COUNSELING LICENSURE COMPACT
What changed between versions
Added 26 new definitions including 'active duty military', 'adverse action', 'alternative program', 'continuing competence or education', 'counseling compact commission', 'current significant investigative information', 'data system', 'encumbered license', 'encumbrance', 'executive committee', 'home state', 'impaired practitioner', 'investigative information', 'jurisprudence requirement', 'licensed professional counselor', 'licensee', 'licensing board', 'member state', 'privilege to practice', 'remote state', 'rule', 'single state license', 'state', 'telehealth', 'unencumbered license', and 'professional counseling'.
Established specific requirements for state participation including mandatory licensing, nationally recognized exams, 60 semester-hour or 90 quarter-hour master's degrees with specific topic areas, supervised postgraduate experience, complaint mechanisms, data system participation, adverse action reporting, and criminal background checks.
Modified licensure requirements in Sections 61-9A-10 and 61-9A-11 to require 60 graduate semester hours or 90 quarter hours in mental health clinical core curriculum for Counseling Compact privilege to practice eligibility.
Created comprehensive enforcement mechanisms including remote state authority to remove privilege to practice, home state sole authority over license encumbrances, adverse action reporting requirements, joint investigation procedures, and commission oversight with dispute resolution capabilities.
Established commission financing through annual assessments from member states, fees on licensees for privilege to practice, donations, grants, and property management authority.
Set implementation timeline requiring 10 member states to enact the compact before it becomes effective, with provisions for subsequent states joining under existing rules and withdrawal procedures requiring 6-month notice.
Created special provisions for active duty military members and their spouses allowing home state designation during active duty, and established privilege to practice telehealth across member states.
Added extensive rulemaking procedures including public notice requirements, comment periods, public hearing provisions, emergency rulemaking authority, and revision processes for commission rules.
