PA Licensure Compact Momentum Continues as Michigan Joins as 29^th Member State

July 22, 2026

Michigan has taken an important step forward for patients and the PA profession! With Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s signing of HB 4309, Michigan has become the 29^th member of the PA Licensure Compact, advancing a growing effort to expand and improve licensure portability for PAs.

“The enactment of the PA Licensure Compact marks a transformative milestone for healthcare in Michigan,” said Michigan Academy of Physician Associates (MAPA) President Julia Burkhardt, MS, PA-C. “By removing burdensome administrative red tape and enabling multi-state license portability, HB 4309 ensures that highly qualified PAs can deliver timely, high-quality care where it is needed most—especially in our rural and medically underserved communities. On behalf of MAPA, I want to thank Representative Dave Prestin and our bipartisan legislative partners for recognizing the crucial role PAs play in strengthening Michigan’s healthcare workforce. Joining this compact not only modernizes our licensure framework and expands telehealth access, but it keeps patient care at the center of everything we do.”

The PA Licensure Compact enables eligible PAs to obtain a compact privilege to practice in other member states without needing to complete duplicative licensure processes. By reducing administrative barriers and helping streamline the path to practice, the compact supports a more flexible healthcare workforce and can help improve timely access to care for patients.

“The free flow of goods and services across state lines has been a bedrock principle of our nation’s economic success and now, thanks to the PA Licensure Compact, that same principle extends to healthcare and PA practice,” said MAPA Immediate Past President Michael White, PA-C. “We are deeply grateful to the Michigan Legislature for passing this legislation, which will allow patients to access care across state lines more efficiently and give Michigan PAs access to an expanded employment market. We also extend our thanks to our lobbyists, who skillfully guided this bill across the finish line in a challenging political environment, and to everyone who supported this effort throughout the year.”

With 29 states now participating, the PA Licensure Compact continues to gain momentum as a national solution for reducing barriers to PA practice across state lines.

The PA Compact Commission, the intergovernmental agency responsible for administering the compact, anticipates PAs will have access to compact privileges by early-to-mid 2027.

To learn more about the PA Licensure Compact and current member states, visit AAPA’s website.

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