HF 3859

Introduction - 94th Legislature (2025 - 2026)

Posted on 03/02/2026 02:40 p.m.

A bill for an act
relating to health occupations; modifying education requirements for licensure
and continuing education topics in certain health-related occupations; amending
Minnesota Statutes 2024, sections 148.907, subdivision 2; 148.911; 148B.31;
148B.33, subdivision 1; 148B.53, subdivision 1; 148B.54, subdivision 2; 148E.055,
subdivision 5.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 148.907, subdivision 2, is amended to read:

Subd. 2.

Requirements for licensure as licensed psychologist.

To become licensed
by the board as a licensed psychologist, an applicant shall comply with the following
requirements:

(1) pass an examination in psychology;

(2) pass a professional responsibility examination on the practice of psychology;

(3) pass any other examinations as required by board rules;

(4) pay nonrefundable fees to the board for applications, processing, testing, renewals,
and materials;

(5) attained the age of majority, be of good moral character, and have no unresolved
disciplinary action or complaints pending in the state of Minnesota or any other jurisdiction;

(6) earned a doctoral degree with a major in psychology new text begin , with course work that included
at least three credit hours of graduate-level courses related to domestic violence, new text end from a
regionally accredited educational institution meeting the standards the board has established
by rule; and

(7) completed at least one full year or the equivalent in part time of postdoctoral
supervised psychological employment in no less than 12 months and no more than 60
months. If the postdoctoral supervised psychological employment goes beyond 60 months,
the board may grant a variance to this requirement.

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 148.911, is amended to read:

148.911 CONTINUING EDUCATION.

(a) Upon application for license renewal, a licensee shall provide the board with
satisfactory evidence that the licensee has completed continuing education requirements
established by the board. Continuing education programs shall be approved under section
148.905, subdivision 1, clause (10). The board shall establish by rule the number of
continuing education training hours required each year and may specify subject or skills
areas that the licensee shall address.

(b) At least four of the required continuing education hours must be on increasing the
knowledge, understanding, self-awareness, and practice skills to competently address the
psychological needs of individuals from diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.
Topics include but are not limited to:

(1) understanding culture, its functions, and strengths that exist in varied cultures;

(2) understanding clients' cultures and differences among and between cultural groups;

(3) understanding the nature of social diversity and oppression;

(4) understanding cultural humility; and

(5) understanding human diversity, meaning individual client differences that are
associated with the client's cultural group, including race, ethnicity, national origin, religious
affiliation, language, age, gender, gender identity, physical and mental capabilities, sexual
orientation, and socioeconomic status.

new text begin (c) At least two of the required continuing education hours must be in courses related
to domestic violence.
new text end

Sec. 3.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 148B.31, is amended to read:

148B.31 DUTIES OF THE BOARD; CONTINUING EDUCATION.

(a) The board shall:

(1) adopt and enforce rules for marriage and family therapy licensing, which shall be
designed to protect the public;

(2) develop by rule appropriate techniques, including examinations and other methods,
for determining whether applicants and licensees are qualified under sections 148B.29 to
148B.392;

(3) issue licenses to individuals who are qualified under sections 148B.29 to 148B.392;

(4) establish and implement procedures designed to assure that licensed marriage and
family therapists will comply with the board's rules;

(5) study and investigate the practice of marriage and family therapy within the state in
order to improve the standards imposed for the licensing of marriage and family therapists
and to improve the procedures and methods used for enforcement of the board's standards;

(6) formulate and implement a code of ethics for all licensed marriage and family
therapists; and

(7) establish continuing education requirements for marriage and family therapists.

(b) At least four of the 40 continuing education training hours required under Minnesota
Rules, part 5300.0320, subpart 2, must be on increasing the knowledge, understanding,
self-awareness, and practice skills that enable a marriage and family therapist to serve clients
from diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. Topics include but are not limited
to:

(1) understanding culture, its functions, and strengths that exist in varied cultures;

(2) understanding clients' cultures and differences among and between cultural groups;

(3) understanding the nature of social diversity and oppression; and

(4) understanding cultural humility.

new text begin (c) At least two of the 40 continuing education training hours required under Minnesota
Rules, part 5300.0320, subpart 2, must be on courses related to domestic violence.
new text end

Sec. 4.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 148B.33, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

Subdivision 1.

