HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4308        FILED ON: 6/9/2014

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

John W. Scibak

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to the licensure of behavior analysts.

_______________

PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4308        FILED ON: 6/9/2014

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the Year Two Thousand Fourteen

_______________

An Act relative to the licensure of behavior analysts.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1.  Section 165 of Chapter 112, as appearing in the 2012 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out the fourth paragraph and inserting in place thereof the following paragraph:-

The board may issue a license to an applicant as an applied behavior analyst; provided, however, that each applicant, in addition to complying with clauses (1) and (2) of the first paragraph shall provide satisfactory evidence to the board that the applicant:

(1) has successfully completed a doctoral degree program from a recognized educational institution in which the doctoral program included a minimum of 60 graduate credit hours in courses related to the study of behavior analysis or a master’s degree program from a recognized educational institution wherein the master’s program included a minimum of 30 graduate credit hours in courses related to the study of behavior analysis, or for individuals with a masters or doctoral degree in another field of human services, successful completion of a board-approved certificate program in behavior analysis from a recognized educational institution combined with the successful completion of an approved course sequence formally approved by the board;

(2) has successfully completed a practicum or supervised experience in the practice of behavior analysis that meets the standards established by the board; and

(3) has successfully passed a board-approved examination related to the principles and independent practice of applied behavior analysis. 

SECTION 2.  Chapter 429 of the Acts of 2012 is hereby amended by striking out Section 10 and inserting in place thereof the following section:-

SECTION 10. Notwithstanding section 165 of chapter 112 of the General Laws, an applicant who applies to be licensed as an applied behavior analyst within 24 months after the promulgation of rules and regulations under section 12 may be granted status as a licensed applied behavior analyst, subject to the approval of the board of registration of allied mental health and human services professions, if: (i) the applicant is a board-certified behavior analyst certificant of the Behavior Analysis Certification Board; (ii) the applicant has graduated with a doctoral degree from a recognized educational institution and the doctoral program included a minimum of 60 graduate credit hours in courses related to the study of applied behavior analysis; (iii) the applicant has graduated with a master's degree from a recognized educational institution and the master's program included a minimum of 30 graduate credit hours in courses related to the study of behavior analysis  or (iv) the applicant has graduated with a masters or doctoral degree in another field of human services and has successfully completed a certificate program in behavior analysis from a recognized educational institution, and can demonstrate that the applicant has practiced as an applied behavior analyst full-time or equivalent part-time for a minimum of 5 years. An applicant who is granted a license under this section may renew the license biennially if the applicant completes and, when requested, provides evidence to the board of such completion of the prescribed minimum number of hours of continuing education.

SECTION 3.  Section 11 of Chapter 429 of the Acts of 2012 is hereby amended by striking out the word “4” and inserting in place thereof the following word:- “24”.