State Board of Examiners for Audiologists, Hearing Aid Dispensers, Speech–Language Pathologists, and Music Therapists – Physician Members – Repeal
HB0504 would change the composition of the State Board of Examiners for Audiologists, Hearing Aid Dispensers, Speech-Language Pathologists, and Music Therapists by removing the two physician seats from the board. As amended, the board would shrink from 15 members to 13 members and continue to include licensed audiologists, speech-language pathologists, hearing aid dispensers, music therapists, and consumer members. The bill also updates the appointment provisions to reflect the new board structure and removes the special physician-member appointment process tied to the Maryland Society of Otolaryngology.
The bill provides that the terms of the two physician members serving on the effective date would end on June 30, 2026, and the act would take effect June 1, 2026. In practical terms, it would revise the Health Occupations Article provisions governing board membership and appointment procedures for this licensing board, which oversees regulation of audiology, hearing aid dispensing, speech-language pathology, and music therapy in Maryland.
HB0504 would amend § 2-202 of the Health Occupations Article to eliminate physician representation on the board and reduce the total number of board members from 15 to 13. It would also repeal the statutory language governing physician-member qualifications and appointments, while leaving the rest of the board’s professional and consumer membership structure intact. The bill would affect the state’s occupational licensing and regulatory oversight framework for audiologists, hearing aid dispensers, speech-language pathologists, and music therapists.
Based on the bill text and available context, the measure appears to have been a targeted administrative or governance change rather than a controversial policy overhaul. There are no recorded committee transcripts or votes in the provided materials, and the bill was ultimately withdrawn by the sponsor in the House. That suggests the proposal did not advance to a recorded floor decision and may not have generated substantial public debate in the available record.
The main point of potential contention is the removal of physician members from a board that regulates professions closely related to ear, hearing, and speech care. Supporters may view the change as streamlining the board and aligning membership more closely with the professions regulated, while opponents could argue that physician expertise—especially otolaryngology input—provides useful clinical oversight. Because no hearing transcript or vote record is provided, the specific arguments for or against the change are not documented in the available context.