33-1-117. Temporary permits for military spouses.
(a) As used in this section:
(i) "Active" means a status of occupational or professional licensure which has not been suspended, revoked or terminated and which is not otherwise inactive;
(ii) "Applicant" means a military spouse seeking licensure from a professional or occupational licensing board of this state;
(iii) "Good standing" means a status of occupational or professional licensure which is in compliance with all requirements imposed by the issuing licensing, certification or registration authority;
(iv) "License" means any license, certificate or registration required to practice an occupation or profession;
(v) "Military service member" means an active uniformed member of the United States army, navy, air force, marine corps, coast guard, United States public health service commissioned corps, national oceanic and atmospheric administration commissioned corps, national guard or any reserve or auxiliary component thereof;
(vi) "Military spouse" means the spouse of a military service member as defined in paragraph (v) of this subsection who has been transferred or is scheduled to be transferred to Wyoming, is domiciled in Wyoming or has moved to Wyoming on a permanent change-of-station basis.
(b) A professional or occupational licensing board shall issue an expedited license to a military spouse to allow the military spouse to lawfully practice a profession or occupation requiring licensure in this state if the military spouse:
(i) Holds a relevant, active occupational or professional license in good standing from another state;
(ii) Demonstrates competency in the occupation or profession for which the military spouse applicant seeks licensure. Competency shall be determined pursuant to rules which shall be adopted for that purpose and may include consideration of continuing education credits, recent work experience, disciplinary actions taken against the applicant in other states and other factors used to determine the competency of nonmilitary spouse license applicants;
(iii) Has not engaged in any act that would constitute grounds for refusal, suspension or revocation of the occupational or professional license sought in this state; and
(iv) Completes all required application procedures and pays any required fee.
(c) All relevant work experience of a military spouse applicant, including full-time or part-time experience, regardless of whether in a paid or volunteer capacity, may be credited in any work experience requirement adopted by an occupational or professional licensing board.
(d) This section shall apply to all applications for licensure under W.S. 21-2-802 or under title 33 of the Wyoming statutes except title 33, chapter 5, attorneys at law and applications to any board which represents a profession with prescriptive drug authority.
(e) Pursuant to rules which may be adopted for this purpose, a professional or occupational licensing board may issue a temporary practice permit to a military spouse applicant who meets the requirements of paragraph (b)(i) of this section and who has applied for a professional or occupational license under this section. The military spouse applicant may practice under the temporary permit for a period not to exceed three (3) years provided the military spouse is making progress toward satisfying the unmet licensure requirements, or until the professional or occupational license for which they have applied has been either granted or denied, whichever first occurs. A board shall not charge a military spouse any fees for a temporary permit under this subsection.
(f) Professional or occupational licensing boards shall adopt rules necessary to implement this section.
(g) On each licensure application or renewal form, a professional or occupational licensing board shall inquire and maintain a record of whether an applicant is a member of the military or military spouse. If an applicant self-identifies as and provides the board with satisfactory proof that the applicant is a military spouse, the board shall immediately commence the process of issuing a license or temporary permit.