SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST; TEMP. LICENSE                                          S.B. 811:

                                                                                 SUMMARY OF INTRODUCED BILL

                                                                                                         IN COMMITTEE

Senate Bill 811 (as introduced 1-12-22)

Sponsor:  Senator Curtis S. VanderWall

Committee:  Health Policy and Human Services

Date Completed:  2-23-22

CONTENT

The bill would amend the Public Health Code to modify provisions governing speech-language pathology educational temporary limited licenses.

The Code generally provides for the licensure of speech-language pathologists. An individual may apply for a temporary license for the purpose of completing a supervised graduate clinical experience. The Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) must issue a temporary license for a period not exceeding 12 months. To be eligible for a temporary license, an applicant must meet certain requirements.

The bill would extend, from 12 months to 24 months, the maximum time period for which a temporary license was valid. Additionally, an individual who obtained a temporary license would be eligible for one or more six-month extensions of that temporary license if he or she continued to meet the Code's requirements.

MCL 333.17609                                                     Legislative Analyst:  Stephen Jackson

FISCAL IMPACT

The bill would have a minor negative fiscal impact on LARA and no fiscal impact on local units of government. As of February 2022, there were 228 speech-language pathology educational limited temporary licensees. The license application fee is $102.70 for a 12-month license. Extending the license validity period to 24 months likely would result in revenue losses of approximately $23,000 for a one-year period; however, the actual revenue loss would depend on the exact renewal date of each license and the number of individuals pursuing temporary licenses in a given time period. In addition, revenue likely would be reduced if individuals qualified for and pursued the six-month extensions proposed under the bill.

                                                                           Fiscal Analyst:  Elizabeth Raczkowski

This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.