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HB26-1228 • 2026

Marriage & Family Therapy Clinical Requirements

The act allows an applicant for licensure as a marriage and family therapist (LMFT) whose master's or doctoral degree program did not include an internship or practicum to also be registered as an LMF

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Rep. L. Feret, Rep. R. Stewart, Sen. J. Danielson, Rep. J. Bacon, Rep. K. Brown, Rep. S. Camacho, Rep. M. Carter, Rep. C. Clifford, Rep. M. Duran, Rep. L. García, Rep. J. Jackson, Rep. S. Lieder, Rep. M. Lindsay, Rep. B. Marshall, Rep. K. Nguyen, Rep. N. Ricks, Rep. M. Rutinel, Rep. G. Rydin, Rep. E. Sirota, Rep. T. Story, Sen. J. Carson, Sen. J. Coleman, Sen. L. Cutter, Sen. N. Hinrichsen, Sen. I. Jodeh, Sen. C. Kipp, Sen. J. Marchman, Sen. T. Sullivan
Last action
2026-05-26
Official status
Governor Signed
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

New Rules for Marriage and Family Therapist Training

This law lets people who finished a degree without an internship become registered candidates, but they must finish extra supervised work hours to get their license.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows applicants whose master's or doctoral programs lacked an internship or practicum to register as LMFT candidates.
  • Requires these specific candidates to complete 700 additional supervised clinical hours.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Applicants seeking a license as a marriage and family therapist in Colorado whose degree program did not include an internship or practicum.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The official text does not state when this law officially takes effect.
  • The source does not explain how the extra hours are supervised or who approves them beyond stating they must be 'supervised clinical hours'.

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-26 Governor

    Governor Signed

  2. 2026-05-20 Governor

    Sent to the Governor

  3. 2026-05-20 Senate

    Signed by the President of the Senate

  4. 2026-05-20 House

    Signed by the Speaker of the House

  5. 2026-04-14 Senate

    Senate Third Reading Passed - No Amendments

  6. 2026-04-13 Senate

    Senate Second Reading Passed - No Amendments

  7. 2026-04-09 Senate

    Senate Committee on Business, Labor, & Technology Refer Unamended - Consent Calendar to Senate Committee of the Whole

  8. 2026-03-11 Senate

    Introduced In Senate - Assigned to Business, Labor, & Technology

  9. 2026-03-06 House

    House Third Reading Passed - No Amendments

  10. 2026-03-05 House

    House Second Reading Special Order - Passed - No Amendments

  11. 2026-03-04 House

    House Committee on Business Affairs & Labor Refer Unamended to House Committee of the Whole

  12. 2026-02-18 House

    Introduced In House - Assigned to Business Affairs & Labor

Official Summary Text

The act allows an applicant for licensure as a marriage and family therapist (LMFT) whose master's or doctoral degree program did not include an internship or practicum to also be registered as an LMFT candidate but requires these candidates to complete an additional 700 supervised clinical hours to become an LMFT.
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)