Healing arts: behavioral sciences: retired licenses.

Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of marriage and family therapists, clinical social workers, educational psychologists, and professional clinical counselors by the Board of Behavioral Sciences within the Department of Consumer Affairs. Existing law fixes the license fees and creates the Behavioral Sciences Fund in the State Treasury into which these license fees are deposited. Existing law requires the board to issue a retired license to a marriage and family therapist, clinical social worker, educational psychologist, or professional clinical counselor who holds a license that is current and active or capable of being renewed, and whose license is not suspended, revoked, or otherwise punitively restricted by the board or subject to disciplinary action. This bill would specify that the license may be current and active or inactive. Under existing law, a holder of a retired license may apply to have his or her license restored to active status if the holder has not committed an act or crime constituting grounds for denial of licensure and the holder pays the required fee, completes specified continuing education requirements, and complies with fingerprint submission requirements, as specified. Existing law requires an applicant to apply for licensure and pass the examinations required for licensure if the applicant's retired license was issued 5 or more years prior to the application to restore the license to active status. This bill would reduce the number of years from 5 years to 3 years for a marriage and family therapist, clinical social worker, educational psychologist, or professional clinical counselor who holds a retired license to apply to have his or her license restored to active status without having to apply for licensure and pass the examinations required for licensure.