LEGISLATION UPDATES

 

 

Included below is a summary of all of the bills we watched, amended, passed and defeated on behalf of the Marriage and Family Therapists during the 77^th Session of the Nevada Legislature.  In addition, I wanted to give you highlights of some of the other activities of the session.  First, I must say there was a civility and a spirit of cooperation we have not felt in several sessions.  I am sure it is because everyone involved in leadership, from the Speaker, Majority and Minority Leaders in the Assembly as well as their counterparts in the Senate were all new.  In addition, there was not one chairman of any committee in either house who had previously served in that capacity.  This, of course, was a result of term limits kicking in a few years ago.  There were stumbles along the way, but overall, legislators were willing to work with us for the public good.

Legislative Issues of Primary Concern to MFTs

 

 

AB 331 – Introduced by Assemblywoman Ellen Spiegel, this bill deals with billing practices of health care providers and insurance.  After a patient provides proof of insurance and it is accepted by the practitioner, that practitioner must maintain a record of the information.  If the provider fails to submit the claim for payment, then the provider cannot come back to the patient and demand payment beyond the deductible and co-pay. This assumes the information provided by the insured is up to date and accurate. 

 

SB 155 – The Clinical Professional Counselors requested this bill sponsored by Sen. Gustavson to allow them to assess or treat couples or families.  The MFTs were always in support of the legislation as long as individuals could prove competency.  After the first hearing, the Board of Examiners met to discuss this issue.  They unanimously agreed on an amendment.   Legislators were pleased that consensus had been reached.  A few days before work session on the bill, the CPC Association completely changed its position and did not support the amendment although three of the main proponents served on the Board and voted affirmatively with the amendment.  Letters were sent out to lawmakers stating that there was a spirit of cooperation nationally but we in NV were out to destroy the CPCs.  It was amended anyway by the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor.  There was a concern about the word “or” rather than “and” in terms of the amendment which was adopted by the Committee.  It provides that the Board determines competency through coursework or supervised training or experience.  Legislative Counsel Bureau informed us that the Board of Examiners has the flexibility to adopt regulation and use its judgment on these matters. 

 

When the bill was heard in the Assembly, an embarrassing display of name calling and accusations ensued on the part of several CPCs.  They did not support the current legislation and wanted the original language of SB 155.  Sen. Gustavson was caught off guard as well as committee members.  After the hearing, the committee did not act on the bill for several weeks and many members felt it had been inappropriate to go on the attack and air dirty laundry.  When the CPCs realized that the bill may die, they swiftly began praising the amended language and sending e-mails to me and Sen. Gustavson thanking us for our efforts and urged passage.   It passed as originally amended in the Senate during one of the final days designated for passage.  It was signed by the Governor on May 21^st.

https://nelis.leg.state.nv.us/77th2013

 

Concerns or questions about legislation that may impact Marriage and Family Therapists in Nevada should be directed towards our lobbyist, Helen Foley. Her contact information are as follows:

Faiss Foley Warren

919 E. Bonneville Avenue

Las Vegas, NV 89101

702-234-6500 (cellular)