[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6644013,"mediaKeyId","2531425-30607bcdb32888ab1fb5f119a95ef78c","parentId",2531425,"title","BHEC staff detail recent rule changes, proposed life‑coaching guideline and dozens of mental‑health bills under review","audioSeconds",1927,"startMs",161935,"endMs",2089295,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2531425-30607bcdb32888ab1fb5f119a95ef78c&start=161&end=2089","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2531425-30607bcdb32888ab1fb5f119a95ef78c/thumbnail_161935.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6644013/Texas/BHEC-staff-detail-recent-rule-changes-proposed-lifecoaching-guideline-and-dozens-of-mentalhealth-bills-under-review","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6644013-9cbd8a61cd026df63b7d7293fa414d61/orig.mp4?Expires=1771056344&Signature=cpmAk2hRz-kAy8-~bvHckGS9uXttjxwEqzUd1rzHsAoe6a8MYmEagKEFWXrRX12J0NMNbTj7t8zIQ3A1f9uhys-7gm7wgNKUJy034FDT27eZHkvdxAO9xEgNUOldydu7kv3NQ0nkeD1RoPybKvxBNfKoipXES~OID3zuxNg3cgQrQVfFlONSyz3egekxYEa8RrqMZihlh75Jr5OOqgqxUO2yh-zy2YD7ENTh5~G5gB52brGkrECAieFvYib70tCTmeE0PzUJcjJSswH06gofOw~sdpjd9uvcLLzsxOWAfhO6zWoOTJoZx4gSjc~6Z1DPx8-42kxYpjc2RYkunRt6aw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council","date","2025-03-10T15:15:10.577Z","article","A staff member from the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council summarized recent regulatory activity and a slate of bills being tracked by the agency during an “Insights Over the Lunch Hour” webinar.

The council adopted a single cleanup rule at its Feb. 18 meeting, staff said, and has proposed a new investigatory rule, identified in materials as 8.84.10, that aims to clarify when a person’s services fall under the council’s regulatory authority rather than being unregulated \"life coaching.\" \"We do not want to create a scheme where somebody can ... call it life coaching, and therefore, I am removed from your regulatory authority,\" the staff member said during the presentation.

Why it matters: the proposed rule would guide investigators and licensees on whether conduct is within the scope of regulated practice for licensed professional counselors (LPCs), licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFTs), social workers and related professions. Staff said the rule is intended both to give professionals guidance and to protect the public by preventing regulated practice from being labeled, in words only, as unregulated activity.

What the council said about the proposed rule and timing
- Staff described 8.84.10 as guidance for distinguishing counseling and therapy from life‑coaching and said the draft will be published in the Texas Register for public comment. Member boards also completed a rule review process that mostly removed duplicative or unenforceable language and aligned board rules with statute.
- Robert, a staff member who presented member‑board adoptions, said most changes were technical or statutory cleanups; one change removed a temporary 45‑day practice allowance for LSSPs that the staff said was not permitted by statute.

Bills the agency is tracking
Staff said the agency is monitoring a broad slate of legislation that could affect licensing, workforce and reimbursement. Numbers and descriptions offered in the webinar included:
- HB 710 (universal licensure concept): would fast‑track use of an out‑of‑state license for applicants who were licensed and in good standing elsewhere, staff said.
- HB 1537 / SB 498 (Counseling Compact): a multistate compact staff said carries no fiscal impact in the agency’s initial fiscal note; the agency later noted the compact could generate state revenue and may require an amended fiscal note.
- HB 716 / SB 469 (Medicaid payments to associates): bills that would allow certain associate‑level providers (MFT and LPC associates) to bill Medicaid at reduced rates during their supervised‑experience period.
- HB 2157 / SB 531 (pathway to LSSP licensure for psychologists): would create a licensure pathway for licensed psychologists to obtain LSSP status.
- HB 2338 / SB 138 (rule swap/repeal exception): bills to repeal an existing exception that allows new rules without a corresponding repeal if the rule is for public health, safety and welfare; staff said the earlier exception had effectively swallowed the limit on net growth of the administrative code.
- SB 618 / HB 2816 (conscience protections in health care): described as a bill protecting providers’ “genuinely held beliefs” that could exempt them from delivering certain services.
- HB 3503 / SB 1726 (Social Work Licensure Compact): a compact the agency is tracking that would affect social work mobility across states.
- SB 1818 (provisional licenses for military applicants): would require agencies to issue provisional licenses for many military applicants so they may practice while a full application is processed.
- SB 471 and HB 716 (telehealth registry / mobility): staff described two measures modeled on Florida law — one creating a telehealth registry for out‑of‑state practitioners providing telehealth into Texas, and another creating a mobility endorsement that would fast‑track licensure for some out‑of‑state practitioners.
- SB 1081 (art therapy board): would create an art therapy board and an art therapy license under BHEC.
- SB 1053 (criminal‑history consequences): a “second chance” style bill that would alter how criminal convictions affect occupational license eligibility.

Budget and agency requests
Staff described five exceptional items the agency sought in the state budget process: a one‑time $125,000 request to design a new psychology exam; $837,000 to fund six positions (two attorneys, two licensing specialists, one administrative assistant, one ombudsman); $400,000 for a continuous query subscription to the National Practitioner Data Bank to limit licensees’ need to self‑report queries during renewals; and two smaller internal budget items. Staff said the $400,000 subscription was expected to be cheaper than hiring sufficient staff to process more than 30,000 self‑query reports at each renewal cycle.

