Sunset; Oklahoma Board of Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors; extending sunset year.
Summary
HB1037 is a sunset-extension bill for the Oklahoma Board of Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors. The measure amends the board’s governing statute to continue the board in existence for one additional year, changing the termination date from July 1, 2025 to July 1, 2026. It does not create a new regulatory program or substantially alter the board’s powers; instead, it preserves the board’s authority to oversee licensure and certification of alcohol and drug counselors in Oklahoma.
The bill keeps the board’s existing structure intact, including its seven-member composition, appointment process, qualifications, term lengths, vacancy procedures, removal standards, and reimbursement rules. In practical terms, HB1037 prevents the board from expiring under the Oklahoma Sunset Law and allows the state to continue regulating the profession without interruption while the board remains subject to future sunset review.
Impact
HB1037 amends 59 O.S. 2021, Section 1873, as amended, by extending the statutory sunset date for the Oklahoma Board of Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors by one year. The bill affects the board, its members, and the licensed/certified alcohol and drug counseling profession by ensuring continued operation of the licensing and oversight body responsible for professional regulation, discipline, and public protection.
Sentiment
The available legislative history suggests the bill is routine and largely noncontroversial. Because it is a straightforward sunset extension with no substantive policy changes, the general sentiment appears supportive or neutral, focused on maintaining continuity of regulation rather than debating the merits of the board’s authority.
Contention
No committee transcript or recorded vote information is provided, and the bill text itself does not indicate major controversy. Any potential point of concern would likely be limited to the broader question of whether the board should continue to exist under sunset review, but HB1037 itself simply extends the board’s life and does not appear to have generated substantive disagreement.
Practice of alcohol and drug counseling; removing certain limitation on appointees to the Oklahoma Board of Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors. Effective date.
Practice of alcohol and drug counseling; eliminating certain educational requirement for membership on the Board of Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors. Emergency.
AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 8; Title 33; Title 36; Title 49; Title 52; Title 56; Title 63 and Title 68, relative to professional counselors.
AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 8; Title 33; Title 36; Title 49; Title 52; Title 56; Title 63 and Title 68, relative to professional counselors.