HB1257

House Bill 1257 expands the scope of practice for psychology technicians in Arkansas by allowing them to work under licensed psychologists in general psychology, rather than being restricted solely to neuropsychology. The bill formalizes training requirements for these technicians, including 80 hours of documented training in ethics, test administration, observation, and supervised practice. It mandates that supervising psychologists be approved by the Arkansas Psychology Board to practice psychology and limits each supervisor to overseeing a maximum of four full-time technicians. Additionally, the bill allows for an annual $10.00 registration fee for technicians and establishes that psychologists may be reimbursed by the Arkansas Medicaid Program or health benefit plans for services provided by these technicians. The legislation clarifies that technicians remain prohibited from tasks such as selecting tests, conducting intake assessments, interpreting data, or communicating results to patients.