By Coleman H.B. No. 699
75R7432 BEM-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) A person is a
1-9 qualified 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 (b) A person may complete not more than six of the 48
2-10 graduate semester hours required under Subsection (a)(4) of this
2-11 section during or after the time the person completes the 3,000
2-12 [2,000] hours of supervised work experience required under
2-13 Subsection (a)(5) of this section if, at the time the person began
2-14 the work experience, the person possessed a graduate degree and a
2-15 lesser number of hours was required by the law of this state or the
2-16 law in effect where the work experience was performed.
2-17 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1997, and
2-18 applies only to a person who begins a program to obtain a graduate
2-19 degree in counseling or a related field or a substantially
2-20 equivalent planned graduate program of at least 48 graduate
2-21 semester hours on or after that date. A person who begins a
2-22 program to obtain a graduate degree in counseling or a related
2-23 field or a substantially equivalent planned graduate program of at
2-24 least 48 graduate semester hours before September 1, 1997, is
2-25 governed by the law in effect immediately before the effective date
2-26 of this Act, and that law is continued in effect for that purpose.
2-27 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the
3-1 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
3-2 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
3-3 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
3-4 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.