Earlier this week the Electricity Advisory Committee (EAC) encouraged the US Department of Energy (DOE) to more actively engage in efforts to support the Electrical Transmission Line Siting Compact.  The compact, which was developed by CSG’s National Center for Interstate Compacts, is intended to improve efficiencies and create standardization during the siting process by establishing common applications, joint hearings, predetermined timelines, uniform public comment periods, and a common record for judicial review.

A team of subject matter experts who are tasked with drafting an EMS Licensure Compact will meet for the first time next week in Washington, DC.  The meeting is being convened jointly by CSG’s National Center for Interstate Compacts and the National Association of State EMS Officials. 

The US Dept. of Education recently announced a series of public hearings to solicit comments on a host of topics, including, but not limited to:

• State Authorization
• Gainful employment;
• Credit Hour Conversions; and
• Campus Safety.

The first of these hearings occurred May 21 in Washington, DC.  In the course of the discussion Department officials received considerable testimony about state authorization, including the difficulties of complying with varying state authorization requirements for institutions wishing to offer degree programs in multiple states.  During the testimony there was considerable support for The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) and other forms of interstate compacts that would allow states to govern distance learning short of federal regulations. 

Population growth, an aging population and a dramatic rise in the number of insured Americans resulting from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act are creating a growing need for more primary care physicians nationwide. Despite the growing demand for health services, only 6 percent of doctors are licensed in three or more states, according to Lisa Robin, chief advocacy officer for the Federation of State Medical Boards. One possible solution to growing concerns about physician shortages may be an increased on license portability as a means to promote telehealth and allow doctors to more easily work across state lines. 

Interstate licensing compacts are not new.  Compacts such as the Driver’s License Compact, the Nurse Licensure Compact, and the Interstate Compact on Licensure of Participants in Horse Racing with Pari-Mutual Wagering have each been in existence for over 10 years.  In the last year though there has been a renewed emphasis on the development of licensing compacts. 

Late last month the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case of the Tarrant Regional Water District v. Herrmann.  At issue in the case is whether the Tarrant Regional Water District in Texas has the right to access water from the Red River in Oklahoma under the terms of the Red River Compact.  The case has received considerable attention for its potential impact on rapidly growing metropolitan areas facing water shortages and its potential impact on resource management compacts.

More than 6.7 million college students took at least one online course during the 2011-12 school year, making online classes the fastest growing segment in higher education. But while students across the country seem to be rapidly embracing online education, federal and state laws have some catching up to do. States have adopted numerous approaches to authorizing and regulating online higher education over the past two decades. This confusion has limited student access and created an inconsistent regulatory process for institutions seeking approvals to operate in multiple states.

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in April 2013, in the matter of Tarrant Regional Water District v. Herrmann. While the specifics of the case pertain to a dispute between Texas and Oklahoma over water from the Red River, the court’s ruling will be watched closely by the numerous interstate compacts that regulate shared bodies of water.