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Minutes for SB238 - Committee on Public Health and Welfare
Short Title
Reducing certain requirements for licensure by the behavioral sciences regulatory board, requiring board approval to provide clinical social work supervision and expanding out-of-state temporary permits to practice.
Minutes Content for Wed, Feb 24, 2021
Chairperson Hilderbrand opened the hearing on SB238.
Jenna Moyer, Staff Revisor gave an overview of SB238. She took questions from committee members.
David Fye presented proponent testimony for SB238 which reduces the hours of supervised practice that now exists for clinically licensed social workers to the professions of clinically licensed marriage and family therapists, professional counselors, masters level psychologists and addiction counselors from 4000 hours to 3000 hours and from 150 to 100 hours for direct supervision. SB238 also includes language clarifying that all clinical supervision may be done over telephonic clinical supervision of licensees in extenuating circumstances, for master's level psychology, social work, professional counseling, marriage and family therapy and addiction counseling. Adjustments to temporary out-of-state permits are also addressed. (Attachment 1)
Becky Fast stated in her proponent testimony that SB238 proposes three licensing changes for the social work profession:
- Adds a new mandate for supervision of master level social workers to become clinicians
- Amends Kansas unique requirements for hours of client contact during master social work training from 350 to 200 and
- Permits Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board (BSRB) to update licensing service definitions in regulations to include telehealth options. (Attachment 2)
Tonya Ricklefs in her proponent testimony stated that updating the "face to face" requirement for direct service hours to include telehealth services and dropping the Kansas requirement from 350 to 200 direct client contact hours will remove an unnecessary burden faced by our students. Delivering services via telehealth is a service delivery model that will not be disappearing after the end of the Covid pandemic. (Attachment 3)
Kyle Kessler spoke in support of SB238 by saying that telemedicine has been a game changer for behavioral health treatment during the Covid pandemic. The use of the telephone has been a significant addition and the ability to use telemedicine in urban areas helps provide an additional access venue as well. (Attachment 4)
Rachel Marsh spoke as a proponent for SB238 saying that its passage would make Kansas more competitive in terms of training and licensing master level professionals and clinical therapists as a means of addressing the behavioral health workforce shortage. She also supports the modifications to ensure televideo can be used for "face-to-face" clinical supervision. (Attachment 5)
Cynthia Schendel spoke as a proponent of SB238 with changes. She urges the unnecessary additional training and requirements for LSCSW supervisors be stricken from the bill. (Attachment 6)
Eric Thomason gave proponent testimony stating he supports SB238 with amended changes. While reducing requirements for licensure by the BSRB, it further restricts social worker's ability to provide and receive clinical supervision. Additionally it maintains a barrier to recruitment of social workers into the state of Kansas. While supporting SB238 he recommends removal of the new supervision requirement of "Board Approved Supervisors." and elimination of the additional 350 hours of direct client contact as required during the MSW field internship. (Attachment 7)
Questions were asked by committee members.
Written only proponent testimony was submitted by:
Linda Bass, KVC Kansas (Attachment 8)
Andrew Secor, Legislative and Advocacy Chair, Kansas Counseling Association (Attachment 9)
Stuart Little, President, Behavioral Health Association of Kansas (Attachment 10)
Denise Cross, President and CEO, Cornerstones of Care (Attachment 11)
Rennie Shuler-McKinney, MS, LCP, Director of Clinical Services, Behavioral Health AdventHealth Shawnee Mission (Attachment 12)
Kelly Jones presented her neutral testimony. (Attachment 13)
She answered questions from the committee.
Randy Callstrom testified as an opponent to SB238. He stated that he was concerned that the bill would significantly reduce the number of LMSWs able to receive supervision and thus further reduce the number of LSCSWs. And he was concerned it would harm recruitment and add to the workforce issues that already plague the CMHCs. (Attachment 14)
He took questions from committee members.
Chairperson Hilderbrand closed the hearing on SB238.
