04/14/2014 09:00 AM Senate FINANCE

HOUSE BILL NO. 241                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act extending the termination date of the Board of                                                                     
     Marital and Family Therapy; and providing for an                                                                           
     effective date."                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
9:34:57 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Ms.   Reinbold  stated   that  HB   241  would   extend  the                                                                    
termination date of the board  of Marital and Family Therapy                                                                    
to  June  30,   2018.  She  stated  that   the  Division  of                                                                    
Legislative Audit  reviewed the activities of  the board and                                                                    
concluded  that  the  board's  termination  date  should  be                                                                    
extended 4 years. If the  board was not extended martial and                                                                    
family therapy licensing would  continue under the direction                                                                    
of the division, rather than  the board. The board consisted                                                                    
of 3 marital and family  therapists and 2 public members. In                                                                    
FY13 there were  111 licensees. She noted  the biennial data                                                                    
for FY13  reflected in the  fiscal note  showed expenditures                                                                    
of $85,187 and revenues of  $63,165. The board had a current                                                                    
ending surplus  of $112,195. She  stated that fees  had been                                                                    
lowered during  the last biennium  and a fee  analysis would                                                                    
be conducted  in spring  of 2014  to determine  whether fees                                                                    
needed  to be  adjusted. Licensees  would renew  in December                                                                    
2014,  and  any fee  adjustments  would  go out  for  public                                                                    
comment.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
9:36:34 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Meyer asked how long the board had existed.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Representative Reinbold deferred  the question to Department                                                                    
of Commerce, Community and Economic Development.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
9:37:12 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
KRIS  CURTIS,  DIRECTOR,   DIVISION  OF  LEGISLATIVE  AUDIT,                                                                    
stated that  LB&A did  a sunset review  audit of  the board.                                                                    
The audit  concluded that the  board was serving  the public                                                                    
interest  by effectively  licensing  and regulating  marital                                                                    
and  family  therapists.  The  audit  recommended  that  the                                                                    
board's termination  date be extended  4 years; half  of the                                                                    
statutory maximum. The  reduced extension recommendation was                                                                    
mainly  due to  the  board not  fully  addressing the  prior                                                                    
sunset  audit recommendation  to  pursue regulation  changes                                                                    
that are necessary to protect  the public interest. Although                                                                    
the board  had initiated one  regulatory change, it  had not                                                                    
addressed  the   need  for  distance  therapy   or  distance                                                                    
supervision. The audit recommended  that the board develop a                                                                    
strategy to  address the need for  distance supervision. The                                                                    
audit included  2 additional recommendations; to  the Office                                                                    
of  the Governor  and the  board  to work  together to  fill                                                                    
vacant board  seats in a  timely manner and to  the Division                                                                    
of  Corporations,  Business  and Professional  Licensing  to                                                                    
continue   efforts  to   improve  case   management  systems                                                                    
integrity and confidentiality.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
9:38:33 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Meyer noted  the consistent theme in  the audits of                                                                    
the recommendation  of case management system  integrity and                                                                    
confidentiality.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Ms.  Curtis  responded  that  the  recommendation  had  been                                                                    
showing up in  sunset audits for the past  two years because                                                                    
the system had been replaced in  2010 and had not gone well.                                                                    
Conversion, reporting  and case efficiency problems  had all                                                                    
been discovered.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
9:39:06 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SARA   CHAMBERS,   DIRECTOR,   DIVISION   OF   CORPORATIONS,                                                                    
BUSINESS,   AND   PROFESSIONAL  LICENSING,   DEPARTMENT   OF                                                                    
COMMERCE, COMMUNITY  AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, spoke  to the                                                                    
e  issue. She  stated  that the  division  had been  working                                                                    
diligently to  be responsive to  the audit concerns  and the                                                                    
belief was that  a stable point with  the current contractor                                                                    
had been  reached. She  stressed that  continuing strategies                                                                    
would be examined into the  future and that the issue should                                                                    
not be an audit concern in 2015.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Meyer OPENED public testimony.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Meyer CLOSED public testimony.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:40:26 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Vice-Chair  Fairclough remarked  that LB&A  would work  with                                                                    
the  division in  order to  examine  surpluses and  deficits                                                                    
pertaining   to  licensing   boards.  She   said  that   the                                                                    
department  was  acting  within  legislative  parameters  to                                                                    
apply  the licensing  fees.  She  noted that  investigations                                                                    
seemed to be triggering some of the shortfalls.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
HB  241  was  HEARD  and   HELD  in  committee  for  further                                                                    
consideration.