Evers vetoes advanced nurse practitioner bill

Gov. Tony Evers, as expected, vetoed a bill Thursday that would have allowed nurses with advanced credentials — Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) —  to have more autonomy and practice independently. 

Evers said in his veto message that he objected to “new licensure and practice standards for APRNs, especially those APRNs practicing independently, that do not provide adequate experience requirements, titling protections and safeguards for patients who may be treated for chronic pain management.” 

Evers added that nurses are critical to the health care system in Wisconsin and help fill gaps in access to health care, but that “ensuring we have qualified professionals who have the appropriate education, training, experience and supervision to provide care to Wisconsinites is critically important.” 

The bill, SB 145, would have created a new license for advanced practice registered nurses, including certified nurse-midwives, certified registered nurse anesthetists, clinical nurse specialists and nurse practitioners, administered by the state nursing board. It would have allowed certified APRNs to practice on their own after they’ve worked with a doctor or dentist for about three years.

The veto was expected as Evers had said that there were certain changes to the legislation that would have helped garner his support, including requiring four years of supervision before an APRN is able to practice independently, setting additional supervision requirements for some APRNs working in pain management and adding language barring non-doctors, including APRNs, from using certain titles associated with doctors, but none of those changes were made. Democrats had tried to add an amendment to the bill that would have addressed Evers’ concerns, but it was ultimately rejected. 

Sen. Patrick Testin (R-Stevens Point) called the veto “utterly ridiculous and downright irresponsible.” He said lawmakers had already compromised on certain parts of the bill. 

“Given the importance of this legislation, we gave Gov. Evers some of the things he wanted and made compromises in other key areas,” Testin said. “Yet, he still made the reckless decision to turn his back on our health care workers and over one million Wisconsinites who live in underserved areas.” 

The Wisconsin Medical Society praised Evers’ veto in a statement, saying that the bill “lacked the minimum levels of patient protections we believe are needed for a state to move toward allowing independent nursing health care practice.” 

Evers said that he welcomes “the opportunity to sign a version of this proposal that addresses these outstanding issues and I look forward to working with nurses, doctors and legislators toward a bipartisan proposal I am hopeful to enact during the next legislative session.”