State review recommends ‘mandatory certification’ for speech and hearing professions to streamline oversight

The Office of Professional Licensure Review recommended that the Legislature convert licensure to a one‑time mandatory certification for some speech and hearing professions, saying that the change would streamline state oversight while preserving public safety. "We operate through a series of statutory criteria that were given to us by you all," the office's director, Jeff Shumway, told the Health and Human Services Interim Committee. Shumway described mandatory certification as a "licensure lite" approach: applicants would demonstrate credentials and pass a background check at the point…