensure Examination and, for a person licensed prior to December 31, 2006, the Canadian Nurses' Association Testing Service Examination; and

Sec. 2. 32 MRSA §2254-A, sub-§1, ¶B, as enacted by PL 1985, c. 361, §4, is amended to read:

B. Has been duly licensed by examination by the nursing board of a state or territory of the United States or a province of Canada, provided that the examination is considered by the board to be equivalent in all essentials to Maine's examination and provided that the license of the applicant is in good standing and that there is no cause for suspension or revocation of that license. Acceptable examinations include the State Board Test Pool Examination, the National Council Licensure Examination and, for a person licensed prior to December 31, 2006, the Canadian Nurses' Association Testing Service Examination; and

SUMMARY

Under this bill, acceptance of the Canadian Nurses' Association Testing Service Examination for licensure of nurses in the State ends on December 31, 2006, after which the exam standard must match higher federal requirements.