What I Want From Wisconsin State Senators and Representatives

According to their own web site the Wisconsin State Department of Regulation & Licensing (DRL) is ordinarily in charge of "enforcing occupational licensing laws" among other things.

Unfortunately, the DRL has actually entered into a "Special Agreement" with a private institution, Marquette University, that violates the very laws that they are supposed to be upholding. Let me be as clear as possible: the DRL is not authorized to allow Marquette's Direct Entry students to become licensed as registered nurses without graduating because state law requires RN's to have graduated from a nursing program.

Allowing students in Marquette's Direct Entry nursing program to become RN's in Wisconsin without graduating violates both the Wisconsin Nurse Practice Act 441.04 and the Wisconsin Administrative Code N 2.03 (1)(c).

Since the DRL has not yet responded to my requests that they bring their policies regarding Marquette's Direct Entry nursing program into compliance with state law, I am appealing to Wisconsin State Legislators to put pressure on the DRL to do what they are supposed to be doing on their own anyway: enforcing the law.

Now is a good time to reevaluate the "Special Agreement" between the DRL and Marquette University since there has been significant turnover in both organizations since 1999 when the agreement was made.