BILL ANALYSIS �
SB 632
Page 1
SENATE THIRD READING
SB 632 (Emmerson)
As Amended June 6, 2012
2/3 vote. Urgency
SENATE VOTE :38-0
BUSINESS & PROFESSIONS 9-0
--------------------------------
|Ayes |Hayashi, Bill Berryhill, |
| |Allen, Butler, Eng, |
| |Hagman, Hill, Ma, Smyth |
|-----+--------------------------|
| | |
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SUMMARY : Clarifies which marriage and family therapist (MFT)
trainees are allowed to counsel clients outside of a practicum
course, and clarifies a limited exemption for trainees who are
not allowed to counsel clients outside of a practicum course.
Specifically, this bill :
1)Specifies that trainees who begin graduate study before August
1, 2012, and complete that study on or before December 31,
2018, may gain hours of experience and counsel clients outside
of the required practicum.
2)Specifies that the following trainees may gain hours of
experience outside of the required practicum but must be
enrolled in a practicum course to counsel clients:
a) Applicants for licensure or registration who begin
graduate study before August 1, 2012, and do not complete
that study on or before December 31, 2018;
b) Applicants for licensure or registration who begin
graduate study before August 1, 2012, and who graduate from
a degree program that meets additional educational
requirements, as specified; and,
c) Applicants for licensure or registration who begin
graduate study on or after August 1, 2012.
3)Specifies that the trainees identified in 2) above, may
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counsel clients while not enrolled in a practicum course if
the period of lapsed enrollment is less than 90 calendar days,
and if that period is immediately preceded by enrollment in a
practicum course and immediately followed by enrollment in a
practicum course or completion of the degree program.
4)Deletes an irrelevant implementation date.
5)States legislative intent that trainees identified in 1)
above, shall be allowed to gain experience and counsel clients
as of January 1, 2012, and that this bill, in that respect, is
to operate retroactively.
6)Contains an urgency clause.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Licenses and regulates the practice of MFTs by the Board of
Behavioral Sciences (BBS) within the Department of Consumer
Affairs.
2)Establishes education requirements for MFT licensure,
including a requirement for a practicum completed by an MFT
intern and trainee that involves certain types and hours of
experience, as specified.
3)Defines certain terms for purposes of the licensing law,
including:
a) "Intern" to mean an unlicensed person registered with
BBS who has earned a masters or doctors degree qualifying
for licensure; and,
b) "Trainee" to mean an unlicensed person currently
enrolled in a masters or doctors degree program, as
specified, that is designed to qualify the person for
licensure as an MFT.
4)Authorizes MFT interns and trainees to perform counseling
activities and services in certain work settings, provided
that the activities and services are part of the trainee's
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supervised course of study.
5)Provides that MFT trainees may gain hours of experience
outside the required practicum but must be enrolled in a
practicum course to counsel clients.
6)Provides that trainees may counsel clients while not enrolled
in a practicum course if the period of lapsed enrollment is
less than 90 calendar days, and if that period is immediately
preceded and immediately followed by enrollment in a practicum
course.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown. This bill is keyed non-fiscal by the
Legislative Counsel.
COMMENTS : According to the author, "SB 632 is a clean-up
measure to SB 363 (2011, Chapter 384). Currently, under Section
4980.42 (c), all MFT trainees must be enrolled in a practicum
course to counsel clients beginning January 1, 2012, unless the
period of lapsed enrollment is less than 90 days, and is
immediately preceded and followed by enrollment in a practicum
course. However, the intent of SB 363 was to apply this 90 day
exemption period to the practicum requirement only to those
trainees subject to Section 4980.36, which specifically refers
to trainees who begin graduate study on or after August 1, 2012.
Therefore, SB 632 will correct this oversight and only apply
this practicum requirement to trainees who begin graduate study
on or after August 1, 2012. This bill also contains a provision
to clarify that the change is retroactive back to January 1,
2012, which is the date that SB 363 became effective and imposed
the practicum requirement with the 90 day exemption period to
all trainees."
Analysis Prepared by : Angela Mapp / B.,P. & C.P. / (916)
319-3301
FN: 0004054