State health officials and nursing advocates offered differing perspectives Tuesday over legislation that would allow Alaska to join a multi-state nursing licensure compact, citing both workforce benefits and safety concerns. Senate Bill 124 would enable Alaska to join the Nurse Licensure Compact, allowing nurses with multi-state licenses to practice immediately in Alaska without obtaining separate state licensing. The measure has become the Department of Commerce's top legislative priority for three consecutive years. Commissioner Heidi Hedberg told the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee that Alaska faces a critical shortage of 1,100 nurses statewide while graduating only 350 licensed nurses annually. Hedberg argued that compact membership would help address workforce shortages by streamlining the process for qualified nurses to work in Alaska. The state risks losing millions in federal rural health transformation funding if it fails to implement the compact by the end of 2027, Hedberg said. "Alaska received the second highest award in the nation" at $272 million for the federal rural health program, Hedberg noted, adding that compact membership was a key commitment in the grant application. Currently, 43 states and territories participate in the compact, which has operated for 25 years. Alaska Board of Nursing Chair Jeanette Schlater said a 2023 survey showed 92 percent of Alaska nurses support joining the compact. However, the Alaska Nurses Association President opposed the legislation, arguing it would "undermine state oversight" and distract from addressing "unsafe working conditions, dangerously high patient-to-nurse-ratios, chronic understaffing, and burnout." The president testified that "the nurses are still here" but noted that "many have been driven away from the bedside, not because they stopped caring, but because the system made it impossible to provide the care patients deserve." State officials said Alaska would retain full regulatory authority over nursing practice and could investigate and discipline any nurse working in the state, regardless of where their license was issued.