LANSING — Michigan lawmakers have reached a deal to extend the state’s participation in an interstate compact that allows doctors licensed in other states to practice in Michigan, averting the potential lapse of licenses for approximately 8,000 physicians. The Michigan Senate is scheduled to vote on the legislation Tuesday, days before the current compact expires on March 28.
The agreement ends a months-long standoff rooted in a dispute over bill authorship, a strictly political issue that threatened to disrupt healthcare access across the state. Both the Democratic-led Senate and the Republican-led House had previously passed bills renewing the compact with bipartisan support, but legislative progress stalled as lawmakers debated which chamber’s version would move forward.
House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, announced the agreement Thursday evening, stating that the bill carrying the name of state Rep. Rylee Linting of Wyandotte would be taken up by the Senate. Hall alleged that Democrats had previously resisted passing Linting’s version of the bill due to political objections. Linting is currently seeking re-election in a competitive district.
“We have confidence that Gov. (Gretchen) Whitmer will sign that bill,” Hall said at a press conference. “The 8,000 doctors whose licenses were at risk — everything is going to function out for them to continue to practice in Michigan.”
Without renewal, doctors operating under the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact would have been unable to legally practice in Michigan, exacerbating existing healthcare provider shortages. Emily Hurst, a critical care medicine physician at Henry Ford Health and past president of the Michigan Osteopathic Association, previously warned that the expiration would lead to the cancellation of tens of thousands of appointments beginning March 29.
While welcoming the news of a potential resolution, medical officials have expressed caution. Marschall Smith, executive director of the Denver-based Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Commission, described Hall’s announcement as “very encouraging” but emphasized that the agreement is not yet finalized. He noted that the compact ceased accepting new Michigan license requests at 6 p.m. Wednesday and is prepared to notify the 8,000 affected doctors of their license lapse as of March 29.
The legislation, as proposed by Linting, would renew Michigan’s participation in the compact, allowing physicians licensed in participating states to practice across state lines. A spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, confirmed the Senate’s intention to vote on the House bill Tuesday.
“The resolution we achieved today means that thousands of people will receive uninterrupted care and physicians will be able to continue to practice in Michigan,” Brinks said in a statement. However, she as well criticized the delay, stating that the matter “could have been easily settled months ago” with bipartisan legislation the Senate approved in May 2025, sponsored by Sen. Roger Hauck, R-Mount Pleasant.
Michigan initially joined the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact in 2019. The core of the dispute centered on whether the House or Senate would take the lead on the final bill passage.
In anticipation of a potential lapse, many physicians have already begun the lengthy process of obtaining full Michigan licenses, which involves submitting fingerprints and gathering medical records, according to Hurst. She and other healthcare leaders cautioned that the disruption to patient care could be significant, as clinics scramble to reassign patients from doctors whose compact licenses expire.
Anne Scott, chief operating officer of the Michigan Primary Care Association, which represents hundreds of community health centers, explained that a typical physician serves a patient panel of 1,500 to 2,000 individuals. The sudden inability of a single doctor to practice would create a “huge ripple effect,” potentially delaying care for numerous patients.
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