Legislature(2001 - 2002)
02/07/2002 01:35 PM Senate L&C
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
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+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
SB 257-EXTEND BOARD OF PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS MS. DEBORAH GRUNDMANN, Staff to Senator Stevens, said SB 257 extends the Board of Professional Counselors to June 30, 2005. The Legislative Budget and Audit Committee said their opinion is that the Professional Counselors are operating in an efficient and effective manner and should continue to regulate their profession. They also recommended that this board be combined with the Board of Marital and Family Therapists. This legislation does not do that, but it extends the sunset date to coincide with that of the marital and family therapists. MS. GRUNDMANN explained that the proposed committee substitute addresses the education part of the statute that pertains to the professional counselors and was inserted in the House version of the same bill. SENATOR DAVIS moved to adopt the committee substitute to SB 257, 22 LS\1336\F. There were no objections and it was so ordered. MS. GRUNDMANN said that page 2, line 11 adds "or nationally" and the Department wanted that. It makes that language consistent with "(B) regionally or nationally accredited". CHAIRMAN STEVENS asked if it's a nationally accredited institute, isn't it redundant to say "regionally or nationally". MS. CATHERINE REARDON, Director, Division of Occupational Licensing, replied that there are two different accrediting bodies - some are regional and some are national. The reason she was asking for this is the House opened up that section and it seemed like an easy way to bring it up. For the master's degree, the statute allowed the national accredited agrees, but there was a slip up in the initial legislation and "national" got left out. The Department of Law told the Board that it would be on weak legal ground if it were to deny someone because they were nationally, not regionally, accredited. SENATOR LEMAN supported this change. SENATOR AUSTERMAN moved to pass CSSB 257 (L&C) from committee with individual recommendations and the fiscal note. There were no objections and it was so ordered.
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