House Status:
Senate Status:
Senate Status:
Minutes for HB2340 - Committee on Public Health and Welfare
Short Title
Requiring the behavioral sciences regulatory board to process applications within a certain time, decreasing the years of practice required for reciprocity licensure of certain behavioral sciences professions, extending the license period for temporary licenses, establishing new license categories and decreasing continuing education requirements related to diagnosis and treatment.
Minutes Content for Mon, Mar 20, 2023
(Attachment)(Attachment)Jenna Moyer, Staff Revisor gave an overview of the bill. She took questions from committee members.
David Fye gave proponent testimony (Attachment 10) on HB2340 which recommends the following changes; lowering years of practice for reciprocity applicants; increasing time period for temporary licenses; creating pathway for requesting additional time to complete education hours, which will allow more current licensees to maintain their licensure; decrease reinstatement fee and create new 6-month reinstatement temporary license; creating new temporary license for graduates of social work programs "in candidacy" for accreditation; creating new student temporary addiction couseling licenses; other modifications to behavior analyst statutes; and statutory cleanup. He has concerns with amendments added by House Health and Human Services Committee and is requesting amendments be made to the bill to reverse the additions made to the bill by the House Health and Human Services Committee.
Cynthia Schendel testified as a proponent (Attachment 11) of HB2340. She said this bill contains many changes to current licensure requirements that should help to alleviate the mental health workforce shortage in Kansas. However she is requesting this committee to remove two amendments made in the House. She does not believe that re-defining what the credential means is the answer nor decreasing the numbers of hours required for earning the LSCSW.
Representative Susan Ruiz gave testimony in support of HB2340 stating that HB2340 is a step toward adding flexibility within the licensure process and is an effort to keep social work students from leaving the state for employment opportunities in the surrounding states. (Attachment 12)
Becky Fast spoke in support of the HB2340 by stating that HB2340 as amended, will put Kansas in line with neighboring states and be more competitive to attract and retain behavioral health workforce. Kansas being in line with neighboring states and states across the nation, is critical as the social work compact moves forward. (Attachment 13)
Kyle Kessler testified in support of HB2340. He stated that ensuring an adequate workforce is an ongoing challenge. A majority of Kansas counties qualify as health professional shortage areas, and multiple strategies are needed to increase the workforce. HB2340 will lessen the burden on qualified clinical staff seeking licensure, thus encouraging them to choose to stay and work in Kansas and ensure they are able to enter the workforce more quickly. (Attachment 14)
Mitchell Skidmore testified in support of HB2340, but is concerned about two requirements in the proposed legislation that were amended by the House committee.He asked the committee not to adopt a new board approved supervisor mandate, as was amended out in the House committee, and to maintain the amendment reducing the current statutory requirement from 15 hours of specific/additional coursework to 3 hours of psychopathology coursework. This Kansas specific requirement was added in 2003 and is not shared by neighboring states. It is also above and beyond graduating from an accredited MSW program. (Attachment 15)
Monica Kurz testified as a proponent of HB2340 saying that inclusion of diagnostic impressions as a clinical activity would increase otherwise limited opportunities for social workers to provide crisis intervention with clinical supervision. She also stands in support of the changes in the legislation, which amend the course work required for clinical licensure. (Attachment 16)
Jennifer McCabe gave proponent testimony told her story of moving from California, where she received her education and training to become a licensed social worker. After moving to Kansas, it took her seven months to determine how many hours of supervision from California would be accepted towards Kansas licensure. Because she had not kept all of her syllabi she had to contact professors who were no longer working for the University to request a copy.The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) is the national accrediting body that determines if coursework meets clinical standards. If a school has CSWE accreditation, the state boards should accept this as meeting the professional standard. (Attachment 17)
Erick Thomason gave neutral testimony requesting that the bill be amended to: include Federally Qualified Healthcare Centers; require attestation and self identification of temporary licensure for all "Community Based" and temporary licensed behavioral health staff, and amend the temporary licensure duration and "Community Based" licensure duration to the original 12 months. (Attachment 18)
Stuart Little presented neutral testimony (Attachment 19). requesting that corrective language would be used on page 41, lines 2-12 underlined: (i) "a licensed or certified alcohol and other drug abuse program, a certified community behavioral health clinic or a community mental health center."
Questions were asked by committee members.
Proponent, written only testimony was submitted by:
Walter Hill, Executive Director, High Plains Mental Health Center (Attachment 20)
Dr. Joe Squillace, MSW, Program Director, University of Saint Mary (Attachment 21)
Lesa Patterson-Kinsey, MSW (Attachment 22)
Rachel Marsh, CEO, Children's Alliance of Kansas (Attachment 23)
Ali Wilbert, Owner/CEO, Born to Blossom LLC (Attachment 24)
Michael Wasmer, COO, Council of Autism Service Providers (Attachment 25)
Christie Stiehl, Owner, Stiehl Behavioral Consulting LLC ((Attachment 26)
Wendy Funk Schrag, VP State Govt. Affairs, Fresenius Medical Care (Attachment 27)
Kimberly Becker, MS, LBA, BCBA, Integrated Behavioral Technologies, Inc. (Attachment 28)
Opponent, written only testimony was presented by:
Allyson Bell, Ph.D. (Attachment 29)
Chairperson Gossage closed the hearing.
