Rep. Norm Thurston — Voting Record

Bill

Number

H.B. 531 (2025GS)

Sponsor

Rep. Miller, Grant Amjad

Final action

House/ filed 3/7/2025

Outcome

Failed / filed without passage

Summary

What it does

• This bill:
• modifies a provision that sets qualification requirements for an individual to be licensed as a substance use disorder counselor.

Every vote on this bill

Bill text

3
58-60-506
0
Division of Professional Licensing Amendments
2025 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Grant Amjad Miller
Senate Sponsor: 
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This bill modifies provisions that regulate qualifications for licensure as a substance use 
disorder counselor.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
modifies a provision that sets qualification requirements for an individual to be licensed 
as a substance use disorder counselor.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
None
Other Special Clauses:
None
Utah Code Sections Affected:
AMENDS:
58-60-506
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2024, Chapter 420
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1, Section 
58-60-506
 is amended to read:
58-60-506. Qualifications for licensure.
(1)
Subject to Subsection (2), an applicant for licensure as master addiction counselor based 
on education, training, and experience shall:
(a)
submit an application on a form provided by the division;
(b)
pay a fee determined by the department under Section 
63J-1-504
;
(c)
document successful completion of not less than two hours of training in suicide 
prevention obtained after completion of the education requirements under Subsection 
(1)(d) via a course that the division designates as approved;
(d)
produce a certified transcript from an accredited institution of higher education that 
meets standards established by division rule under Section 
58-1-203
, verifying the 
satisfactory completion of:
(i)
a doctoral or master's degree in:
(A)
substance use disorders or addiction counseling and treatment; or
(B)
a counseling subject approved by the division in collaboration with the board, 
which may include social work, mental health counseling, marriage and family 
therapy, psychology, or medicine;
(ii)
an associate's degree or higher, or 18 credit hours, in substance use disorder or 
addiction counseling and treatment from a regionally accredited institution of 
higher education;
(e)
if required under federal law for any licensee as a master addiction counselor to 
qualify as an eligible professional under CMS rules for Medicare payment, document 
completion of:
(i)
not less than 3,000 hours of clinical supervision, which includes hours accrued 
under Subsection (1)(g); or
(ii)
not less than two years of clinical supervision;
(f)
document successful completion of not less than 1,200 direct client care hours:
(i)
obtained after completion of the education requirements under Subsection 
(1)(d)(ii);
(ii)
subject to Subsection (1)(f)(iii), not less than 100 of which are direct clinical 
supervision hours under the supervision of a clinical supervisor;
(iii)
not less than 25 of which are direct observation hours; and
(iv)
not more than 25 of which are group supervision hours concurrently with more 
than one other applicant for licensure;
(g)
if the applicant for licensure produces a transcript described in Subsection 
(1)(d)(ii)
, 
evidence completion of an additional 200 hours of direct client care hours in 
substance use disorder or addiction treatment;
(h)
(i)
pass the examination requirement established by division rule under Section 
58-1-203
; or
(ii)
satisfy the following requirements:
(A)
document at least one examination attempt that did not result in a passing 
score;
(B)
document successful completion of not less than 500 additional direct client 
care hours, not less than 25 of which are direct clinical supervision hours, and 
not less than five of which are direct observation hours by a clinical supervisor;
(C)
submit to the division a recommendation letter from the applicant's direct 
clinical supervisor; and
(D)
submit to the division a recommendation letter from another licensed mental 
health therapist who has directly observed the applicant's direct client care 
hours and who is not the applicant's direct clinical supervisor; and
(i)
consent to a criminal background check in accordance with Section 
58-60-103.1
 and 
any requirements established by division rule made in accordance with Title 63G, 
Chapter 3, Utah Administrative Rulemaking Act.
(2)
In lieu of the requirements under Subsections (1)(d) through (i), an applicant for 
licensure as master addiction counselor may document current certification in good 
standing as:
(a)
a master addiction counselor by the National Certification Commission for Addiction 
Professionals;
(b)
a master addiction counselor by the National Board for Certified Counselors; or
(c)
an equivalent certification as under Subsections (2)(a) and (b), as determined in rule 
made by the division in collaboration with the board.
(3)
An applicant for licensure as an associate master addiction counselor shall satisfy the 
requirements under Subsections (1)(a) through (c) and (i).
(4)
Subject to Subsection (5), an applicant for licensure as an advanced substance use 
disorder counselor shall:
(a)
submit an application on a form provided by the division;
(b)
pay a fee determined by the department under Section 
63J-1-504
; and
(c)
(i)
produce certified transcripts verifying satisfactory completion of:
(A)
a bachelor's degree or higher, from a regionally accredited institution of 
higher learning, in substance use disorders, addiction, or related counseling 
subjects, including social work, mental health counseling, marriage and family 
counseling, or psychology; or
(B)
two academic years of study in a master's of addiction counseling curriculum 
and practicum approved by the National Addictions Studies Accreditation 
Commission;
(ii)
document completion of at least 500 hours of supervised experience while 
licensed as a substance use disorder counselor under this section, which the 
applicant may complete while completing the education requirements under 
Subsection 
(1)(c)(i)
; and
(iii)
satisfy examination requirements established by the division in rule.
(5)
The requirements of Subsection (4)(c) may be satisfied by providing official verification 
of current certification in good standing:
(a)
(i)
as a National Certified Addiction Counselor Level II (NCAC II) from the 
National Certification Commission for Addiction Professionals (NCC AP); or
(ii)
as an Advanced Alcohol 
 Drug Counselor (AADC), from the International 
Certification and Reciprocity Consortium; or
(b)
of substantive equivalence to the certifications under Subsection (5)(a), as 
determined by division rule made in consultation with the board.
(6)
In accordance with division rules, an applicant for licensure as a substance use disorder 
counselor shall produce:
(a)
certified transcripts from an accredited institution that:
(i)
meet division standards;
 and
(ii)
verify satisfactory completion of an associate's degree or equivalent as defined 
by the division in rule; and
(iii)
(ii)
verify the completion of prerequisite courses established by division rules;
and
(b)
documentation of the applicant's completion of a substance use disorder education 
program that includes:
(i)
completion of at least 200 hours of substance use disorder related education;
(ii)
included in the 200 hours described in Subsection (6)(b)(i), a minimum of two 
hours of training in suicide prevention via a course that the division designates as 
approved; and
(iii)
completion of a supervised practicum of at least 200 hours
; and
.
(c)
documentation of the applicant's completion of at least 2,000 hours of supervised 
experience in substance use disorder treatment that:
(i)
meets division standards; and
(ii)
is performed within a two-year period after the applicant's completion of the 
substance use disorder education program described in Subsection (6)(b), unless, 
as determined by the division after consultation with the board, the time for 
performance is extended due to an extenuating circumstance.
Section 2. 
Effective Date.
This bill takes effect on 
May 7, 2025
.
2-19-25 2:15 PM