[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-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",[32,76,88,100],{"_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",6482322,"mediaKeyId","5444296-bd4761df0cf18e190d97772d15f5c380","parentId",5444296,"title","BHEC: Legislature funds NPDB checks, psychology exam design and Spanish LMSW exam; multiple bills affect licensure and practice","audioSeconds",301,"startMs",946000,"endMs",1247000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5444296-bd4761df0cf18e190d97772d15f5c380&start=946&end=1247","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5444296-bd4761df0cf18e190d97772d15f5c380/thumbnail_946000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6482322/Texas/BHEC-Legislature-funds-NPDB-checks-psychology-exam-design-and-Spanish-LMSW-exam-multiple-bills-affect-licensure-and-practice","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6482322-e3e2550ce62e4fb6a04568fda943254a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771140300&Signature=SlJb1Y7Gn4OeUCS0oFnhXaSbft0tLWW5X4ZunFewW71MUxVruCQhXUKJ~d8~Wyc3nePtWt9-BYegC2jGt0eCnpqA9r-Nu-CAPS8SwbGa4UrAD6jIFdzHZ81--zjbTytPgMWYyyONo~pcyzrvDQ3dIkGrJsDquNPZUzCYrL58lsqWwLle-4Gw2GIEj2MVLVhJnEYAmRopj7yBGukcDLkbazSdPBZPHbetFJgxoBVIwf~UmZWjoQWUR2ALP-~nQ8kRT~AvXXrJGSjWOfFU3A0EpM2Lc4C7SdbEKkkZgZOQuP7FOAE0qY8beay14OL5ToRi4WassCqDj~QVeG57KeOk4Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council","date","2025-07-22T01:59:04.633Z","article","Daryl Spinks, executive director of the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council, and Patrick Hyde, general counsel, summarized the 2025 legislative session and what it means for the agency and licensees.

Budget and agency funding: Spinks said the conference version of SB1, the state budget bill, provided BHEC with its baseline appropriations and additional, directed funds. The legislature appropriated about $400,000 to subscribe to the National Practitioner Data Bank continuous query service so the agency can run NPDB checks on renewal; Spinks said continuous queries were previously a practical impossibility without funding. The conference budget gave $125,000 to design an alternate psychology licensing exam and provided partial funding for agency staffing: the legislature funded roughly half of the six FTEs BHEC requested and directed the agency to hire attorneys first to reduce current caseloads in enforcement.

Spinks said the budget also included a surprise $200,000 rider directing BHEC to develop a Spanish-language licensing exam for the master’s-level social-work license (LMSW) and to deploy it by Sept. 1. He said the directive was not in either chamber’s initial bill and will present implementation challenges because BHEC must coordinate with exam owners and vendors.

Exam development: Spinks emphasized that the $125,000 is to design an alternate psychology exam, not to replace the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP). He said the alternate exam is being explored because some stakeholders believe the EPPP may screen out otherwise qualified candidates and because workforce shortages increase interest in alternate licensing pathways. Spinks said BHEC staff will solicit stakeholder input during the design phase and that any decision to deploy the exam would require additional legislative authority and funding.

Major passed bills with direct impact: Hyde and Spinks identified several passed measures they said licensees should note: SB 912 (requires agencies to use online CE-management systems, discussed in the CE article), SB 571 (shortened the mandatory child‑abuse report window from 48 hours to 24 hours; see Section 1.3 for the text), SB 912/related CE law, SB 1080 (revises agency discretion on criminal-history–based license decisions), SB 1188 (requires disclosure and human review when AI is used in diagnosis or treatment planning), SB 1818 and House Bill 5629 (provisional licensing and military licensure adjustments for service members and spouses), SB 1401 (a mental-health professions pipeline program at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board), and SB 2587 (codifying the LPC associate title and authority to run criminal-history checks for LPC associates).

