By Zaffirini, et al. S.B. No. 14
76R903 GJH-D
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to certain licensing requirements for chemical dependency
1-3 counselors.
1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. Section 10(b), Chapter 635, Acts of the 72nd
1-6 Legislature, Regular Session, 1991 (Article 4512o, Vernon's Texas
1-7 Civil Statutes), is amended to read as follows:
1-8 (b) To be eligible for a license under this Act, a person
1-9 must:
1-10 (1) be at least 18 years of age;
1-11 (2) have a high school diploma or its equivalent;
1-12 (3) have completed 270 classroom hours of approved
1-13 curricula;
1-14 (4) have 4,000 hours of approved supervised experience
1-15 working with chemically dependent persons;
1-16 (5) have completed 300 hours of approved supervised
1-17 field work practicum;
1-18 (6) have two letters of reference from licensed
1-19 chemical dependency counselors;
1-20 (7) pass a written examination approved by the
1-21 commission;
1-22 (8) [submit a case presentation to the test
1-23 administrator;]
1-24 [(9) pass an oral examination approved by the
2-1 commission;]
2-2 [(10)] be determined by the commission to be worthy of
2-3 the public trust and confidence;
2-4 (9) [(11)] successfully complete the chemical
2-5 dependency counselor examination under Section 11 of this Act; and
2-6 (10) [(12)] sign a written agreement to abide by the
2-7 standards of ethics approved by the commission.
2-8 SECTION 2. Section 10A(d), Chapter 635, Acts of the 72nd
2-9 Legislature, Regular Session, 1991 (Article 4512o, Vernon's Texas
2-10 Civil Statutes), is amended to read as follows:
2-11 (d) The commission shall issue a license to the provisional
2-12 license holder if the provisional license holder is eligible to be
2-13 licensed under Section 10. For purposes of this subsection, the
2-14 commission may waive the requirement [requirements] prescribed by
2-15 Section 10(b)(9) [Sections 10(b)(8), (9), and (11)].
2-16 SECTION 3. Section 11(a), Chapter 635, Acts of the 72nd
2-17 Legislature, Regular Session, 1991 (Article 4512o, Vernon's Texas
2-18 Civil Statutes), is amended to read as follows:
2-19 (a) At least twice each year, the commission shall [may]
2-20 prepare and administer [or contract with an organization approved
2-21 by the National Certification Reciprocity Consortium/Alcoholism and
2-22 Other Drug Abuse (NCRC/AODA) for the preparation and administration
2-23 of] an examination to determine the qualifications of an applicant
2-24 for a license under this Act. The examination shall be conducted
2-25 [as determined by the commission and] in a manner that is fair and
2-26 impartial to and considers each school or system of chemical
2-27 dependency counseling. An applicant shall be known to the
3-1 examiners only by number until after the examination has been
3-2 graded and the licenses have been granted or denied. The scope and
3-3 content of the examination must be sufficient to ensure
3-4 professional competence in keeping with the highest standards of
3-5 the chemical dependency counseling profession.
3-6 SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
3-7 SECTION 5. The importance of this legislation and the
3-8 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
3-9 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
3-10 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
3-11 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.