BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  SB 1527
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   August 8, 2012

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

                SB 1527 (Negrete McLeod) - As Amended:  June 6, 2012 

          Policy Committee:                             Business and 
          Professions  Vote:                            9-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program: 
          No     Reimbursable:              No

           SUMMARY  

          This bill revises a number of licensure and registration 
          requirements for licensees of the Board of Behavioral Sciences 
          (BBS), including:

          1)Specifying the BBS shall accept a passing score for specified 
            clinical examinations or, at the board's option, a national 
            examination, for a period of 7 years from the date the 
            examination was taken.

          2)Modifying requirements for out-of-state applicants for 
            licensure or registration, including requirements related to 
            coursework in California Law and Professional Ethics, 
            California Law and Professional Ethics examinations, and 
            exemptions from clinical examinations.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Negligible state fiscal effect.

           COMMENTS  

           1)Rationale  . This bill clarifies and strengthens requirements 
            for licensure as a marriage and family therapist (MFT), 
            licensed professional clinical counselor (LPCC), or a licensed 
            clinical social worker (LCSW), or registration as an associate 
            clinical social worker (ACSW).  It also increases conformity 
            in the way BBS treats licensed professions with respect to the 
            bill's provisions.  

           2)Background  . SB 704 (Negrete Mcleod), Chapter 387, Statutes of 








                                                                  SB 1527
                                                                  Page  2

            2011, revised examination requirements for persons seeking 
            licensure as a LMFT, LCSW, or LPCC, effective January 1, 2013. 
            The intent of SB 704 was to set standards that allow for 
            eventual conformity of the clinical portion of BBS licensure 
            exams to national standards, in order to facilitate 
            reciprocity and portability of licenses across states, while 
            preserving state-specific consumer protections through 
            administration of a California-specific law and ethics exam. 
            This bill furthers that aim by clarifying the time period for 
            which specified examination scores will be accepted, and by 
            ensuring clarity and consistency in BBS requirements for 
            out-of-state licensure applicants.

           Analysis Prepared by  :    Lisa Murawski / APPR. / (916) 319-2081