Failed or vetoed measures: Spinks said the counselor and social-work interstate compacts did not pass. An omnibus reciprocity bill that might have authorized reciprocal licensing was pared down in committee and left BHEC excluded from the version that advanced.

Other items: Spinks described House Bill 149, an AI sandbox program to permit supervised AI-enabled behavioral-health delivery under oversight of the Department of Information Resources and BHEC, and noted the legislature created a Health Professions Workforce Coordinating Council (HB 3801) focusing on workforce issues. Patrick Hyde highlighted SB 571’s change to the statutory mandatory-reporting deadline and urged licensees to consult the bill text and BHEC guidance.

Spinks and Hyde said staff will post bill links, guidance and rule texts and encouraged licensees to follow agency emails and the rulemaking page for implementation details. They cautioned that some items—such as alternate exams or Spanish translations—require coordination with third-party exam owners and additional legislative or vendor steps to implement.

No formal votes were taken during the listening hour; the session was informational and intended to summarize legislative outcomes and next steps for licensees and boards.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","2025/07/16 Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council Insights Over The Lunch Hour","oneSentenceSummary","Daryl Spinks, executive director, and Patrick Hyde, general counsel, summarized how the 2025 Texas legislative session affects BHEC operations, licensing and agency rules.","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},6482325,"BHEC updates and proposed rules: investigation presumption, supervisor training and social-work reorganization",57,361000,418000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5444296-bd4761df0cf18e190d97772d15f5c380&start=361&end=418","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5444296-bd4761df0cf18e190d97772d15f5c380/thumbnail_361000.jpg","/articles/6482325/Texas/BHEC-updates-and-proposed-rules-investigation-presumption-supervisor-training-and-social-work-reorganization","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6482325-0008cfa5cf744ce83aa61634d056b105/orig.mp4?Expires=1771140300&Signature=fPz8RSOam20dKbD~0irH55AjEYG0uAzUQSKbK6eozrqP7U5A2d5xwZ~LKs3iUtHKXDMyuujkp2UlxLQoMjsCLnFHDXMOYGhOaoUxq~wiqU6~47rgTmjOEjWp2BIXinzoDqQjzdLqsEPMLAmnyGoOREehjGpoXyc4UjLY7Q7KUiAoUn50wDw6x8bvpxx6d0VmuFkZZ5Rh5MfDmPrujKzwQIfnuNiL49LDWkui1UlIgykEAWfipxuK75bxrV00FYpDCh6W4Vc0GXmH75Kwdq-N3X6QvB0c1Z5JXQskrJwo05hvh0ArNE7N0LimHCnzeLNDHRREm1NZQYuo6fG7HIkCmA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Daryl Spinks, executive director of the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council, and Robert Romig, deputy executive director, reviewed adopted and proposed rule changes that the council discussed at its recent meeting and summarized during a July 16 leadership listening hour.

Spinks said adopted changes include an explicit authorization in the continuing-education and audit rule (88250) to require use of an online CE-management system. He also said the council adopted an revisions to the agency’s investigation rule (884.1) that create a presumption: when an activity falls within the scope of a licensee’s regulated work, the activity will be treated as occurring under that license unless the practitioner takes very specific steps to disclaim licensed practice and secure informed consent.

Romig said the psychology board adopted continuing-education language addressing “distinct populations,” and adopted a clarified scope-of-practice definition for school psychology that aligns the rule text with national standards without expanding the board’s scope.

On the professional counseling board, Romig said the council repealed an expiration date for supervisor-training courses; courses that previously expired after five years will now remain valid, so long as the supervisor’s standing is not later revoked.

Romig said social-work rules are the subject of the most extensive proposed changes: the agency is reorganizing the application and supervision rules (the “400” series) to streamline and clarify requirements. Romig characterized the changes as largely non‑substantive reorganizations intended to make the rules easier to read.

