State Board of Examiners for Audiologists, Hearing Aid Dispensers, Speech-Language Pathologists, and Music Therapists - Authority to Issue Limited Licenses to Practice Music Therapy
SB0088 authorizes the State Board of Examiners for Audiologists, Hearing Aid Dispensers, Speech-Language Pathologists, and Music Therapists to issue a new limited license to practice music therapy. The limited license is intended for applicants who meet the regular licensing requirements except for the examination, and it allows them to practice only under the supervision of a fully licensed music therapist while they complete the remaining requirements for full licensure. The bill also sets the limited license term at one year, allows one renewal for an additional year, and requires applicants to use board forms and pay board-set fees.
The bill also clarifies and updates the statutory definition of the practice of music therapy. It describes music therapy as the clinical, evidence-based use of music interventions to meet individualized goals and lists examples of interventions such as improvisation, receptive listening, songwriting, lyric discussion, music and imagery, performance, learning through music, and movement to music. At the same time, it specifies that music therapy does not include screening, diagnosis, or assessment of physical, mental, or communication disorders, and it emphasizes collaboration with treatment teams, families, caregivers, and other providers.
SB0088 amends the Health Occupations Article to create a limited licensure pathway within Maryland’s music therapy licensing framework and to add a new section governing eligibility, supervision, renewal, expiration, and reapplication limits. It expands the Board’s authority to regulate entry into the profession by allowing supervised practice before full licensure, while preserving the existing requirement that full practice authority comes only with a full license. The bill takes effect October 1, 2026, and affects applicants for music therapy licensure, licensed music therapists who supervise them, and the Board that administers the licensing process.
The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial. It passed both chambers unanimously, with 44-0 in the Senate and 128-0 in the House, and there is no recorded committee opposition or substantive negative discussion in the provided materials. The voting pattern suggests general agreement that the limited license is a practical workforce and licensure measure for the profession.
No major points of contention are reflected in the available record. The main policy choice embodied in the bill is whether to permit supervised practice before full licensure, and the bill resolves that by requiring supervision by a fully licensed music therapist and limiting the license to a short, renewable term. Any potential concern would likely center on professional standards, supervision, and ensuring that limited-license holders do not perform diagnosis or other services reserved to other licensed professionals, but no opposition is shown in the transcripts or votes.