Documentary evidence of qualifications.

An applicant for a license
shall furnish evidence that the applicant:

(1) has attained the age of majority;

(2) is of good moral character;

(3) is a citizen of the United States, or is lawfully entitled to remain and work in the
United States;

(4) has at least two years of supervised postgraduate experience in marriage and family
therapy satisfactory to the board;

(5)(i) has completed a master's or doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy from
a program in a regionally accredited educational institution or from a program accredited
by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education of the
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy new text begin , with course work that included
at least three credit hours of graduate-level courses related to domestic violence new text end ; or (ii) has
completed a master's or doctoral degree from a regionally accredited educational institution
in a related field for which the course work is considered by the board to be equivalent to
that provided in clause (5)(i);

(6) will agree to conduct all professional activities as a licensed marriage and family
therapist in accordance with a code of ethics for marriage and family therapists to be adopted
by the board; and

(7) has passed an examination approved by the board by rule.

Sec. 5.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 148B.53, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

Subdivision 1.

General requirements.

(a) To be licensed as a licensed professional
counselor (LPC), an applicant must provide evidence satisfactory to the board that the
applicant:

(1) is at least 18 years of age;

(2) is of good moral character;

(3) has completed a master's or doctoral degree program in counseling or a related field,
as determined by the board based on the criteria in paragraph (b), that includes a minimum
of 48 semester hours or 72 quarter hours and a supervised field experience of not fewer than
700 hours that is counseling in nature;

(4) has submitted to the board a plan for supervision during the first 2,000 hours of
professional practice or has submitted proof of supervised professional practice that is
acceptable to the board; and

(5) has demonstrated competence in professional counseling by passing the National
Counseling Exam (NCE) administered by the National Board for Certified Counselors, Inc.
(NBCC) or an equivalent national examination as determined by the board, and ethical,
oral, and situational examinations if prescribed by the board.

(b) The degree described in paragraph (a), clause (3), must be from a counseling program
recognized by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs
(CACREP) or from an institution of higher education that is accredited by a regional
accrediting organization recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation
(CHEA). Specific academic course content and training must include course work in each
of the following subject areas:

(1) the helping relationship, including counseling theory and practice;

(2) human growth and development;

(3) lifestyle and career development;

(4) group dynamics, processes, counseling, and consulting;

(5) assessment and appraisal;

(6) social and cultural foundations, including multicultural issues;

(7) principles of etiology, treatment planning, and prevention of mental and emotional
disorders and dysfunctional behavior;

(8) family counseling and therapy;

(9) research and evaluation; deleted text begin and
deleted text end

(10) professional counseling orientation and ethics new text begin ; and
new text end

new text begin (11) domestic violence new text end .

(c) To be licensed as a professional counselor, a Minnesota licensed psychologist need
only show evidence of licensure from the Minnesota Board of Psychology and is not required
to comply with paragraph (a) or (b).

Sec. 6.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 148B.54, subdivision 2, is amended to read:

Subd. 2.

Continuing education.

(a) At the completion of the first four years of licensure,
a licensee must provide evidence satisfactory to the board of completion of 12 additional
postgraduate semester credit hours or its equivalent in counseling as determined by the
board, except that no licensee shall be required to show evidence of greater than 60 semester
hours or its equivalent. In addition to completing the requisite graduate coursework, each
licensee shall also complete in the first four years of licensure a minimum of 40 hours of
continuing education activities approved by the board under Minnesota Rules, part 2150.2540.
Graduate credit hours successfully completed in the first four years of licensure may be
applied to both the graduate credit requirement and to the requirement for 40 hours of
continuing education activities. A licensee may receive 15 continuing education hours per
semester credit hour or ten continuing education hours per quarter credit hour. Thereafter,
at the time of renewal, each licensee shall provide evidence satisfactory to the board that
the licensee has completed during each two-year period at least the equivalent of 40 clock
hours of professional postdegree continuing education in programs approved by the board
and continues to be qualified to practice under sections 148B.50 to 148B.593.