Agency staff emphasized a few cross‑board proposed changes: a common obligation across boards to attempt to obtain client consent to notify a co‑treating provider when a client already receives care elsewhere; cleanup of supervision language requiring supervisees to notify supervisors of complaints and to provide remediation plans to future supervisors when applicable; and clearer requirements for supervisors regarding supervisee complaints and remediation.

Spinks noted that most proposed rules remain under informal review at the governor’s office and will be posted for public comment after that review is completed. He urged licensees to review posted preambles and submit comments when the materials are available.

None of the listening-hour comments constituted a formal board motion or vote during the session; staff directed listeners to the agency’s rulemaking page for full text and preambles and said posted materials will explain the legal citations and expected effective dates.","BHEC outlined adopted and proposed rule changes affecting continuing education, investigations (including a presumption that regulated activities fall under a license), supervisor training expiration, and a large reorganization of social-work rules.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6482327,"BHEC to roll out CE Broker Sept. 1; agencies to require online CE tracking under new law",40,208000,248000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5444296-bd4761df0cf18e190d97772d15f5c380&start=208&end=248","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5444296-bd4761df0cf18e190d97772d15f5c380/thumbnail_208000.jpg","/articles/6482327/Texas/BHEC-to-roll-out-CE-Broker-Sept-1-agencies-to-require-online-CE-tracking-under-new-law","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6482327-7965a0dcca3da72394c2b88860a68066/orig.mp4?Expires=1771140300&Signature=ol9Sw3HyEiP~oSxuOK9WgWOGco~xhxEpKTCfyT7YtXpelMpV8kREX1rs2qzmqOw9E8L7gb8O7EeqFmmSbiBQfcy8PqYDM5KrqUvnPCEtasR~uZxesbDgwlKuSD4qLdzvpEQw1KQIZ6xNjKAR5vEDW2HcPgmANcWnlrQsvVUdDZapjMIHH5XwmUDLGhtfhJY9iNkn~zIc6LGiWQufnYHH9VqsxY7f3qiqs4UNS0-YLWTV8OVy4B4L1lfVn4N4DXIgIxwVP~SnkJYXTfI5IRw8Wp3CpRYa~nz~~xVGyLc2lEH5cvbP1Pb6vDhWXLgtGIb3ySgWz-yBeWiqZAQx-anAfA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Daryl Spinks, executive director of the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council, said the council will activate the CE Broker continuing-education management system on Sept. 1 and make use mandatory for licensees beginning Jan. 1.

Spinks said the agency will publish training invitations and hold webinars and board presentations in coming months; he described the basic CE Broker account as free and optional upgrades as available. He said the system stores CE records electronically and eases agency audit work.

The rollout follows legislative action this session that requires state licensing agencies to use online CE-management systems. Patrick Hyde, general counsel, and Robert Romig, deputy executive director, said BHEC adopted a technical change in its continuing-education and audit rule (88250) to “make it crystal clear” the agency may authorize use of CE Broker or another dedicated online system.

Spinks said the rule amendment aligns BHEC with a new state statute requiring online CE management and that the change removes ambiguity about whether the agency can mandate an online platform. He encouraged licensees to register for the introductory webinars and to attend presentations at council and board meetings in the fall.

Agency staff said the basic CE Broker account will allow licensees to record hours, eliminate much paper tracking and help the agency with audits; upgrades are optional. The agency will not reopen the earlier chat-style Q&A feature for these sessions and asked attendees to raise hands and speak so staff can answer live questions.

The council provided no vote tally or formal motion during the listening hour; staff said the continuing-education rule amendment has already been adopted and that CE Broker will be enabled on the dates above.

Licensees with questions about specific CE credits or course provider eligibility were directed to BHEC’s licensing and continuing-education staff and to the CE Broker webinars. Spinks and Romig said staff will circulate email invitations and post guidance on the rulemaking page once the governor’s informal rule review is complete.

