HB219 Alabama 2022 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Kenneth PaschalRepresentative

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2022

Title

Professional counseling, Counseling Compact, licensed professional counselors authorized to practice on a limited basis among compact member states

Summary

HB219 would create the Interstate Counseling Compact to let Alabama licensed professional counselors practice in member states (including via telehealth) under a common privilege to practice and a shared licensure data system.

What This Bill Does

It creates the Counseling Compact Commission to oversee the compact, make rules, and handle enforcement and dispute resolution. It allows licensed professional counselors to practice in member states through a privilege to practice, including via telehealth, while following the remote state's laws. It sets eligibility requirements for counselors (home-state licensure, degree and training standards, supervised experience, and background checks) and creates a coordinated licensure information system for reporting licensure, investigations, and disciplinary actions. It includes accommodations for active duty military personnel and spouses and outlines how states can join, withdraw, or amend the compact.

Who It Affects

• Licensed professional counselors in Alabama who would obtain a home-state license and a privilege to practice in other member states, and whose licensure, investigations, and disciplinary actions would be recorded in a shared data system.
• Active duty military personnel and their spouses in Alabama, who would receive accommodations and a streamlined path to designate a home state and practice across member states, including telehealth.

Key Provisions

• Establish the Counseling Compact Commission with powers to create rules, oversee implementation, enforce the compact, manage default procedures, dispute resolution, and handle withdrawal or amendment of member states.
• Authorize the privilege to practice across member states for counselors who hold a valid home-state license, require compliance with home-state qualifications and remote-state laws (including jurisprudence and continuing education), and allow telehealth practice.
• Create a coordinated data system to share licensure information, investigations, and disciplinary actions, and permit joint investigations among member states.
• Specify eligibility criteria for compact participation (e.g., degree requirements, national exam, supervised postgraduate experience, and background checks) and provide for fees and annual assessments by member states to fund the commission.
• Provide for active duty military personnel and spouses to designate a home state and obtain accommodations to support multistate practice, including during active duty.
• Outline enforcement provisions, including how adverse actions against a privilege to practice are handled across states, and require notification and cooperation among home and remote states.
• Describe how a new home-state license is obtained based on privilege to practice when relocating, and how withdrawal or amendments to the compact affect member states.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Counselors