4821S.02C
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SENATE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
FOR
SENATE BILL NO. 1284
AN ACT
To repeal section 337.510, RSMo, and to enact in lieu
thereof one new section relating to professional
counselors.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Section 337.510, RSMo, is repealed and one new
section enacted in lieu thereof, to be known as section 337.510,
to read as follows:
337.510. 1. As used in this section, the following
terms mean:
(1) "License", a license, cer tificate, registration,
permit, accreditation, or military occupational specialty
that enables a person to legally practice an occupation or
profession in a particular jurisdiction;
(2) "Military", the Armed Forces of the United States,
including the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps,
Navy, Space Force, National Guard and any other military
branch that is designated by Congress as part of the Armed
Forces of the United States, and all reserve components and
auxiliaries. Such term also includes the military reserves
and militia of any United States territory or state;
(3) "Nonresident military spouse", a nonresident
spouse of an active duty member of the Armed Forces of the
United States who has been transferred or is schedule d to be
transferred to the state of Missouri, or who has been
transferred or is scheduled to be transferred to an adjacent
state and is or will be domiciled in the state of Missouri,
or has moved to the state of Missouri on a permanent change -
of-station basis;
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(4) "Resident military spouse", a spouse of an active
duty member of the Armed Forces of the United States who has
been transferred or is scheduled to be transferred to the
state of Missouri or an adjacent state and who is a
permanent resident of the state of Missouri, who is
domiciled in the state of Missouri, or who has Missouri as
his or her home of record.
2. Each applicant for licensure as a professional
counselor shall furnish evidence to the committee that the
applicant is at least eighteen years of age, is a United
States citizen or is legally present in the United States;
and
(1) The applicant has completed a course of study as
defined by the board rule leading to a master's,
specialist's, or doctoral degree w ith a major in counseling,
except any applicant who has held a license as a
professional counselor in this state or currently holds a
license as a professional counselor in another state shall
not be required to have completed any courses related to
career development; and
(2) The applicant has completed acceptable supervised
counseling as defined by board rule. If the applicant has a
master's degree with a major in counseling as defined by
board rule, the applicant shall complete at least tw o years
of acceptable supervised counseling experience subsequent to
the receipt of the master's degree. The composition and
number of hours comprising the acceptable supervised
counseling experience shall be defined by board rule. An
applicant may substitute thirty semester hours of post
master's graduate study for one of the two required years of
acceptable supervised counseling experience if such hours
are clearly related to counseling;
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(3) After August 28, 2007, each applicant shall have
completed a minimum of three hours of graduate level
coursework in diagnostic systems either in the curriculum
leading to a degree or as post master's graduate level
course work;
(4) Upon examination, the applicant is possessed of
requisite knowledge of the profession, including techniques
and applications, research and its interpretation, and
professional affairs and ethics.
3. (1) Any person who holds a valid current
professional counselor license issued by another state, a
branch or unit of the military, a territory of the United
States, or the District of Columbia, and who has been
licensed for at least one year in such other jurisdiction,
may submit an application for a professional counselor
license in Missouri along with pro of of current licensure
and proof of licensure for at least one year in the other
jurisdiction, to the committee.
(2) The committee shall:
(a) Within six months of receiving an application
described in subdivision (1) of this subsection, wai ve any
examination, educational, or experience requirements for
licensure in this state for the applicant if it determines
that there were minimum education requirements and, if
applicable, work experience and clinical supervision
requirements in effe ct and the other state and jurisdiction
verifies that the person met those requirements in order to
be licensed or certified in that state and jurisdiction.
The committee may require an applicant to take and pass an
examination specific to the laws of this state; or
(b) Within thirty days of receiving an application
described in subdivision (1) of this subsection from a
nonresident military spouse or a resident military spouse,
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waive any examination, educational, or experience
requirements for licensure in this state for the applicant
and issue such applicant a license under this subsection if
such applicant otherwise meets the requirements of this
subsection [and section].
(3) (a) The committee shall not waive any
examination, educational, or experience requirements for any
applicant who has had his or her license revoked by a
committee outside the state; who is currently under
investigation, who has a complaint pending, or who is
currently under disciplinary action, except as p rovided in
paragraph (b) of this subdivision, with a committee outside
the state; who does not hold a license in good standing with
a committee outside the state; who has a criminal record
that would disqualify him or her for licensure in Missouri;
or who does not hold a valid current license in the other
jurisdiction on the date the committee receives his or her
application under this subsection [and section].
(b) If another jurisdiction has taken disciplinary
action against an applicant, the committee shall determine
if the cause for the action was corrected and the matter
resolved. If the matter has not been resolved by that
jurisdiction, the committee may deny a license until the
matter is resolved.
(4) Nothing in this subsection shall prohibit the
committee from denying a license to an applicant under this
subsection for any reason described in section 337.525.
(5) Any person who is licensed under the provisions of
this subsection shall be subject to the committee's
jurisdiction and all rules and regulations pertaining to the
practice as a licensed professional counselor in this state.
(6) This subsection shall not be construed to waive
any requirement for an applicant to pay any fees.
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4. (1) The executive director of the committee shall
issue a license to each person who files an application and
fee and who furnishes satisfactory evidence [satisfactory to
the committee] that the applicant has complied with the
provisions of [this act and] sections 337.500 to 337.540,
has taken and passed a written, open -book examination on
Missouri laws and regulations governing the practice of
professional counseling as defined in section 337.500 , has
no criminal record that would disqualify the applicant from
licensure in this state, has no discipline of a license
outside the state, is not currently under investigation
outside the state, has no complaint pending outside the
state, and is not currently under disciplinary action
outside the state.
(2) The committee shall review and approve or deny all
applications for licensure for which licenses are not
authorized to be issued by the executive director under
subdivision (1) of this subsection unless otherwise
delegated to the executive director by the committee.
(3) The division shall issue a provisional
professional counselor license to any applicant who meets
all requirements of this section, but who has not completed
the required acceptable supervised counseling experience and
such applicant may reapply for licensure as a professional
counselor upon completion of such acceptable supervised
counseling experience.
5. All persons licensed to practice professional
counseling in this state shall pay on or before the license
renewal date a renewal license fee and shall furnish to the
committee satisfactory evidence of the completion of the
requisite number of hours of continuing education as
required by rule, including two hours of suicide assessment,
referral, treatment, and manage ment training, which shall be
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no more than forty hours biennially. The continuing
education requirements may be waived by the committee upon
presentation to the committee of satisfactory evidence of
the illness of the licensee or for other good cause.
6. The committee shall display, or cause to have
displayed, the names, addresses, license numbers, and
license status for all license holders of all license types
on the division's searchable listing of licensees.