School Psychologist Interstate Licensure Compact
HB0340 enters Maryland into the School Psychologist Interstate Licensure Compact. The compact is designed to make it easier for licensed school psychologists to practice across state lines by creating a multistate licensure pathway for qualified professionals. It sets minimum eligibility standards for a home-state license, including completion of an approved school psychology education program, passage of a qualifying national exam, and a supervised internship requirement. It also establishes rules for obtaining and renewing an equivalent license in another member state, while preserving each state’s authority over scope of practice, licensure conditions, and discipline.
The bill also creates the School Psychologist Interstate Licensure Compact Commission, a joint interstate body that will administer the compact, adopt rules and bylaws, manage information sharing, and coordinate enforcement. The compact includes provisions for criminal background checks, reporting of adverse actions, dispute resolution, default and termination procedures, and withdrawal by a member state. It specifically addresses military members and spouses by easing licensure portability when they relocate, and it allows member states to charge fees and assessments to support the commission’s operations.
HB0340 adds new sections to the Education Article establishing the School Psychologist Interstate Licensure Compact in Maryland law. It affects state licensing authorities by requiring them to participate in interstate information sharing, recognize equivalent licenses issued under the compact, and report adverse actions and investigative information to the commission. It also supersedes conflicting state laws to the extent of any inconsistency with the compact, while leaving nonconflicting Maryland laws in place. School psychologists seeking multistate practice, as well as Maryland’s licensing and regulatory agencies, are the primary parties affected.
The bill appears to have been generally favorable and noncontroversial in the available record. There are no committee transcripts or recorded votes provided, and the bill was ultimately approved by the Governor as Chapter 617. The compact’s stated goals—improving access to school psychological services, reducing duplicative licensing burdens, and addressing workforce shortages—suggest broad policy support for licensure portability and service availability.
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. Based on the bill text, the most likely areas of policy sensitivity are the balance between interstate licensure portability and state regulatory control, the scope of information sharing and confidentiality, and the authority of the commission to adopt binding rules. Other potentially debated issues include background check requirements, fees and assessments, and the treatment of disciplinary actions or alternative programs, but no opposition or disagreement is reflected in the available record.