Connecticut Joins Nurse Licensure Compact Effective October 1

Connecticut has officially joined the 43 jurisdictions participating in the nurse licensure compact (NLC), effective Wednesday, October 1, 2025.  The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) circulated a letter to nursing employers that provides an overview of the compact.

Through the compact — in which nurse licenses function similarly to driver’s licenses — nurses licensed in their home state can practice in any compact state without obtaining additional licenses.  This change will have implications for nurses employed in Connecticut who live in other compact states, which include Rhode Island, soon Massachusetts, and 40 other states.  Nurses with compact privileges will no longer renew their Connecticut license, as their home state license authorizes practice here.

The Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA) testified in support of Connecticut joining the compact when proposed during the 2024 Legislative Session in HB 5058, An Act Adopting The Nurse Licensure Compact, enacted as Public Act 24-83, as an effort to maintain the momentum Connecticut has built to grow and support the healthcare workforce and help make Connecticut more competitive in attracting nurses into the state.

CHA will be scheduling an issue-based forum with DPH to provide members with more information about the compact.

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