The original NLC (implemented 2000)
The first compact created the model still in use: nurses hold one license in their primary state of residence and practice in other member states under privilege. It worked, but member states did not all require the same things — most notably, not every state required a federal criminal background check, which made some states reluctant to join.
The enhanced NLC (implemented January 19, 2018)
To bring more states in, NCSBN and member boards rewrote the agreement as the eNLC. Its headline change was the 11 Uniform Licensure Requirements, a single standard every member applies before issuing a multistate license — including state and federal fingerprint-based criminal background checks. The eNLC launched with 29 states and the original NLC was retired at the same time.
Grandfathering and what came after
Nurses who already held a multistate license under the original NLC were generally grandfathered into the eNLC rather than forced to reapply. Since 2018 the compact has kept growing as new states enact and implement it — track the current picture on compact nursing states, states joining the compact, and pending states.