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Legislative auditors recommend staggered extensions for six professional boards; committee hears backlog, vacancy and fee concerns
Summary
Deputy Legislative Auditor Mark Lundahl briefed the House Finance Committee on sunset audits for six licensing boards (marital and family therapy, social work, professional counselors, real estate appraisers, psychologists and the real estate commission), recommending variable extensions and highlighting vacancies, fee shortfalls and investigatory backlogs.
The House Finance Committee on May 13 reviewed legislative sunset audits for six professional licensing boards tied to Senate Bill 211, which would extend termination dates for those boards after auditors evaluated operations, fees and compliance.
Mark Lundahl, deputy legislative auditor, told the committee the audits generally concluded the boards “served the public’s interest” but each had areas needing corrective action. Recommended extension lengths varied: 8 years for the Board of Marital and Family Therapy (to 6/30/2034), 8 years for Social Work Examiners, 6 years for Professional Counselors and Certified Real Estate Appraisers (to 6/30/2032), 5 years for Psychologists and psychological associate examiners (to 6/30/2031), and 4 years for the Real Estate Commission (to 6/30/2030).
Auditors repeatedly recommended that the Office of Boards and Commissions work to fill long‑vacant public member seats (examples included vacancies lasting 13–56 months in various boards), that divisions ensure continuing education compliance where new teletherapy rules or reporting were not being tracked, and that fees be adjusted to cover regulatory costs when programs were operating at a deficit (audits noted the governor’s office and DCCED responses concurred with most findings).
Sylvan Robb, director of DCBPL, explained some fee increases are in the regulatory review process with the Department of Law and noted pandemic pauses left some programs temporarily supported with general fund allocations. She said the Division works closely with the Office of Boards and Commissions and maintains public vacancy listings; the Office of Boards and Commissions makes final appointments.
Senator Bjorkman said staff are researching statutory changes suggested by audits — for example, aligning appraisal statutes with federal requirements and reconsidering the real estate recovery fund — and expected some of that work to continue into the next legislature.
Committee members pressed auditors and DCBPL on the cause of delays in investigations and on the process for implementing fee changes; auditors cited turnover, vacancies and process delays for some long‑open cases. The committee offered to follow up on vacancy status and directed staff to pursue updates as the bills proceed.
