Section 34-8A-52 - State participation in the compact(a) To participate in the compact, a state must currently: (1) License and regulate licensed professional counselors;(2) Require licensees to pass a nationally recognized exam approved by the commission;(3) Require licensees to have a 60 semester-hour (or 90 quarter-hour) master's degree in counseling or 60 semester-hours (or 90 quarter-hours) of graduate course work, including the following topic areas:a. Professional counseling orientation and ethical practice.b. Social and cultural diversity.c. Human growth and development.e. Counseling and helping relationships.f. Group counseling and group work.g. Diagnosis and treatment; assessment and testing.h. Research and program evaluation.i. Other areas as determined by the commission.(4) Require licensees to complete a supervised postgraduate professional experience as defined by the commission; and(5) Have a mechanism in place for receiving and investigating complaints about licensees.(b) A Member State shall:(1) Participate fully in the commission's data system, including using the commission's unique identifier as defined in rules;(2) Notify the commission, in compliance with the terms of the compact and rules, of any adverse action or the availability of investigative information regarding a licensee;(3) Implement or utilize procedures for considering the criminal history records of applicants for an initial privilege to practice. These procedures shall include the submission of fingerprints or other biometric-based information by applicants for the purpose of obtaining an applicant's criminal history record information from the FBI and the agency responsible for retaining that state's criminal records;a. A member state must fully implement a criminal background check requirement, within a time frame established by rule, by receiving the results of the FBI record search and shall use the results in making licensure decisions.b. Communication between a member state, the commission and among member states regarding the verification of eligibility for licensure through the compact shall not include any information received from the FBI relating to a federal criminal records check performed by a member state under Public Law 92-544.(4) Comply with the rules of the commission;(5) Require an applicant to obtain or retain a license in the home state and meet the home state's qualifications for licensure or renewal of licensure, as well as all other applicable state laws;(6) Grant the privilege to practice to a licensee holding a valid unencumbered license in another member state in accordance with the terms of the compact and rules; and(7) Provide for the attendance of the state's commissioner to the counseling compact commission meetings.(c) Member states may charge a fee for granting the privilege to practice.(d) Individuals not residing in a member state shall continue to be able to apply for a member state's single state license as provided under the laws of each member state. However, the single state license granted to these individuals shall not be recognized as granting a privilege to practice professional counseling in any other member state.(e) Nothing in this compact shall affect the requirements established by a member state for the issuance of a single state license.(f) A license issued to a licensed professional counselor by a home state to a resident in that state shall be recognized by each member state as authorizing a licensed professional counselor to practice professional counseling, under a privilege to practice, in each member state.Ala. Code § 34-8A-52 (1975)
Amended by Act 2022-89,§ 3, eff. 6/1/2022.