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S. B. No. 2441 *SS36/R707CS* ~ OFFICIAL ~ G3/5
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To: Public Health and
Welfare
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026
By: Senator(s) Bryan
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
FOR
SENATE BILL NO. 2441
AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 73-25-23, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, 1
TO MODIFY THE LIMITED INSTITUTIONAL LICENSURE PROCESS BY 2
AUTHORIZING THE MISSISSIPPI STATE BOARD OF MEDICAL LICENSURE 3
(BOARD) TO ISSUE A LIMITED INSTITUTIONAL LICENSE FOR THE PRACTICE 4
OF MEDICINE IN STATE INSTITUTIONS TO CERTAIN GRADUATES OF FOREIGN 5
MEDICAL COLLEGES UPON REVIEW OF THE INDIVIDUAL'S APPLICATION AND 6
UPON THE SATISFACTION OF ALL REQUIREMENTS SET FORTH BY THE BOARD; 7
TO INCREASE FROM FIVE YEARS TO EIGHT YEARS THE PERIOD OF TIME THAT 8
A LIMITED INSTITUTIONAL LICENSE MAY BE HELD; TO AUTHORIZE THE 9
BOARD TO ISSUE A LIMITED LICENSE TO CERTAIN INTERNATIONALLY 10
TRAINED PHYSICIANS WITH OFFERS OF EMPLOYMENT IN MISSISSIPPI; TO 11
AUTHORIZE THE BOARD TO ISSUE A LIMITED LICENSE TO CERTAIN UNITED 12
STATES MEDICAL SCHOOL GRADUATES WHO INITIALLY FAIL TO MATCH WITH A 13
POSTGRADUATE RESIDENCY TRAINING PROGRAM; TO SET FORTH REQUIREMENTS 14
AND QUALIFICATIONS FOR APPLICANTS FOR INTERNATIONALLY TRAINED 15
PHYSICIAN (ITP) AND MEDICAL GRADUATE (MG) LIMITED LICENSES, AND TO 16
REGULATE THE PRACTICE OF SUCH LIMITED LICENSE HOLDERS; TO PROVIDE 17
THE PERIODS OF TIME FOR WHICH SUCH LIMITED LICENSES MAY BE HELD; 18
TO REQUIRE ITP LIMITED LICENSEES TO PRACTICE ONLY IN RURAL 19
COMMUNITIES OR MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED AREAS WITH A CURRENT SHORTAGE 20
OF PHYSICIANS; TO REQUIRE MG LIMITED LICENSEES TO ENTER INTO A 21
SUPERVISORY PRACTICE AGREEMENT WITH A SUPERVISING PHYSICIAN AND TO 22
REQUIRE MG LICENSEES TO PRACTICE ONLY IN COUNTIES WITH A 23
POPULATION OF LESS THAN 50,000; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 24
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 25
SECTION 1. Section 73-25-23, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 26
amended as follows: 27
73-25-23. (1) The Mississippi State Board of Medical 28
Licensure (board) is authorized and empowered to grant a limited 29
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license as described in this section. The board may establish 30
reasonable and uniform license fees and may make such rules and 31
regulations as it considers necessary to carry out the purposes of 32
this section. 33
(2) Limited institutional license. The * * * board * * * 34
is * * * authorized and empowered to grant a limited institutional 35
license for the practice of medicine in state institutions to 36
graduates of foreign medical colleges approved by the National 37
Educational Council for Foreign Medical Graduates or its 38
successor, subject to the conditions as set out * * * in this 39
subsection (2). 40
Any graduate of a foreign medical college approved by the 41
organizations specified in the foregoing paragraph who is employed 42
or is being considered for employment to practice medicine in one 43
or more Mississippi state-supported institution(s) located in the 44
same county shall make application for license to the * * * 45
board * * *. The application shall be made on a form prescribed 46
by the board * * * as required by laws of the State of 47
Mississippi. The application shall also state the institution or 48
institutions in which the applicant has assurance of employment. 49
The * * * board * * * is * * * authorized to establish minimum 50
standards of qualifications including moral, experience and 51
proficiency for such applicants. * * * Upon review of the 52
application, and upon the satisfaction of all requirements set 53
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forth by the board, the board may issue a limited institutional 54
license to practice medicine. 55
* * * 56
Such license shall be for one (1) year and shall be in such 57
form as the * * * board * * * shall prescribe, and shall be issued 58
for practice in a particular institution and shall not be 59
endorsable to another state. The license must be renewed 60
annually, after such review as the * * * board * * * considers 61
necessary. A graduate of a foreign medical school so licensed may 62
hold such limited institutional license no longer than * * * eight 63
(8) years. * * * In addition, the * * * board * * *, in its 64
discretion, may waive the * * * eight-year limitation on limited 65
institutional licenses for any graduate of a foreign medical 66
school who holds such license. 67
It is the intent of this subsection (2) to enable Mississippi 68
institutions to utilize the services of qualified graduates of 69
foreign medical colleges during the period necessary for them to 70
secure citizenship papers, and to meet other requirements for a 71
regular license, including Educational Council for Foreign Medical 72
