AB 630 — Board of Behavioral Sciences: marriage and family therapists: clinical social workers: educational psychologists: professional clinical counselors: required notice: exemptions.

Summary

Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of marriage and family therapists, educational psychologists, clinical social workers, and professional clinical counselors by the Board of Behavioral Sciences, which is within the Department of Consumer Affairs. A violation of these provisions is a crime. This bill, commencing July 1, 2020, would require those licensees and registrants, prior to initiating specified services, to provide a client with a specified written notice that the board receives and responds to complaints regarding services within the scope of the licensed practice and that the client may contact the board. Under existing law, an employee or volunteer of a governmental entity, educational facility, or nonprofit charitable institution is exempt from the provisions of the Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Act and the Clinical Social Worker Practice Act if the work is performed solely under the employer's supervision. Under the Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor Act, an employee of a governmental entity, educational facility, or nonprofit charitable institution is exempt from the provisions of the act if the work is performed solely under the employer's supervision. This bill, instead, would exempt from the provisions of the Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Act, the Clinical Social Worker Practice Act, and the Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor Act an unlicensed or unregistered employee or volunteer working in a governmental entity, a school, a college, a university, or an institution that is both nonprofit and charitable if the work of the employee or volunteer is performed solely under the employer's supervision. The bill, commencing July 1, 2020, would additionally condition these exemptions upon the employee or volunteer providing, prior to initiating psychotherapy services, a specified written notice to a client that provides the name and contact information of the agency that the client may contact to file a complaint regarding that practice of psychotherapy. The Clinical Social Worker Practice Act exempts from its provisions a person using hypnotic techniques by referral from a person licensed to practice medicine, dentistry, or psychology if their practice is performed solely under the supervision of the employer. This bill would remove from that exemption the condition that the practice of the person using hypnotic techniques is performed solely under the supervision of the employer. The Clinical Social Worker Practice Act provides that its provisions pertaining to the licensure of clinical social workers are prohibited from restricting or preventing activities of a psychosocial nature on the part of persons employed by accredited academic institutions, public schools, government agencies, or nonprofit institutions engaged in the training of graduate students or social work interns pursuing the course of study leading to a master's degree in social work in an accredited college or university, or working in a recognized training program, provided that these activities and services constitute a part of a supervised course of study and that those persons are designated by such titles as social work interns, social work trainees, or other titles clearly indicating the training status appropriate to their level of training. This bill would revise the provision described above to specify that the provisions pertaining to the licensure of clinical social workers employees are prohibited from restricting or preventing psychosocial activities by employees of accredited academic institutions, public schools, government agencies, or nonprofit institutions who train graduate students pursuing a master's degree in social work in an accredited college or university. The bill also would revise the provision described above to specify that psychosocial activities by the employee are required to be part of a supervised course of study and that the graduate students are required to be designated by those titles. The bill would prohibit a student from performing clinical social work in a private practice. Because this bill would specify additional requirements under provisions pertaining to marriage and family therapists, educational psychologists, clinical social workers, and professional clinical counselors, the violation of which would be a crime, it would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Bill Text

• Chaptered 09/05/19 - Chaptered Current pdf September 05, 2019
• Enrolled 08/23/19 - Enrolled pdf August 23, 2019
• Amended 06/06/19 - Amended Senate pdf June 06, 2019
• Amended 03/28/19 - Amended Assembly pdf March 28, 2019
• Introduced 02/15/19 - Introduced pdf February 15, 2019
• AB630 View text html

Action History

1. September 05, 2019

   Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 229, Statutes of 2019.

2. September 05, 2019

   Approved by the Governor.

3. August 27, 2019

   Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3:30 p.m.

4. August 22, 2019

   Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 75. Noes 0. Page 2793.).

5. August 19, 2019

   In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending. May be considered on or after August 21 pursuant to Assembly Rule 77.

6. August 19, 2019

   Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 39. Noes 0. Page 2199.).

7. June 25, 2019

   Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

8. June 24, 2019

   From committee: Be ordered to second reading pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8.

9. June 10, 2019

   From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 0.) (June 10). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

10. June 06, 2019

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on B., P. & E.D.

11. May 08, 2019

    Referred to Com. on B., P. & E.D.

12. April 25, 2019

    In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

13. April 25, 2019

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 76. Noes 0. Page 1360.)

14. April 11, 2019

    Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar.

15. April 10, 2019

    From committee: Do pass. To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 17. Noes 0.) (April 10).

16. April 02, 2019

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 20. Noes 0.) (April 2). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

17. April 01, 2019

    Re-referred to Com. on B. & P.

18. March 28, 2019

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on B. & P. Read second time and amended.

19. February 25, 2019

    Referred to Com. on B. & P.

20. February 19, 2019

    From printer. May be heard in committee March 21.

21. February 15, 2019

    Read first time. To print.

Sponsors

• Low · Cosponsor
• Joaquin Arambula · Primary

Votes

Subjects