HB 126-ASSOCIATE AND PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS  3:49:35 PM VICE CHAIR RUFFRIDGE announced that the final order of business would be HB 126, "An Act relating to the Board of Professional Counselors; and relating to licensing of associate counselors." 3:50:02 PM VICE CHAIR RUFFRIDGE opened public testimony on HB 126. 3:50:23 PM ELAINE BORDER, Owner, Border Counseling Services, provided public testimony in support of HB 126. She shared that she has been a counselor for 10 years, covering a wide variety of disciplines. She said that she supports the bill because it would improve care for Alaskans. She explained that the proposed legislation would give counselors the ability to learn a broader range of disciplines and have more accountability. She stated that the way training hours are currently counted creates confusion, and this can result in some associate counselor training hours not being credited correctly. She added that the bill would also reduce financial burdens on counseling practices because associate counselors are not currently covered by insurance companies. 3:54:42 PM REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked whether a patient would face greater risk if seen by an associate counselor. MS. BORDER answered that an associate counselor would still require supervision, so there would not be additional risk. In response to a follow-up question, she said that many other states have licenses for associate counselors. She added that different professions have different levels of training involved. 3:58:42 PM REPRESENTATIVE PRAX asked whether Ms. Border is familiar with malpractice insurance. MS. BORDER answered yes. She added that even interns in her field require malpractice insurance. In response to a follow-up question, she said that malpractice insurance varies by practice. 4:01:56 PM RACHEL BUDDIN-YOUNG, Member, Professional Counselors Board, gave public testimony in support of HB 126. She shared that she is a licensed counselor and stated that the bill would improve professionalism by providing a clearer path for those recently receiving a master's degree. She reiterated previous testimony in that training hours can be done with the wrong supervision and cause training hours not to be counted. She expressed the opinion that creating an associate license would allow those who have earned master's degrees to receive guidance and the proper training. She stated that approximately 60 percent of the country has a similar type of license. 4:06:09 PM REPRESENTATIVE PRAX asked whether it is correct that individuals with a master's degree who work at a government agency can use those hours to earn their license. MS. BUDDIN-YOUNG answered that earning hours towards receiving a license requires supervision by a state board approved individual. She added that the supervisor does not have to be part of any government agency. In response to a follow-up question, she said it is correct that insurance companies will not cover unlicensed trainees. 4:09:46 PM VICE CHAIR RUFFRIDGE, after ascertaining there was no one else who wished to testify, closed public testimony. 4:09:58 PM VICE CHAIR RUFFRIDGE announced that HB 126 was held over.