VCNP’s Government Relations Committee meets year round to prepare for the Virginia General Assembly each January. Committee members organize regional legislative events each fall, connect with local legislators, and work to provide resources to the regional members to help them better understand how their involvement in the legislative process can advance NP practice for all of Virginia’s NPs.
We are excited to share the progress NPs have made through the years.
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Advocacy Toolkit
To access VCNP legislation and additional advocacy resources, you must be a member of VCNP.
Autonomous Practice Licensure
- FAQs: Autonomous Practice Licensure & Practice Agreement Changes beginning July 1, 2021 (updated July 18, 2021)
- FAQs: Autonomous Practice Licensure & the Attestation Process (updated February 9, 2019)
- Autonomous practice licensure application materials may be found on the Virginia Board of Nursing website.
Nurse Practitioner Scope of Practice
- Federal Trade Commission Competition and the Regulation of Advanced Practice Nurses, March 2014
- Institute of Medicine Report on the Future of Nursing [click here for brief version]
- National Health Policy Forum White Paper on SOP
- Reforming Scopes of Practice – Citizen Advocacy Center
- Who will Provide Primary Care? – Josiah Macy Foundation
- Closing the Gap Between Can and May in Healthcare Providers Scope of Practice – Barbara Safriet
- Medicare – PECOS Resources
- Future of Nursing 2020-2030 – National Academies of Sciences Engineering Medicine
Legislative Information
- Virginia General Assembly
- Who is my legislator?
- Legislative Process
- Virginia Regulatory Process
- Legislative Guide
- Legislator Visit Guide
- VCNP-AANP Poster – Primary Care Solution
- History of VCNP and legislative accomplishments
Links to Organizations
2024 Virginia General Assembly
We did it! On Thursday, April 4, Governor Youngkin signed HB 971. This legislation reduces the transition to practice requirement for NPs to three years and amends the code to allow an existing practice agreement to continue by following specific procedures if a patient care team physician dies, loses their license or experiences another extenuating circumstance.
HB 971 will become effective July 1, 2024. At this time, we do not know when applications will be accepted under the new requirements. We will let you know as soon as we have more details.
During VCNP’s 50th year, it’s especially meaningful to celebrate this success! Thank you to everyone who called and met with legislators, sent emails and letters, attended committee hearings and testified during those hearings. Thanks to our colleagues at the VNA, AANP, AARP, Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association and Americans for Prosperity for supporting our efforts. Special thanks to Delegate Kathy Tran for sponsoring the bill and VCNP’s Government Relations committee for their good work.
We couldn’t have done it without all of you!
2023 Virginia General Assembly
VCNP worked with Delegate Roxann Robinson to introduce HB 2183. During the January 19 House Health, Welfare & Institutions subcommittee meeting, House Bill 2183 failed to move forward after a tie vote.
2022 Virginia General Assembly
VCNP worked with Delegate Dawn Adams to introduce HB 1245. The bill failed after going into “conference” (a small group of House and Senate members who meet to reconcile differences between each chamber), but they were unable to come to an agreement. As of July 1, 2022 the sunset clause from HB 1737 ended, and NPs returned to the five-year experience requirement to apply for autonomous practice licensure.
2021 Virginia General Assembly
On February 25, Governor Northam signed HB 1737, which became effective July 1, 2021. HB 1737 reduced from five to two the number of years of full-time clinical experience a nurse practitioner must have to be eligible to practice without a written or electronic practice agreement. This legislation had a “sunset” clause and expired in June 2022.
2020 Executive Order 57
In April 2020, Executive Order 57 allowed NPs with 2 years of experience to practice without a practice agreement during the COVID-19 state of emergency.
2019 Virginia General Assembly
Virginia HB 1640 and SB 1178 ensure that NPs are able to bill insurance directly through their National Provider Identifier (NPI) numbers. Without this simple code change, patients could lose their access to needed care due to an inability to utilize their insurance.
2018 Virginia General Assembly
HB 793 eliminated the requirement for a practice agreement with a physician for a nurse practitioner (NP) who has completed the equivalent of at least five years of full-time clinical experience and submitted an application attestation for autonomous practice licensure from the physician. NPs meeting this requirement may practice autonomously in the category in which the NP is certified and licensed.
FAQs: Autonomous Practice Licensure & the Attestation Process
- Autonomous practice licensure application materials may be found on the Virginia Board of Nursing website
- For more information on Autonomous Practice Licensure, check out this VCNP Autonomous Practice One Pager.