KHI NEWS SERVICE
TOPEKA, March 16
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius signed two licensing bills into law Friday.
One will allow the Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board to issue temporary Kansas licenses to out-of-state mental health workers already licensed elsewhere.
“When a mental health expert comes to Kansas to provide testimony at a trial or help a community devastated by disaster, we want to make sure those professionals are held to the same standard as Kansas professionals,” Sebelius said. “This bill provides that accountability and protects the public”s health.”
The temporary permit allowed under the new law would be valid for no more than 15 days per year but the board can extend that for an additional 15 days upon written application and if good cause is shown.
The board will be allowed to charge a permit fee up to $200 for applicants in each of the professional groups it regulates and a fee up to $200 for any permit extension. The bill also allows the board, in accordance with the Kansas Administrative Procedures Act, to issue cease-and-desist orders or assess fines up to $1,000, or both, for those who engage in practice without obtaining a temporary permit.
House Bill 2182 will take effect upon publication in the statute book.
Sebelius also signed HB 2181, which reduces the continuing education requirement for social workers renewing their licenses from 60 hours to 40 hours. The change was requested by the Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board to reflect the fact that in 2003 the board reduced, in rules and regulations, its continuing education requirement for licensure renewal. Since then, the board discovered the continuing education requirement for social workers was established in statute. The bill reconciles state law with the 2003 regulations
The total number of bills signed from the 2007 legislative session is now 16.