The House on Monday passed a bill that would remove the requirement that certified nurse practitioners and certified nurse midwives hold collaborative agreements with a physician on an 62-6 vote.
Senate Bill 61 previously passed the Senate on a 35-0 vote, but the legislation narrowly escaped the House Health and Human Services Committee last week on an 8-5 vote.
The bill would remove the requirement that certified nurse practitioners and certified nurse midwives hold collaborative agreements with a physician would put licensing solely under the South Dakota Board of Nursing, as opposed to the nursing board sharing that role with the South Dakota Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners. A CNM or CNP would need 1,040 hours of experience to operate independently, or they would have to hold a collaborative agreement with a physician or licensed CNM or CNP.
A floor amendment to up the required training hours to 2,000 failed on a 19-49 vote.
SDAHO did not take a formal position on the bill, as members of the Public Policy Council employee both doctors and nurses.
