1-1 By: Coleman (Senate Sponsor - Barrientos) H.B. No. 699
1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House April 14, 1997;
1-3 April 16, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on Health
1-4 and Human Services; May 1, 1997, reported favorably by the
1-5 following vote: Yeas 11, Nays 0; May 1, 1997, sent to printer.)
1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-7 AN ACT
1-8 relating to the requirements for licensing as a professional
1-9 counselor.
1-10 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-11 SECTION 1. Section 10, Licensed Professional Counselor Act
1-12 (Article 4512g, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), is amended to read
1-13 as follows:
1-14 Sec. 10. APPLICANT QUALIFICATIONS. (a) A person is a
1-15 qualified applicant if the person:
1-16 (1) is at least 18 years old;
1-17 (2) has submitted an application as required by the
1-18 board, accompanied by the application fee set by the board; the
1-19 board may require that the statements on the application be made
1-20 under oath;
1-21 (3) has a master's or doctorate degree in counseling
1-22 or a related field;
1-23 (4) has successfully completed a graduate degree at a
1-24 regionally accredited institution of higher education and a planned
1-25 graduate program of 48 graduate semester hours or the substantial
1-26 equivalent, including 300 clock hours of supervised practicum that
1-27 is primarily counseling in nature and that meets the specific
1-28 academic course content and training standards established by the
1-29 board. The board shall review and consider the standards as
1-30 developed by the appropriate professional association;
1-31 (5) has completed 36 [24] months or 3,000 [2,000]
1-32 hours of supervised experience working in a counseling setting that
1-33 meets the requirements established by the board after the
1-34 completion of the 48 graduate semester hour or equivalent graduate
1-35 program;
1-36 (6) has successfully completed the examination
1-37 required under this Act; and
1-38 (7) has met the requirements prescribed by the board.
1-39 (b) A person may complete not more than six of the 48
1-40 graduate semester hours required under Subsection (a)(4) of this
1-41 section during or after the time the person completes the 3,000
1-42 [2,000] hours of supervised work experience required under
1-43 Subsection (a)(5) of this section if, at the time the person began
1-44 the work experience, the person possessed a graduate degree and a
1-45 lesser number of hours was required by the law of this state or the
1-46 law in effect where the work experience was performed.
1-47 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1997, and
1-48 applies only to a person who begins a program to obtain a graduate
1-49 degree in counseling or a related field or a substantially
1-50 equivalent planned graduate program of at least 48 graduate
1-51 semester hours on or after that date. A person who begins a
1-52 program to obtain a graduate degree in counseling or a related
1-53 field or a substantially equivalent planned graduate program of at
1-54 least 48 graduate semester hours before September 1, 1997, is
1-55 governed by the law in effect immediately before the effective date
1-56 of this Act, and that law is continued in effect for that purpose.
1-57 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the
1-58 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
1-59 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
1-60 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
1-61 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
1-62 * * * * *