SECOND REGULAR SESSION
SENATE BILL NO. 1284
102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR TRENT.
4821S.01I KRISTINA MARTIN, Secretary
AN ACT
To repeal sections 337.507 and 337.510, RSMo, and to enact in lieu thereof two new sections
relating to professional counselors.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Sections 337.507 and 337.510, RSMo, are 1
repealed and two new sections enacted in lieu thereof, to be 2
known as sections 337.507 and 337.510, to read as follows:3
337.507. 1. Applications for examination and 1
licensure as a professional counselor shall be in writing, 2
submitted to the division on forms prescribed by the 3
division and furnished to the applicant. The form shall 4
include a statement that the applicant has completed two 5
hours of suicide assessment, referral, treatment, and 6
management training. The application shall contain the 7
applicant's statements showing his education, experience and 8
such other information as the division may require. Each 9
application shall contain a statement that it is made under 10
oath or affirmation and that the information contai ned 11
therein is true and correct to the best knowledge and belief 12
of the applicant, subject to the penalties provided for the 13
making of a false affidavit or declaration. Each 14
application shall be accompanied by the fees required by the 15
committee. Within fifteen business days of receipt of an 16
application, the division shall provide electronic access 17
for applicants to view any missing information or 18 SB 1284 2
documentation. Applicants may send the requested 19
information or documentation to the division electr onically, 20
except that the division may require specific submission 21
processes for documentation related to signatures, 22
transcripts, background checks, and test results. An 23
application shall be considered a complete application once 24
the division has received all required information and 25
documentation. 26
2. The division shall mail a renewal notice to the 27
last known address of each licensee prior to the 28
registration renewal date. Failure to provide the division 29
with the information required for r egistration, or to pay 30
the registration fee after such notice shall result in the 31
expiration of the license. The license shall be restored 32
if, within two years of the registration date, the applicant 33
provides written application and the payment of the 34
registration fee and a delinquency fee. 35
3. A new certificate to replace any certificate lost, 36
destroyed or mutilated may be issued subject to the rules of 37
the committee, upon payment of a fee. 38
4. The committee shall set the amount of the fe es 39
which sections 337.500 to 337.540 authorize and require by 40
rules and regulations promulgated pursuant to section 41
536.021. The fees shall be set at a level to produce 42
revenue which shall not substantially exceed the cost and 43
expense of administerin g the provisions of sections 337.500 44
to 337.540. All fees provided for in sections 337.500 to 45
337.540 shall be collected by the director who shall deposit 46
the same with the state treasurer in a fund to be known as 47
the "Committee of Professional Counse lors Fund". 48
5. The provisions of section 33.080 to the contrary 49
notwithstanding, money in this fund shall not be transferred 50 SB 1284 3
and placed to the credit of general revenue until the amount 51
in the fund at the end of the biennium exceeds two times the 52
amount of the appropriation from the committee's fund for 53
the preceding fiscal year or, if the committee requires by 54
rule renewal less frequently than yearly then three times 55
the appropriation from the committee's fund for the 56
preceding fiscal year. The amount, if any, in the fund 57
which shall lapse is that amount in the fund which exceeds 58
the appropriate multiple of the appropriations from the 59
committee's fund for the preceding fiscal year. 60
6. The committee shall hold public examinations at 61
least two times per year, at such times and places as may be 62
fixed by the committee, notice of such examinations to be 63
given to each applicant at least ten days prior thereto. 64
337.510. 1. As used in this section, the following 1
terms mean: 2
(1) "License", a license, certificate, registration, 3
permit, accreditation, or military occupational specialty 4
that enables a person to legally practice an occupation or 5
profession in a particular jurisdiction; 6
(2) "Military", the Armed Forces of the United States, 7
including the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, 8
Navy, Space Force, National Guard and any other military 9
branch that is designated by Congress as part of the Armed 10
Forces of the United States, and all reserve c omponents and 11
auxiliaries. Such term also includes the military reserves 12
and militia of any United States territory or state; 13
(3) "Nonresident military spouse", a nonresident 14
spouse of an active duty member of the Armed Forces of the 15
United States who has been transferred or is scheduled to be 16
transferred to the state of Missouri, or who has been 17
transferred or is scheduled to be transferred to an adjacent 18 SB 1284 4
state and is or will be domiciled in the state of Missouri, 19
or has moved to the state o f Missouri on a permanent change - 20
of-station basis; 21
(4) "Resident military spouse", a spouse of an active 22
duty member of the Armed Forces of the United States who has 23
been transferred or is scheduled to be transferred to the 24
state of Missouri or a n adjacent state and who is a 25
permanent resident of the state of Missouri, who is 26
domiciled in the state of Missouri, or who has Missouri as 27
his or her home of record. 28
2. Each applicant for licensure as a professional 29
counselor shall furnish evid ence to the committee that the 30
applicant is at least eighteen years of age, is a United 31
States citizen or is legally present in the United States; 32
and 33
(1) The applicant has completed a course of study as 34
defined by the board rule leading to a mas ter's, 35
specialist's, or doctoral degree with a major in counseling, 36
except any applicant who has held a license as a 37
professional counselor in this state or currently holds a 38
license as a professional counselor in another state shall 39
not be required to have completed any courses related to 40
career development; and 41
(2) The applicant has completed acceptable supervised 42
counseling as defined by board rule. If the applicant has a 43
master's degree with a major in counseling as defined by 44
board rule, the applicant shall complete at least two years 45
of acceptable supervised counseling experience subsequent to 46
the receipt of the master's degree. The composition and 47
number of hours comprising the acceptable supervised 48
