GENETIC COUNSELOR LICENSURE S.B. 935 (S-1):
SUMMARY OF BILL
REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE
Senate Bill 935 (Substitute S-1 as reported)
Sponsor: Senator Judy K. Emmons
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Public Health Code to do the following:
-- Prohibit an individual from engaging in the practice of genetic counseling without a license, beginning January 1, 2016.
-- Require the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), in consultation with the Michigan Board of Medicine, to promulgate rules that specified the minimum standards for licensure, temporary licensure, and license renewal of genetic counselors.
-- Prescribe the application process for licensure as a genetic counselor.
-- Require a temporary licensed genetic counselor to work under the supervision of a qualified supervisor.
-- Require a licensee seeking renewal to present to the Board evidence that he or she had maintained certification through an approved nationally recognized certifying agency.
-- Prohibit a person who was not licensed as a genetic counselor from using certain titles, words, letters, abbreviations, or insignia.
The bill also would prescribe the following fees for genetic counselor licensure:
-- An application processing fee of $55.
-- An annual license fee of $95.
-- An annual temporary license fee of $50.
Proposed MCL 333.16340 et al. Legislative Analyst: Julie Cassidy
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have an indeterminate fiscal impact on the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, and no fiscal impact on local units of government. Under the bill, LARA would begin licensure of genetic counselors. The bill would require an application processing fee of $55, and an annual license fee of $95, and would provide for the issuance of temporary licenses, which would require a fee of $50. According to the American Board of Genetic Counseling (ABGC), there are currently 107 genetic counselors in Michigan who have registered with the ABGC. Assuming that each sought full licensure under the bill, and that this number represents the totality of genetic counselors who would seek licensure, the fees in the bill would generate $16,050 initially, and then $10,165 per year thereafter. While the new costs that would be associated with licensing genetic counselors are not known at this time, medical doctors, podiatrists, and psychologists also pay a $95 annual license fee, and LARA has indicated that this fee level is sufficient to cover the cost of providing licensure for those professions.
Date Completed: 7-22-14 Fiscal Analyst: Josh Sefton
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.