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Senate panel restores telehealth authority for board-certified behavior analysts through Jan. 1 retroactive clause
Summary
The Senate Health Committee voted unanimously to advance Senate Bill 462, which would retroactively restore the ability of board-certified behavior analysts (BCBAs) to provide telehealth while the state licensure process remains incomplete.
The Senate Health Committee voted 12-0 to advance Senate Bill 462 after testimony from industry representatives urging a short, technical fix to preserve telehealth services.
The measure, introduced in committee testimony by Lou Belch of the Cordon Group on behalf of Indiana Providers for Effective Autism Therapy, would retroactively reinstate a telehealth authorization for BCBAs covering the period after Jan. 1, 2025 until the state's licensing process finishes. "This bill simply retroactively puts back in place the ability of BCBAs to provide telehealth services back to January 1, 2025 until the licensure process is completed," Lou Belch said during the hearing.
The provision responds to a lapse in law that occurred when a prior permissive provision expired on Jan. 1, 2025 while the Professional Licensing Agency (PLA) had not yet issued final licenses. According to witnesses, the PLA scheduled a rule hearing the day after the committee hearing but had not completed the licensing rollout.
Committee members moved the bill and called the roll. The motion passed on a roll-call vote of 12 to 0. The committee recorded the result and sent the bill to the full Senate.
Supporters framed the measure as corrective and narrowly targeted; they described the bill as technical and temporary, not a substantive change to licensure standards. No amendments or additional substantive changes were adopted in committee.
The committee record shows unanimous support, and committee leadership said the bill would move to the Senate floor.
Votes at a glance: Senate Bill 462 — Committee outcome: moved to floor (do pass recommendation); committee vote: 12 yes, 0 no.
The Legislature will now consider the measure on the Senate floor; the reinstatement would remain effective only until the licensing process is completed, per the bill text explained to the committee.
