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To: Public Health and Human
Services
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026
By: Representatives Carpenter, Harris,
Morgan
HOUSE BILL NO. 646
AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 73-15-21, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, 1
PROVIDE THAT PERSONS WHO HAVE COMPLETED THE TRAINING REQUIRED FOR 2
A UNITED STATES COAST GUARD HEALTH SERVICES TECHNICIAN AND THEN 3
COMPLETED TWO YEARS OF CLINICAL EXPERIENCE THAT INVOLVES PROVIDING 4
DIRECT PATIENT CARE, SHALL BE AUTHORIZED TO TAKE THE EXAMINATION 5
TO BE LICENSED AS A LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSE; AND FOR RELATED 6
PURPOSES. 7
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 8
SECTION 1. Section 73-15-21, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 9
amended as follows: 10
73-15-21. (1) Licensed practical nurse applicant 11
qualifications. Any applicant for a license to practice practical 12
nursing as a licensed practical nurse shall submit to the board: 13
(a) An attested written application on a Board of 14
Nursing form; 15
(b) A diploma from an approved high school or the 16
equivalent thereof, as determined by the appropriate educational 17
agency; 18
(c) Written official evidence of completion of a 19
practical nursing program approved by the State Department of 20
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Education through its Division of Vocational Education, or one 21
approved by a legal accrediting agency of another state, territory 22
or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia, or a 23
foreign country which is satisfactory to this board; 24
(d) Evidence of competence in English related to 25
nursing, provided the first language is not English; 26
(e) Any other official records required by the board. 27
(2) Licensed practical nurse applicant qualifications for 28
military medics. Any applicant for a license to practice 29
practical nursing as a licensed practical nurse who is a United 30
States Army Combat Medic Specialist, a United States Navy Hospital 31
Corpsman, * * * a United States Air Force Aerospace Medical 32
Service Specialist, or a United States Coast Guard Health Services 33
Technician shall submit to the board: 34
(a) An attested written application on a Board of 35
Nursing form; 36
(b) A diploma from an approved high school or the 37
equivalent thereof, as determined by the appropriate educational 38
agency; 39
(c) Written official evidence of completion of the 40
training required for a United States Army Combat Medic 41
Specialist, a United States Navy Hospital Corpsman, * * * a United 42
States Air Force Aerospace Medical Service Specialist, or a United 43
States Coast Guard Health Services Technician, and after such 44
training, completion of two (2) years of clinical experience that 45
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involves providing direct patient care, which may include trauma 46
or emergency oriented care; 47
(d) Evidence of competence in English related to 48
nursing, provided the first language is not English; 49
(e) Any other official records required by the board. 50
(3) Additional requirements for applicants. In addition to 51
the requirements specified in paragraphs (a) through (e) of 52
subsection (1) or (2) of this section, in order to qualify for a 53
license to practice practical nursing as a licensed practical 54
nurse, an applicant must have successfully been cleared for 55
licensure through an investigation that shall consist of a 56
determination as to good moral character and verification that the 57
prospective licensee is not guilty of or in violation of any 58
statutory ground for denial of licensure as set forth in Section 59
73-15-29 or guilty of any offense specified in Section 73-15-33. 60
To assist the board in conducting its licensure investigation, all 61
applicants shall undergo a fingerprint-based criminal history 62
records check of the Mississippi central criminal database and the 63
Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal history database. Each 64
applicant shall submit a full set of his or her fingerprints in a 65
form and manner prescribed by the board, which shall be forwarded 66
to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety (department) and 67
the Federal Bureau of Investigation Identification Division for 68
this purpose. 69
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Any and all state or national criminal history records 70
information obtained by the board that is not already a matter of 71
public record shall be deemed nonpublic and confidential 72
information restricted to the exclusive use of the board, its 73
members, officers, investigators, agents and attorneys in 74
evaluating the applicant's eligibility or disqualification for 75
licensure, and shall be exempt from the Mississippi Public Records 76
Act of 1983. Except when introduced into evidence in a hearing 77
before the board to determine licensure, no such information or 78
records related thereto shall, except with the written consent of 79
the applicant or by order of a court of competent jurisdiction, be 80
released or otherwise disclosed by the board to any other person 81
or agency. 82
The board shall provide to the department the fingerprints of 83
the applicant, any additional information that may be required by 84
the department, and a form signed by the applicant consenting to 85
the check of the criminal records and to the use of the 86
fingerprints and other identifying information required by the 87
state or national repositories. 88
The board shall charge and collect from the applicant, in 89
addition to all other applicable fees and costs, such amount as 90
may be incurred by the board in requesting and obtaining state and 91
national criminal history records information on the applicant. 92
The board may, in its discretion, refuse to accept the 93
application of any person who has been convicted of a criminal 94
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offense under any provision of Title 97 of the Mississippi Code of 95
1972, as now or hereafter amended, or any provision of this 96
article. 97
