Arkansas 2023 Regular Session

Arkansas House Bill HB1772 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
2		-	Act 842 of the Regular Session
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4	3
5	4		State of Arkansas As Engrossed: H4/3/23 1
6	5		94th General Assembly A Bill 2
7	6		Regular Session, 2023 HOUSE BILL 1772 3
8	7		4
9	8		By: Representative L. Johnson 5
10	9		By: Senator B. Davis 6
11	10		7
12	11		For An Act To Be Entitled 8
13	12		AN ACT TO CREATE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND 9
14	13		NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL T ESTING WORKFORCE SCH OLARSHIP, 10
15	14		STIPEND, AND INCENTI VE PROGRAM; AND FOR OTHER 11
16	15		PURPOSES. 12
17	16		13
18	17		14
19	18		Subtitle 15
20	19		TO CREATE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND 16
21	20		NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING WORKFORCE 17
22	21		SCHOLARSHIP, STIPEND, AND INCENTIVE 18
23	22		PROGRAM. 19
24	23		20
25	24		21
26	25		BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 22
27	26		23
28	27		SECTION 1. Arkansas Code Title 6, Chapter 81, is amended to add an 24
29	28		additional subchapter to read as follows: 25
30	29		Subchapter 19 — Psychological and Neuropsychological Testing Workforce 26
31	30		Scholarship, Stipend, and Incentive Program 27
32	31		28
33	32		6-81-1901. Creation. 29
34	33		There is created the Psychological and Neuropsychological Testing 30
35	34		Workforce Scholarship, Stipend, and Incentive Program to be a dministered by 31
36	35		the Arkansas Psychology Board in accordance with the provisions of this 32
37	36		subchapter. 33
38	37		34
39	38		6-81-1902. Legislative findings and intent. 35
40	39		(a) The General Assembly finds that: 36 As Engrossed: H4/3/23 HB1772
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45	44		(1) Neuropsychological testing services are necessary services 1
46	45		for the citizens of the State of Arkansas in order to provide access to and 2
47	46		inform a broad range of clinical services, psychoeducational services, and 3
48	47		legal and quasi-legal decision-making skills, including without limitation 4
49	48		child custody evaluations, forensic evaluations, and occupationally mandated 5
50	49		psychological and neuropsychological evaluations; and 6
51	50		(2) There is a workforce shortage and a need for education and 7
52	51		training to promote the workforce pipeline for these clinical services. 8
53	52		(b) It is the intent of this subchapter that the Arkansas Psychology 9
54	53		Board shall approve scholarships, stipends, and incentives, such as loan 10
55	54		repayment assistance, based on standards established by the General Assembly 11
56	55		and the board for individuals pursuing career paths that address the 12
57	56		workforce shortage for these clinical services. 13
58	57		14
59	58		6-81-1903. Psychological and Neuropsychological Testing Workforce 15
60	59		Scholarship, Stipend, and Incentive Program — Funding. 16
61	60		(a) Cash funds for the Psychological and Neuropsychological Testing 17
62	61		Workforce Scholarship, Stipend, and Incentive Program shall consist of: 18
63	62		(1) Funds appropriated for the program; 19
64	63		(2) Federal funds; 20
65	64		(3) Gifts; 21
66	65		(4) Grants; 22
67	66		(5) Bequests; 23
68	67		(6) Devises; 24
69	68		(7) Donations; 25
70	69		(8) Interest and other income accruing to or earned by the 26
71	70		funds; and 27
72	71		(9) All moneys provided by law. 28
73	72		(b) The Arkansas Psychology Board: 29
74	73		(1) May invest the principal, interest, and income of the funds; 30
75	74		and 31
76	75		(2) Shall use the funds for program scholarships, stipends, and 32
77	76		incentives. 33
78	77		34
79	78		6-81-1904. Arkansas Psychology Board — Powers and duties. 35
80	79		(a) The Arkansas Psychology Board shall: 36 As Engrossed: H4/3/23 HB1772
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85	84		(1) Prescribe forms to be used for the Psychological and 1
86	85		Neuropsychological Testing Workforce Scholarship, Stipend, and Incentive 2
87	86		Program; 3
88	87		(2) Monitor the submission of applications for scholarships, 4
89	88		stipends, or incentives; 5
90	89		(3) Determine eligibility of applicants; 6
91	90		(4) Allow or reject applications for scholarships, stipends, or 7
92	91		incentives; 8
93	92		(5) Contract for, increase, decrease, terminate, and otherwise 9
94	93		monitor all scholarships, stipends, and incentives made under this 10
95	94		subchapter; and 11
96	95		(6) Manage, operate, and control all funds and property 12
