A bill to allow GovGuam join a nationwide nurse licensure compact that will enable compact-member nurses from the mainland to more easily work in Guam drew plenty of debate during the last two days of session.

It's not so much about off-island nurses coming to guam to fill the perennial shortage. It's more about local nurses leaving for better-paying positions in the states once they are members of the nurse licensure compact, says Sen, Joanne Brown.

"But why would we under these circumstances, especially under this pandemic where we're challenged to have the health care professionals that we need here on Guam, open up the opportunity, the real opportunity that more of our local nurses will leave? Because this does open up the opportunity for them to do so. We've widened the exit gate," she explained.

But nurses can already do this if they choose to.  Those concerns are generally unfounded. That's according to National Council of State Boards of Nurse Licensing representative Jim Fuente yesterday, and echoed by bill sponsor Sen. Mary Torres.

"But I think it's really just been fear-mongering, and the bottom line is this is not a rash effort, this is an effort that began in 2018. 2018 these nurse leaders in our community have been pursuing joining the nurse licensure compact. I respect them, I wanna help them. I trust them," she said.

Torres says joining the compact will make it easier for military spouse nurses already here to start working. But several senators including sabina perez point to the over-arching issue, will stateside nurses really be attracted and will Guam's local nurses really continue to stay, if historically lower salaries remain.

"I think that's the solution, is pay," she said.