Reference is to the bill as introduced.
Amend the bill, as and if amended, by deleting SECTION 3 in its entirety and inserting:
/ SECTION 3. Section 40-75-10 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 40-75-10.
(A) There is created the Board of
Examiners for the Licensure of Professional Counselors, Marriage
and Family Therapists, Addiction Counselors, and
Psycho-Educational Specialists composed of nine
ten members appointed by the Governor. Of the
nine ten members, seven
eight must be professional members, one
with representation from each congressional district in
the State. Of the professional members, three must be licensed
professional counselors, one of whom two
must be a certified addictions counselor
licensed addiction counselors, three
two must be marriage and family therapists, and one must
be a psycho-educational specialist. The remaining two members
must be at large from the general public and must not be
associated with, or financially interested in, the practice of
professional counseling, marriage and family therapy,
addiction counseling, or psycho-educational services.
(B) The membership must
be representative of race, ethnicity, and gender. The
seven eight professional members must
have been actively engaged in the practice of their respective
professions or in the education and training of professional
counselors, marriage and family therapists, addiction
counselors, or psycho-educational specialists for at least
five years prior to appointment. Members may be licensed as a
licensed professional counselor and a,
marriage and family therapist, addiction counselor, or
psycho-educational specialist. Members are eligible for
reappointment. Vacancies must be filled in the same manner as
the original appointment for the unexpired portion of the term.
Each member shall receive per diem, subsistence, and mileage as
allowed by law for members of state boards, commissions, and
committees for each day actually engaged in the duties of the
office, including a reasonable number of days, as determined by
board regulation, for preparation and reviewing of applications
and examinations in addition to time actually spent in
conducting examinations." /
Amend the bill further, by deleing SECTION 9 in its entirety and inserting:
/ SECTION 9. Section 40-75-220 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 40-75-220.
To be licensed by the board as a professional counselor
or, marriage and family therapist, or
addiction counselor, an individual must:
(1) pay the appropriate
fees and pass an examination approved by the board;
(2) complete forms
prescribed by the board; and
(3)
successfully complete a minimum of forty-eight
graduate semester hours during a master's degree or higher
degree program and have been awarded a graduate degree as
provided in regulation. All course work, including any
additional core coursework, must be taken at a college or
university accredited by the Commission on the Colleges of the
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, one of its
transferring regional associations, the Association of
Theological Schools in the United States and Canada, or a
post-degree program accredited by the Commission on
Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education or a
regionally accredited institution of higher learning subsequent
to receiving the graduate degree complete the
following education requirements:
(a)
for licensed professional counselor or marriage
and family therapist, successfully complete a minimum of a
master's degree or higher degree program and have been awarded a
graduate degree as provided in regulation, provided all course
work, including any additional core coursework, must be taken at
a college or university accredited by a national educational
accrediting body, or one that follows similar educational
standards and by the Commission on the Colleges of the Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools, one of its transferring
regional associations, the Association of Theological Schools in
the United States and Canada, or a post-degree program
accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and
Family Therapy Education or a regionally accredited institution
of higher learning subsequent to receiving the graduate degree;
or
(b)
for licensed addiction counselor, successfully
complete a minimum of a master's degree or higher degree program
and have been awarded a graduate degree as provided in
regulation, provided all course work, including any additional
core coursework, must be taken at a college or university
accredited by a national educational accrediting body, or one
that follows similar standards and the Commission on the
Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools,
one of its transferring regional associations, the Association
of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada, the
National Addiction Studies Accreditation Commission, other
board-approved educational institution, or a regionally
accredited institution of higher learning." /
Amend the bill further, by adding an appropriately numbered penultimate SECTION to read:
/ SECTION ____. Section 40-75-300 of the 1976 Code is repealed. /
Renumber sections to conform.
Amend title to conform.