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.

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