Honorable Kelly Hancock, Chair, Senate Committee on Business & Commerce
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB442 by Martinez, "Mando" (Relating to the licensing and regulation of certain professions, including the online publication of home addresses of certain occupational license holders.), Committee Report 2nd House, Substituted
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would prohibit the Health and Human Services Commission and two of its administratively attached regulatory boards, the Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners, and the Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors, as well as the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, from publishing the addresses of certain licensed individuals in a roster published by each entity, except at the request of the licensed individual. The bill would also add certain requirements to the training programs that the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists, the Texas State Board of Examiners of Marriage and Family Therapists, as well as the boards identified above are required to provide to new board members, and would authorize the Texas State Board of Examiners of Marriage and Family Therapists to set, by rule, the minimum number of hours of direct counseling to couples or families that are necessary for licensure.
The bill would take effect September 1, 2017. The Health and Human Services Commission and the Department of State Health Services indicate that any costs associated with the bill could be absorbed within the agency's existing resources. Based on the LBB's analysis of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, any costs associated with implementing the provisions of the bill could be absorbed utilizing existing resources.
Local Government Impact
No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
Source Agencies:
520 Board of Examiners of Psychologists, 529 Health and Human Services Commission, 537 State Health Services, Department of, 452 Department of Licensing and Regulation