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Committee approves multiple professional-licensing regulation updates including veterinary, dental, counseling and long‑term care rules
Summary
The committee approved a series of regulatory changes across boards to modernize continuing-education rules, add a temporary restrictive dental license for supervised live-patient training, raise veterinary‑technician CE, and update long‑term care administrator requirements.
The committee voted to approve a series of regulatory amendments from several state licensing boards that update continuing-education rules, add a temporary restrictive license for supervised dental live-patient training, raise continuing-education hours for veterinary technicians, and align long-term care administrator regulations with national standards and state statute.
Amy Holloman, executive director for the South Carolina Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, and Dr. Tracy Quick explained that the veterinary-board regulation increases the two‑year continuing-education requirement for veterinary technicians from 10 hours to 12 hours and clarifies how those hours may be earned; the board also accepted national approval programs such as the American Association of State Veterinary Boards’ RACE mechanism as an avenue for credit. The committee approved that document (doc 5356) by voice vote.
Regulatory amendments for licensed professional counselors and marriage and family therapy associates (doc 5354) were approved to clarify the 60‑hour graduate‑degree requirement and to add one hour of continuing education in suicide assessment, treatment and management to conform with the 2024 legislative change (referenced in the transcript as Act 158 of 2024). The committee approved the counselor amendments by voice vote.
The State Board of Dentistry’s proposal (doc 5355) cleared the committee after staff explained the measure allows more opportunities for dentists and dental hygienists to earn continuing-education credit while teaching and creates a temporary restrictive license so an out‑of‑state dentist can participate in live‑patient courses under the supervision of a South Carolina licensed dentist. The committee approved the dentistry changes by voice vote.
The State Athletic Commission’s clarifying amendments (doc 5351) — which update rules on unauthorized substances and suspension procedures for medically suspended boxers — were approved by voice vote.
The Board of Long Term Health Care Administrators’ package (doc 53306) passed as well. Changes include renaming the administrator-in-training program to "administrator and residency program," defining qualifications for dual nursing-home and community-residential-care applicants, adding the health services executive certification pathway for certain out‑of‑state applicants, and removing antiquated "crimes of moral turpitude" language to match Chapter 1 of Title 40. The board member who appeared for the package described the health services executive designation as a certification — not a license — that can streamline licensing for administrators already certified at the national level.
Each of the measures was reported as friendly updates intended to modernize CE paths, match regulations to statute and national standards, and provide more flexible training options for licensees. Committee members moved and seconded the measures; each passed by voice vote with the chair declaring "the ayes have it."