Looking ahead, the agency said it will present CE Broker demonstrations at upcoming board meetings and dedicated webinars for licensees who want more Q&A time than the standing meetings allow.","The Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council said it will launch CE Broker on Sept. 1 with mandatory use beginning Jan. 1, after the legislature required online continuing-education management and BHEC amended rules to authorize CE Broker.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6482319,"BHEC staff: school-based LPC associates’ clinical hours may count but supervision, records and access pose practical limits",221,2807000,3028000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5444296-bd4761df0cf18e190d97772d15f5c380&start=2807&end=3028","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5444296-bd4761df0cf18e190d97772d15f5c380/thumbnail_2807000.jpg","/articles/6482319/Texas/BHEC-staff-school-based-LPC-associates-clinical-hours-may-count-but-supervision-records-and-access-pose-practical-limits","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6482319-73775909b0e52890fead0a770c99fd10/orig.mp4?Expires=1771140300&Signature=WqWDihjHQ5OZzqsHQAInermj1tlPLAxewoCtZKY8efGf-giq4PjOgUEpyL0GvOBCY~PgIUr60mkSStewHd-ZDqZ18JogQ1g-6TYtGyjNgWax4UllAz9PLOxD9wgLCxdYUTalxDZewT9Cc2GS1X-MsBQo4~K6bFXLldv55xfo4ortLwJi2rtpwo4yFy2do8K--4TBgp6pDsk0mL3r-vq2xieFC6-i~1S3FsNjDN00c7iW1nprYlyFk6EfGUaoWI9~KBjS7ipmhMu338UrpHm6i7HFPVFfmFAHtD9IgAn1LNe8TI7Wp-PHpb~mwV2DBylGC5jQwg2M12HuEL1e-h8IjA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Joni Adams asked whether LPC associates who are employed as school counselors may count their school‑based hours as direct counseling hours toward LPC licensure.

Christina DeLuna, board administrator for the LPC board, and Daryl Spinks, executive director, said school hours can count when the associate is performing professional counseling services that meet the board’s definition and is under required supervision. DeLuna pointed attendees to rule 681.31 as a place to compare the types of practice that qualify for professional counseling experience.

Spinks and DeLuna explained practical limitations: educational records in public schools belong to the school district rather than the individual licensee, so the district typically controls access to those records and would need to provide releases or supervisory access to permit an outside supervisor to review notes. Both staff members said that in many cases it is simpler and less risky when supervision is provided by someone inside the school system who already has access to educational records.

Spinks said informed-consent arrangements in school settings usually differ from private practice. Consent for school counseling often is a district-level consent signed by parents during enrollment or as part of school policy, rather than consent between the licensee and the family as in private practice. He said licensees should not expect to be required to maintain school records in the same way they maintain private‑practice progress notes.

Several experienced school‑based supervisors in the meeting said school districts sometimes contract or pay outside supervisors and can provide access when district policies allow. Agency staff recommended documenting supervised-experience hours on the supervisory-experience form so the agency can record hours already completed in case an associate later pauses practice or changes supervisors.

Staff and participants urged licensees and supervisors to consider: whether the associate’s duties are explicitly counseling (rather than school-only guidance), whether the supervisor has access to necessary records and whether informed-consent forms for district services include language allowing supervised practice and record sharing where needed.

The agency did not issue a new rule in the session; staff offered guidance and recommended supervisors and employing districts coordinate to ensure supervision, access, and documentation requirements are met.","Agency staff and meeting attendees discussed whether LPC associates working as school counselors can count school time as supervised direct counseling hours. Staff said hours may count if the work is professional counseling, properly supervised and the district provides access for supervision; school records belong to the district.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

BHEC: Legislature funds NPDB checks, psychology exam design and Spanish LMSW exam; multiple bills affect licensure and practice

BHEC updates and proposed rules: investigation presumption, supervisor training and social-work reorganization

BHEC to roll out CE Broker Sept. 1; agencies to require online CE tracking under new law

BHEC staff: school-based LPC associates’ clinical hours may count but supervision, records and access pose practical limits