By Barrientos S.B. No. 71
74R1403 JMM-D
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to the requirements for licensing as a professional
1-3 counselor.
1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. Section 10, Licensed Professional Counselor Act
1-6 (Article 4512g, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), is amended to read
1-7 as follows:
1-8 Sec. 10. APPLICANT QUALIFICATIONS. A person is a qualified
1-9 applicant if the person:
1-10 (1) is at least 18 years old;
1-11 (2) has submitted an application as required by the
1-12 board, accompanied by the application fee set by the board; the
1-13 board may require that the statements on the application be made
1-14 under oath;
1-15 (3) has a master's or doctorate degree in counseling
1-16 or a related field;
1-17 (4) has successfully completed a graduate degree at a
1-18 regionally accredited institution of higher education and a planned
1-19 graduate program of 48 graduate semester hours or the substantial
1-20 equivalent, including 300 clock hours of supervised practicum that
1-21 is primarily counseling in nature and that meets the specific
1-22 academic course content and training standards established by the
1-23 board. The board shall review and consider the standards as
1-24 developed by the appropriate professional association;
2-1 (5) has completed 36 <24> months or 3,000 <2,000>
2-2 hours of supervised experience working in a counseling setting that
2-3 meets the requirements established by the board after the
2-4 completion of the 48 graduate semester hour or equivalent graduate
2-5 program;
2-6 (6) has successfully completed the examination
2-7 required under this Act; and
2-8 (7) has met the requirements prescribed by the board.
2-9 SECTION 2. Section 12, Licensed Professional Counselor Act
2-10 (Article 4512g, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), is amended by
2-11 adding Subsection (e) to read as follows:
2-12 (e) An applicant who meets the requirements for licensing by
2-13 endorsement under Section 18(a) of this Act is exempt from the
2-14 examination administered under this section.
2-15 SECTION 3. (a) This Act takes effect September 1, 1995, and
2-16 except as provided by Subsection (b) of this section, applies only
2-17 to an application for licensing as a professional counselor filed
2-18 with the Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors
2-19 on or after that date. An application filed before the effective
2-20 date of this Act is governed by the law in effect at the time the
2-21 application was made and the former law is continued in effect for
2-22 that purpose.
2-23 (b) The change in law made by Section 2 of this Act applies
2-24 to a person who applied for licensing as a professional counselor
2-25 on or after September 1, 1993.
2-26 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the
2-27 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
3-1 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
3-2 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
3-3 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.