97	96		appropriated or otherwise contributed for purposes of funding this program. 13
98	97		(b) The board may: 14
99	98		(1) Accept gifts, grants, bequests, devises, donations, and any 15
100	99		federal funds available for the program, to be used together with funds 16
101	100		appropriated for the program for making scholarships, stipends, and 17
102	101		incentives under this subchapter; and 18
103	102		(2) Hire a qualified person or entity to administer the program. 19
104	103		20
105	104		6-81-1905. Eligibility and requirements for scholarships. 21
106	105		The Arkansas Psychology Board may award a scholarship, stipend, or 22
107	106		incentive under the Psychological and Neuropsychological Testing Workforce 23
108	107		Scholarship, Stipend, and Incentive Program available to an applicant who: 24
109	108		(1) Is a bona fide resident of Arkansas; and 25
110	109		(2) Is: 26
111	110		(A) Enrolled in good standing or has been accepted for 27
112	111		admission to a program as a: 28
113	112		(i) Psychology student or trainee who is pursuing a 29
114	113		bachelor's degree to obtain status as a technician according to the 30
115	114		requirements of § 17 -97-401 et seq. and the board; or 31
116	115		(ii) Master level or doctoral psychology student or 32
117	116		trainee who has been placed in an approved training site that is focused on 33
118	117		psychological or neuropsychological testing under the supervision of a 34
119	118		licensed psychologist; or 35
120	119		(B) A licensed psychological examiner or licensed 36 As Engrossed: H4/3/23 HB1772
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125	124		psychologist who provides psychological or neuropsychological testing 1
126	125		services. 2
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128	127		6-81-1906. Scholarship, stipend, and incentive — Amount. 4
129	128		(a) The Arkansas Psychology Board may award a scholarship to cover 5
130	129		tuition and the required coursework to an applicant who has been accepted for 6
131	130		admission or is enrolled in good standing in a p rogram as a psychology 7
132	131		student or trainee who is pursuing a bachelor's degree to obtain status as a 8
133	132		technician according to the requirements of § 17 -97-401 et seq. and the 9
134	133		board. 10
135	134		(b) The board may award a stipend to support required training 11
136	135		experience to an applicant who has been accepted for admission or is enrolled 12
137	136		in good standing in a program as a master level or doctoral psychology 13
138	137		student or trainee who has been placed in a n approved training site that is 14
139	138		focused on psychological or neuropsychological testing under the supervision 15
140	139		of a licensed psychologist. 16
141	140		(c) The board may provide loan forgiveness assistance to an applicant 17
142	141		who is a licensed psychological examiner or li censed psychologist who 18
143	142		provides psychological or neuropsychological testing services. 19
144	143		(d) The board may provide a financial incentive to an applicant who 20
145	144		agrees to work full time for at least two (2) years in Arkansas providing 21
146	145		psychological or neuropsy chological testing services following his or her 22
147	146		educational training. 23
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149	148		6-81-1907. Renewal. 25
150	149		(a) Subject to the availability of funds, each scholarship, stipend, 26
151	150		or incentive awarded to an applicant under this subchapter shall be renewable 27
152	151		annually for the number of years required to complete a qualifying program 28
153	152		under this subchapter. 29
154	153		(b) Each scholarship, stipend, or incentive awarded to an applicant 30
155	154		under this subchapter subsequent to his or her initial receipt of a 31
156	155		scholarship, stipend, or incenti ve shall be made only upon application of the 32
157	156		recipient and upon a finding by the Arkansas Psychology Board that the 33
158	157		applicant meets all qualifications under this subchapter and board rules. 34
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160	159		6-81-1908. Rules. 36 As Engrossed: H4/3/23 HB1772
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165	164		The Arkansas Psychology Board may adopt ru les consistent with this 1
166	165		subchapter to effectively and efficiently carry out the purposes of this 2
167	166		subchapter. 3
168	167		4
169	168		/s/L. Johnson 5
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172		-	~~APPROVED: 4/13/23~~ 8
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