West Virginia Code § 30-1-27

Universal Professional and Occupational Licensing Act of 2025
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(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this code to the contrary, every board of
examination or registration in this chapter shall issue an occupational or professional
license, registration, or certificate without examination in the discipline applied for and at
the same practice level as determined by the board of examination or registration, to a
person who either: e
(1) Establishes residence in this state; or
(2) Is married to an active-duty member of the armed forces of thue United States and has
accompanied the member to an official permanent change of station to a military installation
located in this state.
(b) To qualify for a license under this section, a persona listed in subdivision (1) or (2),
subsection (a) of this section must apply to a board of examination or registration in this
chapter for a license in a particular discipline and mleet all of the following criteria:
(1) The person is currently licensed, registered, or certified in at least one other state in the
discipline applied for and at the same pracitice level as determined by the board of
examination or registration in this chapter;
(2) The person's license, registration, or certification is in good standing in all states in
which the person holds a license, registration, or certification;
(3) The person has been licensed, registered, or certified by another state: Provided, That for
professions regulated by §30-3-1 et seq. or §30-14-1 et seq. of this code, the person has been
licensed to practice m edicine, podiatric medicine, or osteopathic medicine without clinical
supervision afVter successfully completing a graduate medical education program approved
by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, the American Osteopathic
Association, or the Council on Podiatric Medical Education or Colleges of Podiatric
Medicine: Provided further, That for professions regulated by §30-4-1 et seq. of this code,
the person shall have completed a clinical hand-skills exam;
(4) The person was licensed, registered, or certified by another state where there were
minimum education requirements and, if applicable, work experience and clinical
supervision requirements in effect and the other state verifies that the person met those
requirements in order to be licensed, registered, or certified in that state;
(5) The person previously passed any examinations, written or clinical, required for the
license, registration, or certification if required by the other state;
(6) The person has not had a license, registration, or certificate revoked or has not
voluntarily surrendered a license, registration, or certificate in any other state or country
while under investigation for unprofessional conduct;
(7) The person has not had any other form of discipline imposed by any other regulating
entity: Provided, That if another state's regulating entity has taken disciplinary action
against the person, a board of examination or registration in this state may issue the person
a license, registration, or certificate if it determines the cause of action in the other state
was corrected and the matter fully resolved. If the matter has not been resolved in the other
state, the board of examination or registration in this state may not issue or deny a license
until the matter is resolved; e
(8) The person pays all applicable fees in this state; and r
(9) The person does not have a disqualifying criminal history as duetermined by the board of
examination or registration in this state.
(c) This section does not prevent a board of examination or registration in this chapter from
entering into a reciprocity agreement with another staate or jurisdiction for persons married
to active duty members of the armed forces of the United States, except that the agreement
may not allow out-of-state licensees or certificate hlolders to obtain a license or certificate by
reciprocity in this state if the applicant has nost met standards that are substantially
equivalent to or greater than the standards required in this state as determined by the
regulating entity on a case-by-case basis.
(d) Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this section, a board of examination or registration in
this chapter that administers an examination on laws of this state as part of its license,
registration, or certificate process may require a person who applies for a license,
registration, or certification under this section to take and pass an examination specific to
the laws of this state.
(e) A person who is licensed pursuant to this section is subject to the laws regulating the
person's practice in this state and is subject to the jurisdiction of the board of examination or
registration who issued the license, registration, or certification under this section.
(f) This section does not apply to:
(1) Any license authorizing a person to practice law in this state;
(2) Any state board of examination or registration that is subject to direct oversight by a
federal agency and has requirements for licensure or certification that are less restrictive
than those outlined in this section; or
(3) Any requirement for a state or national criminal history record check that a board may
require pursuant to any provision of this chapter.
(g) A license or certificate issued pursuant to this section is valid only in this state and does
not grant the person compact privilege under an interstate compact. A board of examination
or registration in this chapter may determine eligibility for a person to be licensed or
certified under this section if the person is not part of an interstate compact.
(h) All boards of examination or registration in this chapter shall prominently print the
following notice on all license, registration, and certificate applications and websites:
Pursuant to W. Va. Code §30-1-27, a person shall be granted an occupational or professional
license, registration, or certificate if the person has been licensed or certified in another
state, the license, registration, or certificate is in the same discipline and at the same
practice level as the license, registration, or certificate for which the persone is applying in
this state and the person meets other conditions prescribed by W. Va. Code §30-1-27.
(i) Beginning July 1, 2025, all boards of examination or registration that are required to issue
occupational or professional licenses, registrations, or certificateus pursuant to this section
shall track information about applications received and submit and report that information
to the Secretary of the Department of Commerce and the Setnate and House Committees on
Government Organization on or before the fifteenth day following the end of each quarter.

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