04/18/2007 03:00 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE

SB  93-PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR OLSON announced  that the final order of  business would be                                                               
SENATE BILL  NO. 93,  "An Act  relating to  licensed professional                                                               
counselors;  and relating  to  the unlicensed  use  of the  title                                                               
'professional counselor.'"                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
5:14:13 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
THOMAS  OBERMEYER, Staff  to Senator  Bettye Davis,  Alaska State                                                               
Legislature, presented  SB 93 on  behalf of Senator  Davis, prime                                                               
sponsor.    He  offered  paraphrased excerpts  from  the  sponsor                                                               
statement,   which  read   in  entirety   as  follows   [original                                                               
punctuation provided]:                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     SB  93  amends  two  sections of  the  Alaska  Statutes                                                                    
     concerning  professional  licenses   and  insurance  as                                                                    
     regards Licensed Professional Counselors.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
     Section  1   of  the   bill  amends   AS  08.29.0100(a)                                                                    
     regarding  unlicensed use  of the  title, "professional                                                                    
     counselor"   and    clarifies   words,    letters,   or                                                                    
     abbreviations  reasonably confused  with the  titles of                                                                    
     "licensed    professional   counselor,"    professional                                                                    
     counselor,"  and  "licensed  counselor." SB  93  better                                                                    
     protects   the  public   from  unlicensed   individuals                                                                    
     misusing  these titles  and misrepresenting  themselves                                                                    
     as   having  the   same   qualifications  of   licensed                                                                    
     professional  counselors   who  must   complete  formal                                                                    
     educational  requirements  with  a master's  degree  or                                                                    
     higher in  this area;  pass a license  qualifying exam;                                                                    
     and complete  lengthy supervised practice for  not less                                                                    
     than two years.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     Section  2   amends  AS  21.36.090(d),   the  insurance                                                                    
     provision   that   prohibits   discrimination   against                                                                    
     licensed  service   providers  under  a   group  health                                                                    
     insurance policy  if that service  is within  the scope                                                                    
     of  the provider's  occupational  license.  SB 93  adds                                                                    
     Licensed professional  Counselors to  the long  list of                                                                    
     "providers" in this category. SB  93 will also increase                                                                    
     access to  needed services for  some who  formerly were                                                                    
     excluded because Licensed  Professional Counselors were                                                                    
     not included  with other  health care  professionals in                                                                    
     the  non-discrimination  clause of  insurance  statute,                                                                    
     AS21.36.090(d).                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     Licensed Professional  Counselors (LPCs) make  up about                                                                    
     1/3 of all mental health  professionals in the State of                                                                    
     Alaska  and  represent  the   same  proportion  of  all                                                                    
     counselors working  in state  funded mental  health and                                                                    
     substance   abuse   treatment  facilities.   Officially                                                                    
     established ten years ago, last year the Legislature                                                                       
     approved a  statutory change to allow  LPCs to practice                                                                    
     "psychotherapy"  and  make  Title 47  civil  commitment                                                                    
     evaluations.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
     SB 93 helps ensure third  party billing parity for LPCs                                                                    
     while it allows  them to be included  with other health                                                                    
     care  professionals in  this area.  SB  93 will  better                                                                    
     protect  and better  serve the  public and  has a  zero                                                                    
     ($0.00) fiscal note.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
5:16:14 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR OLSON, after ascertaining that there was no one to                                                                        
testify, closed public testimony.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
5:16:43 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  NEUMAN moved  to report  SB 93  out of  committee                                                               
with  individual  recommendations  and  the  accompanying  fiscal                                                               
notes.   There being no  objection, SB  93 was reported  from the                                                               
House Labor and Commerce Standing Committee.