Graduates certification. The * * * board * * * is * * * 73
authorized, in its discretion, to refuse to renew, or to revoke 74
such limited license if the holder of such license * * * fails to 75
apply for a regular license. 76
* * * 77
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The * * * board * * * is * * * authorized and directed to 78
grant a full license for the practice of medicine to a graduate of 79
a foreign medical school who has previously been granted an 80
institutional license in one or more Mississippi state-supported 81
institutions for a twenty-nine-year period of time and who on July 82
1, 2001, was serving as director of a Mississippi state-supported 83
hospital and who has passed the clinical competency part of the 84
Flex Examination for the State of Mississippi. 85
(3) Limited license for an internationally trained 86
physician. (a) The board may issue a limited license to certain 87
internationally trained physicians with offers of employment in 88
Mississippi. The limited license may only be issued to an 89
applicant who: 90
(i) Has been granted a degree of doctor of 91
medicine (MD) or osteopathic medicine (DO) or substantially 92
similar degree by a program of medical education that meets the 93
eligibility requirements for the applicant to apply for 94
certification by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical 95
Graduates (ECFMG) or successor entity; 96
(ii) Has been licensed in good standing to 97
practice medicine in another country and is not the subject of any 98
past or pending disciplinary action before the licensing body; 99
(iii) Demonstrates English language proficiency 100
based on standards established by the board; 101
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(iv) Is authorized under federal law to work in 102
the United States; 103
(v) Has been offered employment in this state as a 104
physician by a person who provides health care services in the 105
normal course of business in a facility-based or group-practice 106
setting, including a health system, hospital, hospital-based 107
facility, freestanding emergency facility or urgent care clinic; 108
(vi) Meets any other requirement the board 109
prescribes by rule; and 110
(vii) Has completed a residency or substantially 111
similar postgraduate medical training required by the applicant's 112
country of licensure and has practiced medicine as a licensed 113
physician in that country or another country in which the 114
applicant is licensed as a physician for at least five (5) years 115
after the completion of the required postgraduate medical 116
training. 117
(b) A limited license issued to an internationally 118
trained physician under paragraph (a) of this subsection (3) shall 119
expire one (1) year after its issuance. 120
(c) The holder of a limited license issued under 121
paragraph (a) of this subsection (3) may practice only at the 122
University of Mississippi Medical Center or its affiliated 123
practice sites or in a facility-based or group-practice setting 124
with an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education 125
(ACGME) or an ACGME-affiliated setting. 126
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(d) On application, the board may renew a limited 127
license to practice medicine under paragraph (a) of this 128
subsection (3) up to three (3) times if the applicant: 129
(i) Has passed the first and second steps of the 130
United States Medical Licensure Examination (USMLE); and 131
(ii) Holds a valid certificate issued by the ECFMG 132
or successor entity. 133
(e) The holder of a limited license renewed under 134
paragraph (d) of this subsection (3) may practice only in a rural 135
community or medically underserved area or health professional 136
shortage area, as determined by the board, that has a current 137
shortage of physicians. 138
(f) The board, on application, may issue a full, 139
unrestricted license under this chapter to the holder of an 140
internationally trained physician limited license under this 141
subsection (3) if: 142
(i) At the time an unrestricted license will be 143
issued, the internationally trained physician will have practiced 144
under the internationally trained physician limited license for at 145
least two (2) years; 146
(ii) The internationally trained physician has 147
completed all three (3) steps of the USMLE; and 148
(iii) The board has received a letter from a 149
physician who is responsible for the evaluation of the 150
internationally trained physician that indicates the 151
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internationally trained physician has demonstrated competence in 152
his or her chosen specialty in the practice of medicine. 153
(g) The board, on application, may issue a full, 154
unrestricted license under this chapter to an internationally 155
trained physician who has completed a substantially similar 156
process in another state if such physician holds an unrestricted 157
license from that state, has not been subject to disciplinary 158