(4) Licensure by examination. (a) Upon the board being 98
satisfied that an applicant for a license as a practical nurse has 99
met the qualifications set forth in subsection (1) or (2) of this 100
section and subsection (3) of this section, the board shall 101
proceed to examine such applicant in such subjects as the board 102
shall, in its discretion, determine. The subjects in which 103
applicants shall be examined shall be in conformity with curricula 104
in schools of practical nursing approved by the State Department 105
of Education. 106
(b) The applicant shall be required to pass the written 107
examination selected by the board. 108
(c) Upon successful completion of such examination, the 109
board shall issue to the applicant a license to practice as a 110
licensed practical nurse. 111
(d) The board may use any part or all of the state 112
board test pool examination for practical nurse licensure, its 113
successor examination, or any other nationally standardized 114
examination identified by the board in its rules. The passing 115
score shall be established by the board in its rules. 116
(5) Licensure by endorsement. The board may issue a license 117
to practice practical nursing as a licensed practical nurse 118
without examination to an applicant who has been duly licensed as 119
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a licensed practical nurse under the laws of another state, 120
territory or possession of the United States, the District of 121
Columbia, or a foreign country if, in the opinion of the board, 122
the applicant meets the qualifications required of licensed 123
practical nurses in this state and has previously achieved the 124
passing score or scores on the licensing examination required by 125
this state at the time of his or her graduation. The issuance of 126
a license by endorsement to a military-trained applicant, military 127
spouse or person who establishes residence in this state shall be 128
subject to the provisions of Section 73-50-1 or 73-50-2, as 129
applicable. 130
(6) Licensure by equivalent amount of theory and clinical 131
experience. In the discretion of the board, former students of a 132
state-accredited school preparing students to become registered 133
nurses may be granted permission to take the examination for 134
licensure to practice as a licensed practical nurse, provided the 135
applicant's record or transcript indicates the former student 136
completed an equivalent amount of theory and clinical experiences 137
as required of a graduate of a practical nursing program, and 138
provided the school attended was, at the time of the student's 139
attendance, an accredited school of nursing. 140
(7) Requirements for rewriting the examination. The board 141
shall establish in its rules the requirements for rewriting the 142
examination for those persons failing the examination on the first 143
writing or subsequent writing. 144
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(8) Fee. The applicant applying for a license by 145
examination or by endorsement to practice as a licensed practical 146
nurse shall pay a fee not to exceed Sixty Dollars ($60.00) to the 147
board. 148
(9) Temporary permit. (a) The board may issue a temporary 149
permit to practice practical nursing to a graduate of an approved 150
school of practical nursing pending the results of the examination 151
in Mississippi, and to a qualified applicant from another state, 152
territory or possession of the United States, or the District of 153
Columbia, pending licensing procedures as provided for elsewhere 154
in this article. The fee shall not exceed Twenty-five Dollars 155
($25.00). 156
(b) The board may issue a temporary permit for a period 157
of ninety (90) days to a licensed practical nurse who is currently 158
licensed in another state, territory or possession of the United 159
States or the District of Columbia and who is an applicant for 160
licensure by endorsement. Such permit is not renewable except by 161
board action. The issuance of a temporary permit to a 162
military-trained applicant, military spouse or person who 163
establishes residence in this state shall be subject to the 164
provisions of Section 73-50-1 or 73-50-2, as applicable. 165
(c) The board may issue a temporary permit to a 166
graduate of an approved practical nursing education program or an 167
equivalent program satisfactory to the board pending the results 168
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of the first licensing examination scheduled after application. 169
Such permit is not renewable except by board action. 170
(d) The board may issue a temporary permit for a period 171
of thirty (30) days to any licensed practical nurse during the 172
time enrolled in a nursing reorientation program. This time 173
period may be extended by board action. The fee shall not exceed 174
Twenty-five Dollars ($25.00). 175
(e) The board may adopt such regulations as are 176
necessary to limit the practice of persons to whom temporary 177
permits are issued. 178
(10) Title and abbreviation. Any person who holds a license 179
or holds the privilege to practice as a licensed practical nurse 180
in this state shall have the right to use the title "licensed 181
practical nurse" and the abbreviation "L.P.N." No other person 182
shall assume such title or use such abbreviation, or any words, 183
letters, signs or devices to indicate that a person using the same 184
is a licensed practical nurse. 185
(11) Licensed practical nurses licensed under a previous 186
law. Any person holding a license to practice nursing as a 187
practical nurse issued by this board which is valid on July 1, 188
1981, shall thereafter be deemed to be licensed as a practical 189
nurse under the provisions of this article upon payment of the fee 190
prescribed in Section 73-15-27. 191
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ST: Nurses; authorize US Coast Guard Health
Services Technicians to take exam to be licensed
as an LPN.
(12) Each application or filing made under this section 192
shall include the social security number(s) of the applicant in 193
accordance with Section 93-11-64. 194
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from 195
and after July 1, 2026. 196