Kansas BSRB finalizes legislative priorities including licensure flexibilities, supervision changes and CE preapproval expansion

The Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board on Nov. 21 reviewed and finalized its legislative agenda for the 2025 session, directing staff to prepare bill language on several items including an expanded student temporary addiction‑counselor license, new supervision flexibilities for professional counselors, a statutory seat for a behavior analyst on the board and a new fee‑based academic program review process for schools seeking confirmation that their curricula meet Kansas licensure requirements.

The board met remotely and approved the meeting agenda by voice vote at the outset of the session. David Anderson, chair of the Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board, then led the board through a series of policy items the agency plans to seek in the coming legislative session. David Fey, the board’s executive director, read the remote‑meeting notice and described public‑comment procedures: “Public comment allows the public to address the board about its concerns, but the Kansas Open Meeting Act does not require the board to provide public comment or answer questions from individuals,” Fey said.

Why it matters: Several of the proposals are aimed at workforce development and regulatory clarity for professions the BSRB regulates — including counselors, social workers, marriage and family therapists, addiction counselors and behavior analysts. Some proposals would require statutory changes; others would be implemented through agency rules if the legislature authorizes them.

Key items the board directed staff to draft or pursue

- Student temporary addiction‑counselor license expansion: The board asked staff to prepare statutory language to widen eligibility for the student temporary addiction counseling license that was created in the 2023 session. Under the current statute, applicants must complete 60 credit hours with an emphasis in…