STATEMENT TO

[First Reprint]

SENATE, No. 4139

with Senate Floor Amendments

(Proposed by Senator VITALE)

ADOPTED: DECEMBER 20, 2021

      These Senate amendments update and clarify certain references to health care professionals and related terminology throughout the bill, including:

      1)  clarifying that the bill applies to alcohol and drug counselor interns, rather than alcohol and drug counselors, and to clarify that the interns are certified, not licensed.  The amendments split the temporary emergency certification for alcohol and drug counselor interns into a separate subsection to distinguish it from other forms of temporary emergency graduate licensure, and include references to the specific Division of Consumer Affairs order and waiver authorizing temporary emergency certification for alcohol and drug counselor interns;

      2)  revising the definition of “Group 2 health care professional” to refer to “licensed” social workers, rather than “certified” social workers;

      3)   revising the provisions of the bill pertaining to temporary emergency graduate licenses to include social workers and associate counselors, to remove alcohol and drug counselors, and to include references to the Division of Consumer Affairs order and waiver specific to social workers and associate counselors; and

      4)   revising a provision of the bill indicating that nothing in its provisions is intended to reinstate a license that was revoked by the Division of Consumer Affairs prior to the effective date of the bill, to instead reference a license or certification that expired or was rescinded by the division prior to the effective date of the bill.