(b) At least four of the required 40 continuing education clock hours must be on increasing
the knowledge, understanding, self-awareness, and practice skills that enable a licensed
professional counselor and licensed professional clinical counselor to serve clients from
diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. Topics include but are not limited to:

(1) understanding culture, culture's functions, and strengths that exist in varied cultures;

(2) understanding clients' cultures and differences among and between cultural groups;

(3) understanding the nature of social diversity and oppression; and

(4) understanding cultural humility.

new text begin (c) At least two of the required 40 hours of continuing education clock hours must be
on courses related to domestic violence.
new text end

Sec. 7.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 148E.055, subdivision 5, is amended to read:

Subd. 5.

Qualifications for licensure by examination as a licensed independent
clinical social worker (LICSW).

(a) To be licensed as a licensed independent clinical
social worker, an applicant for licensure by examination must provide evidence satisfactory
to the board that the applicant:

(1) has received a graduate degree in social work from a program accredited by the
Council on Social Work Education, the Canadian Association of Schools of Social Work,
or a similar accreditation body that the board designates, or a doctorate in social work from
an accredited university;

(2) has completed 360 clock hours (one semester credit hour = 15 clock hours) in the
following clinical knowledge areas:

(i) 108 clock hours (30 percent) in differential diagnosis and biopsychosocial assessment,
including normative development and psychopathology across the life span;

(ii) 36 clock hours (ten percent) in assessment-based clinical treatment planning with
measurable goals;

(iii) 108 clock hours (30 percent) in clinical intervention methods informed by research
and current standards of practice;

(iv) 18 clock hours (five percent) in evaluation methodologies;

(v) 72 clock hours (20 percent) in social work values and ethics, including cultural
context, diversity, and social policy new text begin , of which 30 clock hours must be in courses related to
domestic violence new text end ; and

(vi) 18 clock hours (five percent) in culturally specific clinical assessment and
intervention;

(3) has practiced clinical social work as defined in section 148E.010, including both
diagnosis and treatment, and has met the supervised practice requirements specified in
sections 148E.100 to 148E.125;

(4) has passed the clinical or equivalent examination administered by the Association
of Social Work Boards or a similar examination body that the board designates. An
examination is not valid if the applicant took and passed the examination eight or more
years prior to submitting an application for licensure under this section;

(5) has submitted a completed, signed application form that the board has provided. For
electronic applications, a "signed application" means providing an attestation that the board
has specified;

(6) has completed the criminal background check according to section 214.075 and paid
the required fees;

(7) has paid all applicable license fees specified in section 148E.180; and

(8) has not engaged in conduct that was or would be in violation of the standards of
practice specified in sections 148E.195 to 148E.240. If the applicant has engaged in conduct
that was or would be in violation of the standards of practice, the board may take action
according to sections 148E.255 to 148E.270.

(b) The requirement in paragraph (a), clause (2), may be satisfied through:

(1) a graduate degree program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, the
Canadian Association of Schools of Social Work, or a similar accreditation body that the
board designates; or a doctorate in social work from an accredited university. An academic
institution must certify clinical clock hours in the clinical knowledge areas on a form that
the board has provided to meet this requirement;

(2) graduate coursework from an accredited institution of higher learning. An academic
institution must certify clinical clock hours in the clinical knowledge areas on a form that
the board has provided to meet this requirement; or

(3) up to 120 continuing education hours, which the applicant may complete via
continuing education independent learning as defined in section 148E.010, subdivision 7d.
The applicant must include documents verifying completion of clinical clock hours in the
clinical knowledge areas to meet this requirement as specified in section 148E.130,
subdivision 11.