counseling experience shall be defined by board rule. An 49
applicant may substitute thirty semester hours of post 50 SB 1284 5
master's graduate study for one of the two required years of 51
acceptable supervised counseling experience if such hours 52
are clearly related to counseling; 53
(3) After August 28, 2007, each applicant shall have 54
completed a minimum of three hours of graduate level 55
coursework in diagnostic systems either in the curriculum 56
leading to a degree or as post master's graduate level 57
course work; 58
(4) Upon examination, th e applicant is possessed of 59
requisite knowledge of the profession, including techniques 60
and applications, research and its interpretation, and 61
professional affairs and ethics. 62
3. (1) Any person who holds a valid current 63
professional counselor li cense issued by another state, a 64
branch or unit of the military, a territory of the United 65
States, or the District of Columbia, and who has been 66
licensed for at least one year in such other jurisdiction, 67
may submit an application for a professional cou nselor 68
license in Missouri along with proof of current licensure 69
and proof of licensure for at least one year in the other 70
jurisdiction, to the committee. 71
(2) The committee shall: 72
(a) Within six months of receiving an application 73
described in subdivision (1) of this subsection, waive any 74
examination, educational, or experience requirements for 75
licensure in this state for the applicant if it determines 76
that there were minimum education requirements and, if 77
applicable, work experience and clinical supervision 78
requirements in effect and the other state and jurisdiction 79
verifies that the person met those requirements in order to 80
be licensed or certified in that state and jurisdiction. 81 SB 1284 6
The committee may require an applicant to take and pa ss an 82
examination specific to the laws of this state; or 83
(b) Within thirty days of receiving an application 84
described in subdivision (1) of this subsection from a 85
nonresident military spouse or a resident military spouse, 86
waive any examination, e ducational, or experience 87
requirements for licensure in this state for the applicant 88
and issue such applicant a license under this subsection if 89
such applicant otherwise meets the requirements of this 90
subsection and section. 91
(3) (a) The committee shall not waive any 92
examination, educational, or experience requirements for any 93
applicant who has had his or her license revoked by a 94
committee outside the state; who is currently under 95
investigation, who has a complaint pending, or who is 96
currently under disciplinary action, except as provided in 97
paragraph (b) of this subdivision, with a committee outside 98
the state; who does not hold a license in good standing with 99
a committee outside the state; who has a criminal record 100
that would disqualify h im or her for licensure in Missouri; 101
or who does not hold a valid current license in the other 102
jurisdiction on the date the committee receives his or her 103
application under this subsection and section. 104
(b) If another jurisdiction has taken discipli nary 105
action against an applicant, the committee shall determine 106
if the cause for the action was corrected and the matter 107
resolved. If the matter has not been resolved by that 108
jurisdiction, the committee may deny a license until the 109
matter is resolved. 110
(4) Nothing in this subsection shall prohibit the 111
committee from denying a license to an applicant under this 112
subsection for any reason described in section 337.525. 113 SB 1284 7
(5) Any person who is licensed under the provisions of 114
this subsection shall be subject to the committee's 115
jurisdiction and all rules and regulations pertaining to the 116
practice as a licensed professional counselor in this state. 117
(6) This subsection shall not be construed to waive 118
any requirement for an applicant to pay any fees. 119
4. The committee shall issue a license to each person 120
who files an application and fee and who furnishes evidence 121
satisfactory to the committee that the applicant has 122
complied with the provisions of this act and has taken and 123
passed a written, open-book examination on Missouri laws and 124
regulations governing the practice of professional 125
counseling as defined in section 337.500. The division 126
shall issue a provisional professional counselor license to 127
any applicant who meets all requi rements of this section, 128
but who has not completed the required acceptable supervised 129
counseling experience and such applicant may reapply for 130
licensure as a professional counselor upon completion of 131
such acceptable supervised counseling experience. 132
5. (1) The division shall issue a provisional 133
professional counselor license within fifteen business days 134
of receipt of a completed application, as described in 135
section 337.507, to an applicant who meets the requirements 136
of this section and holds a graduate degree accredited by 137
the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related 138
Educational Programs, Counseling on Rehabilitation 139
Education, Incorporated, or their successor organizations. 140
The license number shall be made available to the app licant 141
electronically. 142
(2) Such license shall be valid until the application 143
is reviewed by the committee. If the application is 144
rejected by the committee, the license shall terminate 145 SB 1284 8
immediately. If the application is approved by the 146
committee, the license shall remain in effect until the 147
termination date under 20 CSR 2095 -2.005. 148
(3) The division may refuse to issue a provisional 149
professional counselor license through the expedited process 150
described in this subsection to an applicant who has a 151
criminal record that could disqualify him or her from 152
licensure in this state, who has had his or her license 153
denied or revoked in any state, or who is currently under 154
investigation, has a complaint pending, or is under 155
disciplinary action i n any state. 156
6. All persons licensed to practice professional 157
counseling in this state shall pay on or before the license 158
renewal date a renewal license fee and shall furnish to the 159
committee satisfactory evidence of the completion of the 160
requisite number of hours of continuing education as 161
required by rule, including two hours of suicide assessment, 162
referral, treatment, and management training, which shall be 163
no more than forty hours biennially. The continuing 164
education requirements may be w aived by the committee upon 165
presentation to the committee of satisfactory evidence of 166
the illness of the licensee or for other good cause. 167