Pennsylvania HB 2390: An Act authorizing the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to join the Respiratory Care Interstate Compact; providing for the form of the compact; and imposing additional powers and duties on the Governor, the Secretary of the Commonwealth and the Respiratory Care Interstate Compact.

Bill Text

PRINTER'S NO. 3210
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 2390
Session of
2026
INTRODUCED BY MALAGARI, SCHEUREN, HILL-EVANS, GUENST, VENKAT,
HOHENSTEIN, SANCHEZ, RIVERA, GALLAGHER, HANBIDGE, JAMES,
BOROWSKI, DEASY, CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, LABS, GILLEN AND ARMANINI,
APRIL 15, 2026
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE, APRIL 16, 2026
AN ACT
Authorizing the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to join the
Respiratory Care Interstate Compact; providing for the form
of the compact; and imposing additional powers and duties on
the Governor, the Secretary of the Commonwealth and the
Respiratory Care Interstate Compact.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Short title.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the Respiratory
Care Interstate Compact Act.
Section 2. Authority to execute compact.
The Governor, on behalf of this State, is hereby authorized
to execute a compact in substantially the following form with
any one or more of the states of the United States and the
General Assembly hereby signifies in advance its approval and
ratification of such compact:
RESPIRATORY CARE INTERSTATE COMPACT
SECTION 1. TITLE AND PURPOSE
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18

A. The purpose of this Compact is to facilitate the
interstate Practice of Respiratory Therapy with the goal of
improving public access to Respiratory Therapy services by
providing Respiratory Therapists licensed in a Member State the
ability to practice in other Member States. The Compact
preserves the regulatory authority of states to protect public
health and safety through the current system of State licensure.
B. This Compact is designed to achieve the following
objectives:
1. Increase public access to Respiratory Therapy
services by creating a responsible, streamlined pathway for
Licensees to practice in Member States with the goal of
improving outcomes for patients;
2. Enhance States' ability to protect the public's
health and safety;
3. Promote the cooperation of Member States in
regulating the Practice of Respiratory Therapy within those
Member States;
4. Ease administrative burdens on States by encouraging
the cooperation of Member States in regulating multi-state
Respiratory Therapy practice;
5. Support relocating Active Military Members and their
spouses; and
6. Promote mobility and address workforce shortages.
SECTION 2. DEFINITIONS
As used in this Compact, unless the context requires
otherwise, the following definitions shall apply:
A. "Active Military Member" means any person with a full-
time duty status in the armed forces of the United States,
including members of the National Guard and Reserve.
20260HB2390PN3210 - 2 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30

B. "Adverse Action" means any administrative, civil,
equitable, or criminal action permitted by a State's laws which
is imposed by any State authority with regulatory authority over
Respiratory Therapists, such as license denial, censure,
revocation, suspension, probation, monitoring of the Licensee,
or restriction on the Licensee's practice, not including
participation in an Alternative Program.
C. "Alternative Program" means a non-disciplinary monitoring
or practice remediation process applicable to a Respiratory
Therapist approved by any State authority with regulatory
authority over Respiratory Therapists. This includes, but is not
limited to, programs to which Licensees with substance abuse or
addiction issues are referred in lieu of Adverse Action.
D. "Charter Member States" means those Member States who
were the first seven states to enact the Compact into the laws
of their State.
E. "Commission" or "Respiratory Care Interstate Compact
Commission" means the government instrumentality and body
politic whose membership consists of all Member States that have
enacted the Compact.
F. "Commissioner" means the individual appointed by a Member
State to serve as the member of the Commission for that Member
State.
G. "Compact" means the Respiratory Care Interstate Compact.
H. "Compact Privilege" means the authorization granted by a
Remote State to allow a Licensee from another Member State to
practice as a Respiratory Therapist in the Remote State under
the Remote State's laws and Rules. The Practice of Respiratory
Therapy occurs in the Member State where the patient is located
at the time of the patient encounter.
20260HB2390PN3210 - 3 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30

I. "Criminal Background Check" means the submission by the
Member State of fingerprints or other biometric-based
information on license applicants at the time of initial
licensing for the purpose of obtaining that applicant's criminal
history record information, as defined in 28 C.F.R. § 20.3 (d)
or successor provision, from the Federal Bureau of Investigation
and the State's criminal history record repository, as defined
in 28 C.F.R. § 20.3 (f) or successo