04/07/2010 03:15 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE

         SB 263-EXTEND BOARD OF PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
4:16:50 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR OLSON announced  that the final order of  business would be                                                               
SENATE BILL  NO. 263, "An  Act extending the termination  date of                                                               
the  Board  of  Professional  Counselors; and  providing  for  an                                                               
effective date."                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
JOSH  APPLEBEE,  Staff,  Legislative Budget  &  Audit  Committee,                                                               
Senator   Kevin   Meyer,   Chair,   Alaska   State   Legislature,                                                               
paraphrased  from the  sponsor statement,  which read  as follows                                                               
[original punctuation provided]:                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     The   Board  of   Professional  Counselors   (BPC)  was                                                                    
     established under  the provisions  of Title  8, Chapter                                                                    
     29  of Alaska  Statutes. BPC  consists of  five members                                                                    
     appointed  by  the  governor.   Four  members  must  be                                                                    
     professional   counselors  and   one  member   must  be                                                                    
     appointed from the general  public. Board members serve                                                                    
     staggered terms of four years.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     The division provides  administrative and investigative                                                                    
     assistance  to   occupational  boards   including  BPC.                                                                    
     Administrative  assistance includes  budgetary services                                                                    
     and functions  such as collection of  fees, maintaining                                                                    
     files,  receiving and  issuing  application forms,  and                                                                    
     publishing  notice   of  examinations,   meetings,  and                                                                    
     proposed regulations.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     In  the opinion  of Legislative  Audit, the  BPC should                                                                    
     continue  to  regulate   professional  counselors.  The                                                                    
     board is  serving the public interest  by promoting the                                                                    
     competence and integrity of  those who provide services                                                                    
     to the public as licensed professional counselors.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
     SB 263,  if enacted, would  extend the Board  for eight                                                                    
     years to June 30, 2018.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
4:17:23 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE T. WILSON asked whether the Board of Professional                                                                
Counselors has seen an increase in the numbers of professional                                                                  
counselors transferring from other boards.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MR. APPLEBEE answered no.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE T. WILSON asked about the licensing fees.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
4:18:06 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SHAWNEE OLSON, Chair, Board of Professional Counselors,                                                                         
introduced herself.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
MS. OLSON, in response to Representative T. Wilson, answered                                                                    
that licensees pay a $200 biennial fee.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
4:19:05 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR OLSON, after first determining no one else wished to                                                                      
testify, closed public testimony on SB 263.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
4:19:14 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE NEUMAN  moved to  report SB  263 out  of committee                                                               
with  individual  recommendations  and  the  accompanying  fiscal                                                               
notes.   There being no objection,  SB 263 was reported  from the                                                               
House Labor and Commerce Standing Committee.