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Speech and Hearing Professionals Board briefs committee on licensing, enforcement and interstate compact
Summary
Greg Thornton, executive director of the Ohio Speech and Hearing Professionals Board, told the House Education Committee the board is self-funded, cites steady licensing volumes, and is implementing interstate compact work and professional guidance tied to new law.
Greg Thornton, executive director of the Ohio Speech and Hearing Professionals Board, told the House Education Committee that the board’s mission is consumer protection through licensure and enforcement of audiology, hearing-aid fitting/dispensing, and speech-language pathology, and that the agency operates without GRF support.
Thornton said the board issues roughly 400 initial licenses and processes more than 10,000 renewal applications every two years, serves about 11,000 licensed practitioners statewide, and runs licensing and enforcement programs with a four-person staff plus a full-time investigator. He told the committee the board maintains a 98% customer satisfaction rating and that licensure fees for audiologists and speech-language pathologists have not increased since 1992.
On enforcement, Thornton described an example in which the board’s investigator prepared a county prosecutor referral within 24 hours that led to criminal charges for unlicensed practice involving elderly victims. He also discussed revenue and expenditure trends, noting the board is self-sustaining through fees and has not increased staff since 1994.
Thornton highlighted Ohio’s participation in an interstate licensure compact for audiology and speech-language pathology and said Ohio joined the compact in 2021; as of his testimony, the compact included 34 states and one U.S. territory. The compact, he said, creates privileges for practitioners to work across member states.
When asked about late-2024 legislation known in committee as “Madeline’s Law,” Thornton said the board will adopt professional guidelines and standards for dispensing hearing aids to minors and planned to finalize those guidelines at the board’s March meeting to meet the law’s implementation timeline.
Why it matters: The board oversees licensing, compliance, and enforcement for professions that serve children and adults in schools, hospitals and long-term care facilities. Changes in practice standards and licensure portability can affect workforce availability in schools, the largest single work setting for speech-language pathologists, and other care settings.
What the committee heard: Thornton described administrative efficiencies, the board’s enforcement work, and collaboration with education and health agencies. He also noted the board’s role in graduate outreach and in creating guidance for Madeline’s Law implementation.
