Opposing chambers of Michigan’s Legislature reach deal on medical licensure compact bill 

The respective chambers of the Michigan Legislature will move forward with a set of bills continuing Michigan’s commitment to an interstate medical licensure compact that became law in 2019, House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) announced Thursday.

The compact allowed out-of-state doctors the ability to practice in Michigan, as the agreement aligned standards in both Michigan and other states who also signed on.

The deal would see the Senate pass the House version of the package, House Bill 5455, on Tuesday when the Senate comes in for session next Tuesday and send it to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to sign into law.

Michigan joined the compact when the law was passed and signed during Whitmer’s first term, but the agreement had a sunset date of 2022. That was pushed back to expire on March 28 of this year, and was set to lapse if lawmakers couldn’t get it together to reach another deal.

According to Gongwer News Service, a Lansing-based political newsletter and information service, the legislation, which also included the upper chamber’s Senate Bill 303, hit a standstill and no one was quite sure why.

If the law was set to lapse, thousands of doctors and physicians who received their licensure through the compact would lose those licenses.

State Sen. Roger Hauck (R-Mount Pleasant) sponsored SB 303, whereas state Rep. Rylee Linting (R-Wyandotte) sponsored HB 5455.

Hauck’s bill passed the Senate last year but sat dormant when it was referred to the House Rules Committee. Linting’s bill passed in the House in February of this year.

The stalemate was going down to the wire with the House set to take its spring break next week and the Senate to begin its spring break a week later. But something broke in the negotiations over which of the bills would be sent to Whitmer, with Linting’s legislation winning the day.

Hall held a news conference on Thursday to announce the deal, which also featured Linting.

“When I first took office, it was brought to my attention that Michigan was approaching a sunset date very quickly when it came to our membership in the interstate medical licensure compact,” Linting said. “This meant 8000 physicians, maybe more, being forced out of our state. What does that mean for wait times, accessibility and cost? It was unacceptable. We had to make sure that we remained in this compact that we’ve been in … with great success.”

Linting said it was her estimation that 100,000 patients could have been affected if at least one of the bills to continue Michigan’s participation in the compact didn’t reach Whitmer’s desk by March 28.

Linting also thanked Hall for getting the deal done with Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids).

The Michigan Health and Hospital Association praised the breakthrough in negotiations.

“Leadership in both chambers identified and prioritized protecting Michigan patients and preserving care in our communities,” said Brian Peters, the association’s CEO, in a statement. “We’re eager to see this important piece of legislation advance to Gov. Whitmer and look forward to her swift signature.”

Peters said the compact not only streamlined the process for licensing qualified physicians, it also strengthened the state’s ability to recruit top talent and fill critical staffing gaps at a faster rate.

“For many hospitals, especially those serving rural or border communities, the Compact supports access to care in high-demand specialties such as emergency medicine, psychiatry, obstetrics and primary care,” he said. “We appreciate the legislature’s commitment to preserving a tool that enhances workforce flexibility and protects access to timely care.”

The bill is being tie-barred with an unrelated piece of legislation amending the current statute for downtown development authorities, sponsored by state Rep. Jay DeBoyer (R-Clay). That bill will specifically benefit a community in DeBoyer’s district.

Selfridge deal still out of reach

Although the Senate and House came to terms on the compact issue, the chambers have not yet nailed down a deal to fund vital runway repairs at the Selfridge Air National Guard base in Harrison Township.

The air base was approved for a new fighter mission by President Donald Trump last year after heavy lobbying from Whitmer and Hall. The base is set to receive updated F-15EX Eagle fighter jets, but not before the base is updated with heavy renovations.

Michigan House approves money for Selfridge runway overhaul, work project funding left in limbo

One of the main upgrades needed at the base are new runways, which the state agreed to spend $152 million to help ease the process along. Hall had previously said that the project would take longer if the state didn’t pony up some of the cash to help the updates. The investment of state cash for the runways would help move the project along on an accelerated timeline.

The aggressive timeline had Whitmer’s blessing, Hall said, but it needed buy-in from both chambers of the Legislature to meet that timeline.

That, too, appears to be stalled and remains up in the air.

“I was really hopeful today that we would get a deal on that,” said Hall, who proclaimed himself Lansing’s greatest deal maker at several news conferences held by the speaker this week. “We don’t have a deal yet, and we know that as the Senate Democrats drag their feet on that, they’re jeopardizing the mission. We really need to get that done before the end of the legislative work here, probably really by next week. We’ve got to get a deal in place. I was disappointed we didn’t get a deal.”

That said, Hall did thank Brinks, at least, for the deal reached on the medical licensure compact.

“Leader Brinks stood up and figured out a way to get it done,” Hall said. “Now I wish others would have been able to show that leadership, but Winnie Brinks stood up and got the job done on the Senate side, and we found a deal.”