To amend sections 107.56, 126.42, 340.04, 4743.09, 4745.04, 4757.41, 4758.01, 4758.02, 4758.03, 4758.10, 4758.11, 4758.12, 4758.13, 4758.15, 4758.16, 4758.17, 4758.20, 4758.21, 4758.22, 4758.221, 4758.23, 4758.24, 4758.25, 4758.26, 4758.27, 4758.28, 4758.29, 4758.30, 4758.31, 4758.32, 4758.35, 4758.36, 4758.39, 4758.40, 4758.41, 4758.42, 4758.43, 4758.44, 4758.45, 4758.46, 4758.47, 4758.48, 4758.51, 4758.54, 4758.55, 4758.56, 4758.57, 4758.59, 4758.62, 4758.63, 4758.64, 4758.70, 4758.72, 4776.01, 4776.20, 5119.94, and 5122.15; to enact sections 4758.011, 4758.38, 4758.49, 4758.491, 4758.65, 4758.651, 4758.66, and 4758.661; and to repeal section 4758.52 of the Revised Code to change the name of the Chemical Dependency Professionals Board to the Behavioral Health Professionals Board, to require the Board to certify peer supporters and qualified mental health professionals, and to make other changes to the laws governing the Board and the professionals it regulates.
HB718 is a broad rewrite of Ohio’s laws governing the Chemical Dependency Professionals Board, renaming it the Behavioral Health Professionals Board and expanding its authority beyond substance use disorder counseling. The bill adds new certification categories for peer recovery supporters, youth peer supporters, family peer supporters, and qualified mental health assistants, specialists, and practitioners. It also updates the board’s membership, rulemaking authority, fees, disciplinary powers, examination procedures, continuing education requirements, and supervision standards for the professions it regulates.
The bill also makes several related changes across other parts of the Revised Code. It updates references in multiple statutes to reflect the board’s new name, revises telehealth rules for a wide range of health care professionals, and modifies continuing education rules for volunteer care provided to indigent and uninsured persons. It further adjusts provisions affecting mental health and addiction services administration, licensing, and court-ordered treatment, including references to qualified health professionals and behavioral health providers.
HB718 would substantially amend Chapter 4758 and related statutes by replacing the Chemical Dependency Professionals Board with the Behavioral Health Professionals Board and creating a broader regulatory framework for behavioral health credentials. It would establish new certification pathways and practice rules for peer support roles and qualified mental health roles, while also revising supervision, ethics, renewal, discipline, and reciprocity provisions for substance use disorder and prevention professionals. The bill would also require conforming changes in other statutes that reference the board or related professional categories, including telehealth, Medicaid-related behavioral health services, and court-ordered treatment provisions.
Based on the bill text and available context, the overall sentiment appears supportive and reform-oriented, with the bill framed as an expansion and modernization of Ohio’s behavioral health workforce regulation. The introduced version suggests an effort to align licensure and certification rules with current behavioral health practice, including peer support and mental health roles, and to improve access through telehealth and workforce flexibility. No committee testimony or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of opposition or formal support beyond the bill’s sponsor-driven introduction.
The most likely points of contention are the scope of the board’s expansion, the creation of new certification categories, and the degree of regulatory control over peer support and mental health roles. Stakeholders could differ over whether peer supporters and qualified mental health professionals should be certified by the board, what training and supervision should be required, and how much discretion the board should have in setting rules and fees. There may also be debate over the bill’s telehealth provisions, especially the standard-of-care requirements and limits on initial in-person visits for controlled substances, as well as the transition of existing Department of Behavioral Health credential holders into the new board structure.