HB1359
To Abolish Certain Boards; To Create The Arkansas State Board Of Mental Health Professionals; And To Declare An Emergency.
Last Action (May 1, 2023): Died in House Committee at Sine Die Adjournment
Sponsors
AI-Generated Summary
House Bill 1359 proposes the abolition of four specific mental health professional boards in Arkansas: the Board of Examiners in Counseling, the State Board of Examiners of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors, the Arkansas Psychology Board, and the Social Work Licensing Board. In their place, the bill creates a single entity called the Arkansas State Board of Mental Health Professionals. The legislation is intended to streamline the licensure process for mental health professionals and unify the oversight of various counseling and therapy professions under one central authority. All powers, records, assets, and functions of the abolished boards are transferred to the newly created board. The new board is authorized to form specialty committees to advise on rulemaking, ethics, and disciplinary issues. Additionally, the bill includes an emergency clause, indicating a desire for the changes to take effect immediately upon passage.
Potential Impact Analysis
Who Might Benefit?
The primary beneficiaries are intended to be the citizens of Arkansas, who may experience improved access to mental health services due to a more streamlined and efficient professional licensure process. Additionally, the state government and administrative agencies may benefit from reduced bureaucratic fragmentation by consolidating four distinct licensing boards into a single regulatory body.
Who Might Suffer?
The entities most directly impacted are the members and administrative staffs of the four dissolved boards, who lose their independent regulatory autonomy and institutional identity. Furthermore, current or prospective licensees in these specialized fields may face a period of administrative transition and uncertainty while the new board establishes its procedures and committee structures, potentially creating temporary disruptions in licensing or regulatory compliance workflows.
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