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.