Notice of proposed changes in the regulations of the Alaska Board of Professional Counselors
Brief Description: The Board of Professional Counselors proposes to update various regulations relating to continuing education requirements and the date of abandonment for initial applications.
The Board of Professional Counselors (Board) proposes to adopt regulation changes in Title 12, Chapter 62 of the Alaska Administrative Code including the following:
- 12 AAC 62.100. License by examination, is proposed to be amended to make the timeframe before an initial application for licensure by examination as a professional counselor is considered abandoned equivalent to the standards identified in the Division’s centralized regulations and reduce the timeframe from three years with the potential for an extension for an additional two years, to one year after the receipt of the initial application.
- 12 AAC 62.310. Continuing education requirements, is proposed to be amended for license renewals by, (1) adding a requirement that a certain number of continuing education hours are spent on specific topics, and (2) limiting the total number of continuing education hours that may be completed for renewal of a professional counselor license to a maximum of 12 hours per day.
You may comment on the proposed regulation changes, including the potential costs to private persons of complying with the proposed changes, by submitting written comments to Alison Osborne, Regulations Specialist, Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing, P.O. Box 110806, Juneau, AK 99811-0806. Additionally, the Board will accept comments by facsimile at (907) 465-2974 and by electronic mail at RegulationsAndPublicComment@alaska.gov. Comments may also be submitted through the Alaska Online Public Notice System by accessing this notice on the system at http://notice.alaska.gov/209494, and using the comment link. The comments must be received not later than 4:30 p.m. on February 21, 2023. Comments received after this deadline will not be considered by the Board.
You may submit written questions relevant to the proposed action to Alison Osborne, Regulations Specialist, Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing, P.O. Box 110806, Juneau, AK 99811-0806 or by e-mail at RegulationsAndPublicComment@alaska.gov. The questions must be received at least 10 days before the end of the public comment period. The Board will aggregate its response to substantially similar questions and make the questions and responses available on the Alaska Online Public Notice System and on the Board’s website at https://www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/cbpl/ProfessionalLicensing/ProfessionalCounselors.aspx. The Board may, but is not required to, answer written questions received after the 10-day cut-off date and before the end of the comment period.
If you are a person with a disability who needs a special accommodation in order to participate in this process, please contact Alison Osborne at (907) 465-6826 or RegulationsAndPublicComment@alaska.gov, not later than February 13, 2023 to ensure that any necessary accommodation can be provided.
A copy of the proposed regulation changes is available on the Alaska Online Public Notice System and by contacting Alison Osborne at (907) 465-6826 or RegulationsAndPublicComment@alaska.gov, or go to https://www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/portals/5/pub/PCO-1122.pdf
After the public comment period ends, the Board will either adopt the proposed regulation changes or other provisions dealing with the same subject, without further notice, or decide to take no action. The language of the final regulation may be different from that of the proposed regulation. You should comment during the time allowed if your interests could be affected. Written comments and questions received are public records and are subject to public inspection.
Statutory Authority: AS 08.29.020; AS 08.29.110; AS 08.29.130; AS 08.29.210; AS 98.84.140; AS 08.29.400
Statutes Being Implemented, Interpreted, or Made Specific: AS 08.29.020; AS 08.29.110; AS 08.29.130; AS 08.29.210; AS 08.29.400
Fiscal Information: The proposed regulation changes are not expected to require an increased appropriation.
DATE: 1/17/2023 /s/ Alison Osborne, Regulations Specialist Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing
For each occupation regulated under the Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing, the Division keeps a list of individuals or organizations who are interested in the regulations of that occupation. The Division automatically sends a Notice of Proposed Regulations to the parties on the appropriate list each time there is a proposed change in an occupation's regulations in Title 12 of the Alaska Administrative Code. If you would like your address added to or removed from such a list, send your request to the Division at the address above, giving your name, either your e-mail address or mailing address (as you prefer for receiving notices), and the occupational area in which you are interested.
ADDITIONAL REGULATION NOTICE INFORMATION
(AS 44.62.190(d))
1. Adopting agency: Board of Professional Counselors – Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development, Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing.
2. General subject of regulation: Continuing education requirements for license renewals for professional counselors and the timeframe before abandonment of applications for licensure by examination for professional counselors.
3.Citation of regulation: 12 AAC 62.100 and 12 AAC 62.310.
4. Department of Law file number: To be assigned.
5. Reason for the proposed action: Update and clarification of current regulations; compliance with state statute.
6. Appropriation/Allocation: Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing – #2360.
7. Estimated annual cost to comply with the proposed action to:
A private person: None known.
Another state agency: None known.
A municipality: None known.
8. Cost of implementation to the state agency and available funding (in thousands of dollars): No costs are expected in FY 2023 or in subsequent years.
9. The name of the contact person for the regulation:
Logan Bugayong , Licensing Examiner
Board of Professional Counselors
Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing
Telephone: (907) 465-1074
E-mail:logan.bugayong@alaska.gov
10. The origin of the proposed action: Board of Professional Counselors.
11. Date: 1/17/2023 Prepared by: /s/
Alison Osborne
Regulations Specialist