With support from a legal team at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, I.C.E. and ASAE formed the Professional Certification Coalition (PCC) to promote and represent non-governmental professional certification organizations and programs and their service providers. The PCC advances the best interests of those who use or rely on professional certification—such as employers, reimbursers and the general public—as well as of individual professionals themselves who achieve professional certification status.
To commemorate the 3 year anniversary of the PCC, please read our Accomplishments and Prospectus document by clicking the graphic.
The PCC had been monitoring and analyzing bills introduced in the 2021 state legislative sessions that impact private certification. The PCC had identified over 143 bills in 43 states across the nation that affect private certification in four principal contexts:
- Occupational Licensing Reform
- Governmental versus Private Certification
- Consumer Choice Acts (or Right to Earn a Living Acts)
- Criminal Conviction Re-entry Legislation
The PCC urges participation from all those involved in professional certification, including certification agencies and programs themselves, professional societies that conduct or support certification, and nonprofits or companies that provide services to professional certification programs.
The PCC is also involved in several pieces of federal legislation including:
- HR 5339 Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act (Spanberger/Wittman– allow IRS 529 plans for skills training and certification)
- Fair Chance Licensing Act (Booker) – working to amend to make clear that the Act does not permit private causes of action against professional certification organizations.
Please feel free to share this with any interested colleagues in the community. Any organization or company involved in professional certification is urged to learn more about the Professional Certification Coalition and to consider joining its efforts.
“The Professional Certification Coalition provides not only expert analysis related to certification issues across the country, but also enables a community of practice among certifying bodies to share best practices and support with each other. With 18 active board certifications for registered nurses and advanced practice registered nurses, and 32 retired board certifications, it is critical that we remain abreast of issues impacting health care professional certification. The PCC staff allow our organization to do this by keeping us informed and updated with monthly calls and watchlists that provide a clear and insightful analysis of the bills and legislation impacting certification. Having access to this information from the PCC saves us time and resources and is an invaluable asset to our organization.”
- Kathy Chappell, SVP, Accreditation, Certification, Measurement and the Institute for Credentialing Research and Quality Management
- Swalitha Richardson, Senior Council, American Nurses Association Enterprise
Please forward all questions to Denise Roosendaal at droosendaal@credentialingexcellence.org. To obtain general information about the Professional Certification Coalition or to join, please contact info@certificationcoalition.org or visit the coalition webpage.