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Senate Human Services Committee approves bill letting genetic counselors order tests directly
Summary
The Senate Human Services Committee voted unanimously to advance Senate Bill 2040, which would allow licensed genetic counselors in North Dakota to order genetic tests directly and updates licensure exam time limits to match national board practice.
The Senate Human Services Committee voted unanimously to advance Senate Bill 2040, which would allow licensed genetic counselors to order genetic tests directly rather than requiring an additional sign-off by the referring health care provider.
The change was introduced to the committee by Sandra DuPuntis, executive director of the North Dakota Board of Medicine, who said the amendment would remove an extra step and “make it more efficient.” DuPuntis told the panel the measure also updates exam timing requirements to match the American Board of Genetic Counselors.
“Currently we have to have physicians sign off and that can be a problem, especially in this area,” genetic counselor Linda Wolf told the committee. “What genetic counselors do, we basically work with the families as kind of the intermediary between the ordering physicians or the referring physicians, trying to figure out what testing is appropriate.”
DuPuntis told members the bill is narrow: section 1 would permit independent ordering of genetic testing by licensed genetic counselors while clarifying that the patient’s primary care remains with the referring health care provider; section 2 would change the licensure examination window from four to five years to match the ABGC’s updated rules and would preserve a three-exam limit while allowing documented exceptions for disability or prior experience.
Committee members asked about workforce and access. DuPuntis and Wolf said North Dakota has a small number of genetic specialists and counselors statewide; Wolf said service gaps in the western part of the state mean counselors help bridge care until medical geneticists are available. Wolf said 33 states license genetic counselors and that 11 of those states already allow independent ordering of tests.
After brief committee discussion, Senator Kathy Hogan moved adoption of SB 2040 and Senator Kent Weston seconded the motion. The committee then practiced voting with the legislature’s in‑Laws electronic roll-call system. The clerk called the roll; the bill was approved unanimously and will move to the Senate floor. Senator Hogan volunteered to carry the bill.
The bill sponsor and staff emphasized the changes are intended to streamline patient access to appropriate testing and align state rules with national certification standards.
