Hawaii-2013-SR88-Introduced

WHEREAS, the profession of marriage and family therapy provides critically needed services in prevention, intervention, and treatment to a broad spectrum of clients; and

WHEREAS, it is vitally important that marriage and family therapists provide the best possible service to their clients; and

WHEREAS, continuing education is essential to help marriage and family therapists maintain their professional competency and keep abreast of the latest developments in their profession; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii is one of only three states that do not require continuing education credits as part of their licensing law for marriage and family therapists; and

WHEREAS, the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy is a membership organization that represents approximately 25,000 marriage and family therapists across the nation, and the Hawaii Division represents about 360 marriage and family therapists across the State; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs is charged with protecting consumers through its regulatory and licensing responsibilities; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy: Hawaii Division are currently working together on specific provisions to be included in a bill to establish continuing education requirements for licensed marriage and family therapists; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy: Hawaii Division have also identified issues relevant to the requirement for continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists, such as:

(1) Ensuring that such requirements do not impose an undue burden on marriage and family therapists in rural areas of Hawaii;

(2) Using an established, widely recognized non-governmental entity to approve continuing education credits; and

(3) Ensuring that the program to implement and monitor continuing education credits for licensed marriage and family therapists is cost-neutral to the State; and

WHEREAS, there are currently opportunities offered by approved providers for continuing education statewide, including in rural areas, such as in-person courses, webinars, and teleconferences; and

WHEREAS, continuing education opportunities should be made available to members and non-members of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy: Hawaii Division; and

WHEREAS, the joint effort of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy: Hawaii Division is critical in increasing and maintaining the professional competence of licensed marriage and family therapists in Hawaii through a continuing education program; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2013, that the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy: Hawaii Division are urged to continue collaborating on the issue of developing, implementing, and monitoring continuing education requirements for all licensed marriage and family therapists in Hawaii; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that no later than twenty days prior to the Regular Session of 2014, the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy: Hawaii Division are requested to submit to the Legislature a proposed draft for a bill to establish, implement, and monitor continuing education requirements for all licensed marriage and family therapists in Hawaii; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and President of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy: Hawaii Division.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists; Continuing Education; Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs

THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	88
TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2013
STATE OF HAWAII