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Bill seeks to extend and grandfather speech‑language pathology assistants (House Bill 384)
Summary
House Bill 384 would extend the deadline and provide retroactive grandfathering for speech‑language pathology assistants (SLPAs) who completed required supervised hours but were unable to obtain licensure because an approved examination was not available. Proponents from MASHA and school organizations said the change would help address workforce shortages in schools and other settings.
Representative Jennifer Lynch presented House Bill 384 to extend the licensure deadline for speech‑language pathology assistants and to grandfather those who completed required supervised hours. Proponents described a multi‑year implementation problem: the 2021 law left exam selection to board rulemaking, the national exam the board expected to use was not available to Montana, and RFPs to create a new exam failed. As a result, many paraprofessionals were unable to obtain assistant licensure despite having relevant work experience.
Jennifer Hensley (MASHA) told the committee the only psychometrically validated exam identified initially was controlled by the American Speech‑Language‑Hearing Association and "they were unwilling to allow Montana to use that examination," leaving Montana unable to license assistants. MASHA and school advocates said the program was stood up only recently and that HB 384 would extend the grandfathering date to allow practitioners who accrued experience during the problematic period to obtain licensure.
Online and in‑room proponents described high caseloads for licensed speech pathologists and a need for licensed assistants to provide services in schools and clinics. Department counsel and other witnesses provided counts for current licensees and said the licensing process has begun to function; supporters urged the committee to grant the requested extension and retroactive applicability. The hearing ended with the sponsor urging passage and no vote taken that day.
