Enacted Is Not Issuing: Reading the ASLP Compact Map

Thirty-seven jurisdictions have enacted the ASLP Compact, but only four issue privileges. A state has to pass the law, fully implement FBI background checks and onboard to CompactConnect before anyone can use it, and some states that enacted in 2020 still have not. How to read each color on the Commission's map without planning around a privilege that does not exist.

The Commission's compact map is the easiest ASLP Compact source to misread. Its legend, as of October 2026, reads: Enacted, Not Yet Issuing Privileges: 33. Enacted, Issuing Privileges: 4. Active Legislation: 3. No Active Legislation: 16. People see 37 enacted jurisdictions and assume an SLP or audiologist can practice across most of the country on one license. They cannot. Only the four issuing states, Louisiana, West Virginia, Ohio and Tennessee, can be used today.

What does "enacted" actually mean?

It means the state legislature passed the compact model law and the governor signed it. That makes the state a member. It does not make privileges available. The Commission's FAQ says so directly: "Although your state enacting the compact is a necessary step, it does not automatically approve your license for use in other participating states."

The FAQ lists the steps after enactment: a state must "pass legislation to join the compact, onboard with the CompactConnect system, and then the state can begin issuing and receiving privileges to practice." Before it can issue, it also has to fully implement FBI fingerprint-based background checks for its applicants. See the FBI background check behind the ASLP Compact.

How long can the gap last?

Years. The Commission's FY2026 annual report lists the enactment history. In 2020, six states passed the compact: Louisiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming. Louisiana and West Virginia started issuing on October 28, 2025. North Carolina, Oklahoma, Utah and Wyoming, which enacted the same year, are still "not yet" in the Commission's fee table, current as of May 28, 2026. Ohio, enacted in 2021, opened February 9, 2026. Tennessee, enacted in 2022, opened May 28, 2026.

Enactment year is not a queue. Each state moves at the pace of its own background check access, data upload and board decisions.

Which colors on the map can you use?

Issuing privileges (4): Louisiana, West Virginia, Ohio and Tennessee. These can be your home state and can be the state you request.
Enacted, not yet issuing (33): Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Members, but not usable yet in either direction.
Active legislation (3): Michigan, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Not members. A bill can stall or fail.
No active legislation (16): includes California, Texas, New York, Illinois and Massachusetts. Not members.

For an individual SLP, only one combination works: your home state is issuing and the state you want is issuing. Anything else means a state license.

Why do people misread it?

Partly because the numbers sound big and partly because enactment gets the press release. Four common misreadings, and what is actually true:

"Florida joined, so I can use the compact there." Florida enacted in 2024 and has even posted a $5 state fee, but it is not accepting applications.
"Thirty-seven states means I only need one license." Today it means you can reach at most three other states, and only if you live in one of the four.
"My state enacted years ago, so it must be issuing." See North Carolina, Oklahoma, Utah and Wyoming, all enacted in 2020.
"Pennsylvania has a bill, so it's basically in." A bill is not a law, and a new law still has to go through implementation.

Where do you check status?

The Commission's home page and its Compact Privilege Status Update page announce each state as it opens; that is where Tennessee's May 28, 2026 opening was posted. For your own state's timing, the home page tells you to reach out to your home state licensing board. A posted state fee in the Commission's table is not a launch date.

What should you do while your state is "not yet"?

Get the license you need now and revisit the compact later. A state license does not become useless when the compact arrives; it stands on its own and does not depend on your home license. Keep your home license clean and current, because when your state opens you will need an active, unencumbered license with no adverse action in the past two years. And if your home board asks for fingerprints for the compact, do them promptly.

Our ASLP Compact Readiness Review ($149 one time) tells you exactly where you stand. For states that are not issuing, License by Endorsement ($599 per state) or a Full State License Application ($749 per state) gets you licensed the conventional way. See which states are issuing, the state license index and the ASLP Compact hub.

Common questions

My state enacted the ASLP Compact. Can I use it?

Only if your state is also issuing privileges. As of October 2026 that is Louisiana, West Virginia, Ohio and Tennessee. The Commission's FAQ says enactment does not automatically approve your license for use in other states.

Why hasn't North Carolina started issuing ASLP privileges?

North Carolina enacted the compact in 2020, the same year as Louisiana and West Virginia, but is still listed as not yet accepting applications. Ask the North Carolina board about its timeline.

What does the red on the ASLP Compact map mean?

Active legislation: a bill has been introduced but not enacted. As of October 2026 that is Michigan, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. None is a member.

Where is the official list of issuing states?

The Commission's home page and its Compact Privilege Status Update page. Each new issuing state is announced there with its opening date.