Americans for Autism Advocacy Calls on Alabama Senate to Pass Professional Licensing Boards Consolidation Bill

Creating an agency focused on efficiency will help get more professionals licensed quicker to help neurodiverse Alabamans. 

The Alabama State Senate delayed a vote on April 18th to consolidate 25 professional licensing boards into a new agency house within the state’s Department of Labor.  The vote was delayed due to a potential filibuster threat by State Senator Rodger Smitherman (D-Birmingham).

Senate Bill 224 would have consolidated the licensing boards for applied behavior analysis and professional counselors into the new agency.  The state licensing boards that currently operate on a stand-alone basis have a small number of staff that handle inquiries and process applications.  The original licensing reform legislation called for 38 boards to be consolidated including the state’s board of psychology.  

Alabama’s current licensing model has numerous issues including:

1. The Board of Psychology does not have an online application that would help get professionals licensed quicker.

2. The Behavioral Analysis Licensing Board has an online application.  The lack of consistency amongst different boards create unnecessary pain points for potential applicants trying to obtain licensure.

3. Alabama is a member of both interstate compacts for Counseling and Psychology.  The lack of information on how Alabama handles applications for the Counseling Compact on its licensing website is concerning.

4. Having different licensing boards handling different applications with uneven online licensing infrastructure is not an efficient model.

5. Lack of transparency on the average time to process licensure applications.  Nearby Florida posts average licensing processing times on its website to help boost the public’s confidence on professional licensing.

US News and World Report ranks Alabama as the second worst state in the country for mental health.  The last thing Alabamans need is the Washington, D.C. style gridlock that will let Alabama fall behind its neighboring states on mental health.  The Alabama Senate needs to pass SB 224 without delay before the adjournment of the legislative session on May 20th.