Process and next steps
Staff described how bills move through the Texas Legislature, the committee assignment process and that many bills are still in committee. The agency said it will publish rules in the Texas Register and seek public comment when appropriate, and staff invited stakeholders to email for the full list of tracked bills.

Quotes
\"We do not want to create a scheme where somebody can ... call it life coaching, and therefore, I am removed from your regulatory authority and can continue doing these things that are harmful to the public,\" Staff member, Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council, said about proposed rule 8.84.10.

Ending
Staff said the proposed complaint‑investigation rule will be posted to the Texas Register and returned to the council after the public comment period. The agency also told attendees it will continue tracking dozens of bills and will notify stakeholders of substantive changes; staff offered to send the full bill list by email to interested parties.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","2025/03/07 Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council Insights Over The Lunch Hour","oneSentenceSummary","A staff member from the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council summarized recent regulatory activity and a slate of bills being tracked by the agency during an \"Insights Over the Lunch Hour\" webinar.","taxTitle","Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council, Boards & Commissions, Executive, Texas","taxId",36438,"location","Texas","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6644008,"BHEC to require CE tracking through CE Broker; staff answer privacy and continuing‑education questions",424,2131320,2556080,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2531425-30607bcdb32888ab1fb5f119a95ef78c&start=2131&end=2556","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2531425-30607bcdb32888ab1fb5f119a95ef78c/thumbnail_2131320.jpg","/articles/6644008/Texas/BHEC-to-require-CE-tracking-through-CE-Broker-staff-answer-privacy-and-continuingeducation-questions","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6644008-f97496da311da024c413097d74ede456/orig.mp4?Expires=1771056344&Signature=Z4U8u5whWEOcxoK7NGlLSPGdhE4JZAyfZrzNLlPryrXBjiBE7m0nI9M-F-JxXimrGovMtjLHNo3lMvlBLNxo3y75ZMimCFZ5g3DBg4r4FpnAIX7AKPGblrCk8197sNAySz0l31qvutMe3jpY7iukjSz2a9ije6NsuekH-aondMRPaqhBZjYIztEmKtsNsVfdtNZ-JMtA5Yx3EdGQjtBns6~QKOtNiPdDxsXAtA-Ug9g5tSBv9Kl1vp3CNbxZL3wK87NoLoLzxAB6yH3OT4Dplx6PHu3NicHB0UICYSUrl5tuycLYSdCOt0PLx1j7MSOf1I34vMwuRwNrugh1zQNw5A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council told attendees at its webinar that the agency will use CE Broker to track continuing education for licensees and answered attendee questions about data privacy, the rollout and CE rule details.

Lede details
Agency staff said they met with CE Broker to shape an online system that will show licensees whether they have met CE requirements and which CE providers count toward renewal. \"All the data actually belongs to us,\" a staff member said, describing contractual protections that prevent the vendor from retaining or repurposing licensee data if the agency terminates the arrangement.

Why it matters
The change is intended to modernize renewal and audit processes and reduce the agency’s manual workload. Staff said the system will be free for basic use by licensees and will include optional paid upgrades if individuals want concierge services. The agency said the tool will not be optional for licensees: all licensees will use the CE Broker system once the agency activates it.

Rollout and privacy
- Staff said the agency will provide outreach, education and a long lead time before requiring licensees to use CE Broker.
- In response to a question, staff said the vendor will receive data such as license issuance and expiration dates, license type and email addresses (information already visible on the agency’s public license lookup). Staff said they do not expect CE Broker to receive licensees’ physical home addresses and that the contract requires the data to be returned to the agency if the contract ends. \"It’s designed to guard against that,\" the staff member said.

Continuing‑education specifics answered in Q&A
- Human‑trafficking hour: staff confirmed social‑work licensees must complete one hour that the agency characterizes as a human‑trafficking training; additional instructional time on trafficking that is focused on social work practice may count toward general CE, but general non‑social‑work trafficking courses cannot be counted for extra hours unless the course is specific to social‑work practice.
- \"50% rule\": staff explained that half of a licensee’s CE hours must come from providers listed in the CE rule for the license type (the staff directed callers to the board’s rule PDF and gave rule citations during the Q&A: social work CE rule references and LPC and MFT rule citations were provided).

Website refresh and support
Robert, a staff member, showed a visual refresh of the agency website that staff said will roll out with the same page addresses so bookmarks will continue to work. Staff said they will host webinars and outreach with CE Broker staff to show licensees how to set up accounts and use the system.

Quotes
\"One thing it's important to remember is we've got a contract with them. So all the data actually belongs to us,\" Staff member, Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council, said about CE Broker data protection.

Ending
Staff repeated that the CE Broker platform will be free for basic tracking, mandatory for licensees when the agency turns it on, and will be accompanied by education and outreach. Staff invited attendees to email the agency with further questions and offered to send the full list of bills and rule documents upon request.","Agency staff said they met with CE Broker to design an online CE‑tracking system and that contractual protections mean the agency retains ownership of licensee data.","actionData","errors"]

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BHEC staff detail recent rule changes, proposed life‑coaching guideline and dozens of mental‑health bills under review

BHEC to require CE tracking through CE Broker; staff answer privacy and continuing‑education questions