SB 171 — Pract. Transparency/Reagan's Law/Sam's Law.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA SESSION 2025 S 21 SENATE BILL 171 Health Care Committee Substitute Adopted 4/2/25 Short Title:

Senator Burgin (Primary Sponsor).

Rules and Operations of the Senate February 26, 2025 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT TO REDUCE THE UNNECESSARY REGULATORY BURDEN ON MASTER'S LEVEL PSYCHOLOGISTS AND TO INCREASE ACCESS TO QUALITY MENTAL HEALTH CARE SERVICES FOR NORTH CAROLINIANS.

… (e) A Except as provided in subsection (e1) of this section:

(1) A licensed psychological associate shall be supervised by a qualified licensed psychologist, or other qualified professionals, licensed psychological associate in accordance with Board rules specifying the format, setting, content, time frame, amounts of supervision, qualifications of supervisors, disclosure of supervisory relationships, the organization of the supervised experience, and the nature of the responsibility assumed by the supervisor.

(2) A licensed psychological associate who provides health services shall be supervised, for those activities requiring supervision, supervised by a qualified licensed psychologist holding health services provider certification or by other a qualified professionals licensed psychological associate under the overall direction of a qualified licensed psychologist holding health services provider certification, in accordance with Board rules.

The Board shall adopt rules implementing and defining this provision, and as in the practice of psychology evolves, may identify additional activities requiring supervision in order to maintain acceptable standards of practice.inpractice.psychology. the practice of psychology in accordance with Board rules.

(e1) TheAlicensedpsychological Boardassociateisnotsubjectto shallsupervisionbyaqualifiedlicensed approvepsychologist anyand licensedmay psychological associate to engage in independent practice,practice without supervision by a qualified licensed psychologist or qualified licensed psychological associate, if the licensed psychological associate meets all of the following requirements:

*S171-v-2* General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 (1) Has 4,0003,000 hours of post-licensurepostgraduate degree experience in the delivery of psychological services underunderthesupervision theofone supervisionormorequalified oflicensed one*S171-v-1* orGeneral moreAssembly qualifiedOf licensedNorth psychologistsCarolina orSession qualified2025 licensedpsychologists psychological associates within a time period of at least 24 consecutive months and less than 60 consecutive months.

(2) DocumentsSubmits thatan allapplication performance ratings for theindependent 4,000practice hourswith proof of post-licensurethe experience required bysupervision experience in subdivision (1) of this subsectionsubsection. have been average or above average.

(3)(e2) SubmitsThe anBoard applicationshall forapprove independenta practicelicensed withpsychological proofassociate ofto engage in independent practice if the 4,000licensed hourspsychological ofassociate post-licensuremeets experiencethe requiredrequirements byof subdivisionsubsection (1)(e1) of this subsection.section.

90-270.14590-270.153 readsis asamended rewritten:by adding a new subsection to read:

"§"(h) 90-270.145.A licensed psychological associate who does not possess a certification as a health services provider psychological associate may, upon completion of the requirements specified in G.S.

Licensure;90-270.139(e1), be granted certification as a health services provider psychological associate upon submission of the application fee in accordance with G.S.

examination;90-270.151(b)(9)." SECTION 3.(a) G.S.

foreign graduates.

… (b) Licensed Psychological Associate.

– … (3) No licensed psychological associate shall engage in the practice of neuropsychology or forensic psychology without first demonstrating specialized education and training to practice in those areas as the Board may determinebyrule.

Inconsideringwhetherthelicensedpsychologicalassociate has sufficient specialized education and training to engage in the practice of neuropsychologyor forensicpsychology, the Boardmayconsider the licensed psychological associate's graduate level course work, continuing education, supervised training experience, or any other factors the Board deems appropriate.

For purposes of this subdivision, "neuropsychology" is defined as "the branch of science that studies the physiological processes of the nervous system and relates them to behavior and cognition" and "forensic psychology" is defined as "the application of psychological principles and techniques to situations that are involved in the civil and criminal legal systems, including, but not limited to, psychological assessments and expert testimony." …." SECTION 3.

G.S.

90-270.153 reads as rewritten:

"§ 90-270.153.

Provision of health services;

certification as health services provider.

(a) Health services, as defined in G.S.

90-270.136(4) and G.S.

90-270.136(8), may be provided byqualified licensed psychological associates, qualified licensed psychologists holding provisional, temporary, or permanent licenses, or qualified applicants.

Qualified Except as provided in subsection (h) of this section, qualified licensed psychological associates, qualified licensed psychologists holding provisional or temporary licenses, or qualified applicants may providehealth services onlyundersupervision as specifiedin thedulyadoptedrules oftheBoard.

… (h) A licensed psychological associate who possesses a certification as a health services provider psychological associate in accordance with subsection (c) of this section may provide health services without supervision upon meeting the requirements in G.S.

90-270.139(e1).

(i) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (h) of this section, a licensed psychological associate who was licensed before June 30, 2013, who can demonstrate, in accordance with Board rules, that he or she has been engaged in the provision of health services psychology under supervision for 4,000 hours within a time period of at least 24 consecutive months and less than 60 consecutive months shall meet the requirements for certification as a health services provider psychological associate." SECTION 4.

G.S.

Page(a) 2For Senatethe Billpurpose 171-Secondof Editioncarrying Generalout Assemblythe Ofprovisions Northof Carolinathis SessionArticle, 2025there Forthepurposeofis carryingoutcreated theprovisionsa ofthisNorth Article,there is createdaNorth Carolina PsychologyBoard,whichPsychology shallBoard, consistofsevenmembersappointedwhich bytheGovernor.Atall times three members shall beconsist licensedof psychologists,seven two members shallappointed beby licensed psychological associates, and two members shall be members of the publicGovernor. who are not licensed under this Article.

The(b) GovernorAt all times three members shall givebe duelicensed considerationpsychologists, totwo themembers adequateshall representationbe licensed psychological associates, and two members shall be members of the variouspublic fieldsandareasofpracticeofpsychologyandtoadequaterepresentationfromvariousgeographicwho regionsare innot thelicensed State.under this Article.

TermsThe Governor shall give due consideration to the adequate representation of officethe shallvarious befields threeand years.areas of practice of psychology and to adequate representation from various geographic regions in the State.

(c) Terms of office shall be three years.

As the term of a psychologist member expires, or as a vacancy of a psychologist member occurs for any other reason, the Board, the North Carolina Psychological Association, or its successor, shall, and the North Carolina Association of Professional Psychologists, or its successor, shall form a nominating committee and, having sought the advice of the chairs of the graduate departments of psychology in the State, nominees from licensees for each vacancy, shall submit to the Governor a list of the names of three eligible persons.

From this list the Governor shall make the appointment for a full term, or for the remainder of the unexpired term, if any.

No(d) member,As eitherthe publicterm of a psychologist member expires, or licensedas undera thisvacancy Article,of a psychologist member occurs for any other reason, the North Carolina Psychological Association, or its successor,shall,havingsoughttheadviceofthechairsofthe graduatedepartmentsofpsychology in the State, for Board shall servesolicit moreapplications thanfor threemembership completefrom consecutiveall terms."licensees SECTIONof 5.the Board;