Bill > AB1598

This bill, concerning behavioral sciences, aims to standardize and clarify regulations for various licensed professionals, including marriage and family therapists (LMFTs), educational psychologists (EPs), clinical social workers (CSWs), and professional clinical counselors (PCCs), under the Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS). Key provisions include extending the timeframe for applicants to pass required examinations and gain experience from six to seven years, aligning these timelines across different licensing acts. It also increases the maximum number of renewals for associate registrations from five to six, with a corresponding extension of the renewal deadline from six to seven years, and introduces a provision for a one-time, two-year hardship extension for those holding subsequent associate registration numbers to continue working in private practice under specific conditions. The bill also clarifies that qualified members of other professions, such as physicians, nurses, psychologists, attorneys, and religious officials providing faith-based counseling, can perform psychosocial work consistent with their own professional standards without being subject to the licensing requirements of these behavioral science acts, provided they do not imply they are licensed under these specific acts and meet certain criteria for religious officials. Additionally, it removes an outdated fee for rescoring written examinations and makes technical adjustments to various sections of the Business and Professions Code.

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https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1598