Committee advances licensure for alcohol and drug counselors aimed at boosting workforce competency

The Senate Health Committee on March 7 voted to report Senate Bill 897 to the full Senate with a recommendation that it do pass. Counsel described the bill as creating licensure for alcohol and drug counselors, setting education and supervised‑practice requirements for licensure and certification, specifying supervised experience hours, and establishing an application, renewal and disciplinary framework; a fiscal note was requested and the bill has a second reference to the Committee on Finance.

Jeremy Truman (speaker 10), a member of the board of directors for the West Virginia Credentialing Board for Addiction and Prevention Professionals, testified that West Virginia currently lacks consistent training requirements for clinicians in substance‑use‑disorder treatment and cited roughly 182 certified master's‑level addiction counselors in the state. Truman told the committee licensure would create career pathways and draw clinicians who might otherwise be licensed and practice in neighboring states such as Ohio, which has a larger licensed workforce.

Committee members asked about grandfathering, credentialing pathways and whether the proposed requirements would reduce existing workforce numbers; Truman said the bill includes grandfathering provisions for current certified professionals and argued licensure would ultimately increase the professional workforce by incentivizing training and supervision.

After questions and testimony, the vice chair moved and the committee adopted a motion to report SB897 to the full Senate with its recommendation that it do pass, with referral first to the Committee on Finance under its original double committee reference.