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SPONSOR: |
Lundstrom |
DATE TYPED: |
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HB |
714 / aHCPAC |
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SHORT TITLE: |
Revise Counseling & Therapy Practice Act |
SB |
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ANALYST: |
Maloy |
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APPROPRIATION
Appropriation
Contained |
Estimated
Additional Impact |
Recurring or
Non-Rec |
Fund Affected |
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FY03 |
FY04 |
FY03 |
FY04 |
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NFI |
NFI |
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(Parenthesis
( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
Relates to:
HB 614 and SB 733, which also seek to amend the Counseling and Therapy
Practice Act.
Regulation
and Licensing Department (RLD)
SUMMARY
Synopsis
of HCPAC Amendment
The House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee
amended HB714 to provide that those persons applying for the newly created
“professional clinical mental health counselor” license must pass the board’s
exam and demonstrate 500 hours of supervised client contact
experience.
Before this amendment, the bill allowed the
person to pass the examination or demonstrate 500 hours.
HB 714 clarifies and updates the definitions, the scope of practice, and exemptions of the Counseling and Therapy Practice Act. The bill also clarifies that the board is administratively attached to the department and defines additional requirements for board meeting attendance.
Significant
Issues
Numerous changes and additional language is contained in the bill covering the scope of practice, educational requirements, and licensing requirement for various types of therapists.
ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS
RLD notes that replacing existing statutory authority with rules would require a significant investment of staff time and effort in scheduling rule hearings, and in drafting, filing, and implementing rules.
CONFLICT, RELATIONSHIP
HB
714 relates to SB 773 and SB 614 in that all three bills propose to amend the
Counseling and Therapy Practice Act.
However, RLD believes that SB 614 and HB 714 take a more measured
approach to revising and streamlining the Act.
RLD has been meeting with bill sponsors and a substitute bill may be
introduced to supercede these bills.
Based on their initial review of HB 714 and the similar SB 614, RLD highlights some of the major differences:
·
SB
614 adds the definition for “case management.”
·
HB
714 has a more expansive definition of “professional mental health counselor”
than SB 614.
·
HB
714 adds a new description of scope of practice to include “practice of
licensed professional mental health counselors.
SB 614 calls it “practice of licensed independent professional medical
counselor.”
·
SB
614 contains a section on scope of practice in declared transition to
professional clinical mental health counselor from professional mental health
counselor or licensed mental health counselor not contained in HB 714.
·
HB
714 deletes the requirement that board members shall not hold any elected or
appointed office in any professional organization of counseling, psychology or
closely related field during their tenure on the board.
GG/sb/ls