House Bill 527

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 73-30-9, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REVISE THE QUALIFICATIONS FOR LICENSURE AS A LICENSED PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR TO ALLOW THE LICENSURE OF PERSONS WHO HAVE COMPLETED THE REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTIFICATION BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH AND WHO HAVE TWO YEARS OF EXPERIENCE PROVIDING DIRECT COUNSELING SERVICES AT A BOARD-APPROVED SITE WITH OR WITHOUT SUPERVISION; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. Section 73-30-9, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

73-30-9. (1) The board shall issue a license as a provisional licensed professional counselor, without regard to race, religion, sex or national origin, to each applicant who furnishes satisfactory evidence of the following:

(a) The applicant has completed an application on a form prescribed by the board accompanied by a nonrefundable application fee of Fifty Dollars ($50.00).

(b) The applicant is at least twenty-one (21) years of age.

(d) The applicant is a citizen of the United States, or has an immigration document to verify legal alien work status in the United States. The immigration document must be current and issued by the United States * * * ~~Immigration Bureau~~ Citizenship and Immigration Services.

(e) The applicant is not in violation of any of the provisions of this article and the rules and regulations adopted hereunder.

(f) The applicant shall have a minimum acceptable graduate semester hour or acceptable quarter-hour master's degree, as determined by the board, primarily in counseling or a related counseling field from a regionally or nationally accredited college or university program in counselor education or a related counseling program subject to board approval. All applicants shall provide official transcripts of all graduate work.

(g) The applicant must pass the examination approved by the board, as set forth in Section 73-30-7(5).

(h) A provisional license issued under this section shall require that the individual confine one's practice to a board-approved site and accrue counseling experience under the supervision of a board-qualified supervisor.

(i) The limited license shall be renewable for not more than four (4) years, with a nonrefundable license fee in the amount provided in Section 73-30-29. Licensees may appeal to the board for an extension of the renewal period.

(j) Each applicant for licensure shall apply to undergo a fingerprint-based criminal history records check of the Mississippi central criminal database and the Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal history database. Each applicant shall submit a full set of the applicant's fingerprints in a form and manner prescribed by the board, which shall be forwarded to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Identification Division for this purpose.

(2) The board shall issue a license or the privilege to practice as a licensed professional counselor, without regard to race, religion, sex or national origin, to each applicant who furnishes satisfactory evidence of the following:

(a) The applicant has completed an application on a form prescribed by the board accompanied by a nonrefundable full application fee of Fifty Dollars ($50.00).

(b) The applicant is at least twenty-one (21) years of age.

(e) The applicant is not in violation of any of the provisions of this article and the rules and regulations adopted hereunder.

(f) (i) The applicant shall have a minimum acceptable graduate semester hour or acceptable quarter-hour master's degree, as determined by the board, primarily in counseling or a related counseling field from a regionally or nationally accredited college or university program in counselor education or a related counseling program subject to board approval. All applicants shall provide official transcripts of all graduate work * * *.; or

(ii) The applicant shall have completed the necessary requirements for certification by the State Department of Mental Health and have two (2) years of experience providing direct counseling services at a board-approved site with or without the supervision of a board-qualified supervisor.

(g) The applicant for licensure must pass the examination approved by the board, as set forth in Section 73-30-7(5).

(h) The applicant has had post graduate supervised experience in professional counseling acceptable to the board. Applicants shall submit verification of supervised experience. This paragraph (h) is not applicable to an applicant who meets the requirements of paragraph (f)(ii) of this subsection.

Each application or filing made under this section shall include the social security number(s) of the applicant in accordance with Section 93-11-64.

(i) The board shall require each first-time applicant for licensure or the initial privilege to practice and may require applicants for license renewal to undergo a fingerprint-based criminal history records check of the Mississippi central criminal database and the Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal history database. Each applicant for licensure and each renewal applicant as required by the board shall apply to undergo a fingerprint-based criminal history records check of the Mississippi central criminal database and the Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal history database. Each applicant shall submit a full set of the applicant's fingerprints in a form and manner prescribed by the board, which shall be forwarded to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Identification Division for this purpose.

(3) The board shall administer the privilege to practice in accordance with the Professional Counseling Compact.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2023.