action, and meets any other requirement(s) the board prescribes by 159
rule. 160
(h) The board may not issue an unrestricted license 161
under this subsection (3) to an applicant who: 162
(i) Is subject to board investigation or 163
discipline for conduct that occurred while holding the limited 164
license; or 165
(ii) Has been convicted of, has pled nolo 166
contendere to, is on deferred adjudication for, is on community 167
supervision or deferred disposition for, or is under active 168
investigation for the commission of: 169
1. A felony; 170
2. A misdemeanor involving moral turpitude; 171
or 172
3. Any crime directly related to the practice 173
of medicine. 174
(4) Limited license for a medical graduate. (a) The board 175
may issue a limited license to a United States medical school 176
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graduate (medical graduate) who initially fails to match with a 177
postgraduate residency training program. The board shall 178
promulgate regulations pursuant to this subsection (4) to 179
establish the qualifications for such limited license. Limited 180
licenses issued to qualified applicants shall be valid for no more 181
than two (2) years. 182
(b) To qualify for a limited license, an applicant 183
must: 184
(i) Be a resident of this state and be a United 185
States citizen or legal permanent resident; 186
(ii) Be a graduate of an accredited, 187
board-recognized United States medical school; 188
(iii) Have successfully been cleared for licensure 189
through an investigation that shall consist of a determination as 190
to good character and verification that the prospective licensee 191
is not guilty of or in violation of any statutory or regulatory 192
ground for denial of licensure; 193
(iv) Have passed the first and second steps of the 194
USMLE; 195
(v) Have graduated in the two (2) years preceding 196
the date that the applicant initially applies for a limited 197
license; 198
(vi) Not have enrolled in an accredited and 199
board-recognized postgraduate residency training program; and 200
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(vii) Meet any other requirements prescribed by 201
the board. 202
(c) (i) A medical graduate shall enter into a 203
supervisory practice agreement with a supervising physician, and 204
no medical graduate licensee may practice or attempt to practice 205
medicine without first entering into a supervisory practice 206
agreement. 207
(ii) A medical graduate is subject to supervision 208
by a physician who: 209
1. Holds a full and unrestricted license; 210
2. Is not subject to any current disciplinary 211
action or investigation by the board or any other legal or 212
regulatory authority related to the practice of medicine; 213
3. Is certified by a medical specialty board 214
recognized by the board and actively practices medicine physically 215
in the state; and 216
4. Practices medicine in the specialty 217
certified by the specialty board noted in item 3 of this 218
subparagraph (ii). 219
(iii) A physician who serves as a medical graduate 220
supervisor shall comply with all rules promulgated by the board 221
related to oversight of the medical graduate licensee, and the 222
board shall establish rules that set forth the maximum number of 223
medical graduate licensees that a supervising physician may 224
supervise. 225
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(d) (i) A medical graduate licensee may practice only 226
in a county with a population of less than fifty thousand (50,000) 227
and provide medical services only in the specialty in which the 228
medical graduate's supervising physician is certified as described 229
in paragraph (b) of this subsection (4). 230
(ii) Before a medical graduate licensee provides 231
treatment, consultation or other medical service, the licensee 232
must disclose to the patient that the licensee is a medical 233
graduate and has not completed any formal, specialized 234
postgraduate or resident training. 235
(e) A supervising physician who enters into a 236
supervisory agreement with a medical graduate retains legal 237
responsibility for the medical graduate's patient care activities, 238
including the provision of care and treatment to a patient in a 239
health care facility. 240
(f) A medical graduate licensee shall, while 241
practicing, display at all times a personal identification 242
document identifying the licensee as a medical graduate licensee. 243
(g) (i) A medical graduate licensee is considered a 244
general practitioner for purposes of regulations of the federal 245
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. 246
(ii) The board may deny an application, suspend or 247
revoke a license, or take whatever action it deems necessary under 248
the circumstances for actions described in Sections 73-25-29 and 249
73-25-83. 250
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ST: Limited medical licenses; revise provisions
regarding and create additional limited
licenses.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from 251
and after July 1, 2026. 252