RELATING TO LICENSURE.

SB2111

THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

2111

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating
to licensure
.

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

����
SECTION
1
.
�
Section 451J-7, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
amended to read as follows:

����
"
�451J-7
�
Application
for licensure.
�
Any person who files
an application with the department after December 31, 1998, shall be issued a
license by the department if the applicant provides satisfactory evidence to
the department that the applicant is qualified for licensure pursuant to the
requirements of this chapter and meets the following qualifications:

����
(1)
�
Has
completed a master's degree or doctoral degree from an accredited educational
institution in marriage and family therapy or in an allied field related to the
practice of mental health counseling [
which
]
that
includes or is
supplemented by graduate level course work comprising a minimum of [
thirty-three
]

thirty-six
semester, or [
forty-four
]
forty-eight
quarter
hours in the following course areas:

���������
(A)
�
Marriage
and family studies--nine semester or twelve quarter hours;

���������
(B)
�
Marriage
and family therapy studies--nine semester or twelve quarter hours;

���������
(C)
�
Human
development--nine semester or twelve quarter hours;

���������
(D)
�
Ethical
and professional studies--three semester or four quarter hours; [
and
]

���������
(E)
�
Research--three
semester or four quarter hours;
and

���������
(F)
�
Courses related to domestic violence--three semester or four
quarter hours;

����
(2)
�
Has
one year practicum with three hundred hours supervised client contact;

����
(3)
�
Completes
one thousand hours of direct marriage and family therapy, and two hundred hours
clinical supervision in not less than twenty-four months; and

����
(4)
�
Has
passed the National Marriage and Family Therapy Exam in accordance with section
451J-8.

����
An individual who is a clinical member of
the association shall be deemed to have met the educational and clinical
experience requirements of this section.
"

����
SECTION

2
.
�
Section
451J-10, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (b) to read
as follows:

����
"(b)
�
Beginning with the renewal for the licensing
triennium commencing on
January 1, 2017, through December 31, 2019
, and prior to every
triennial renewal thereafter, each licensee shall:

����
(1)
�
Pay all required fees; and

����
(2)
�
Complete a minimum of forty-five credit
hours of continuing education courses within the three-year period preceding
the renewal date; provided that a minimum of six credit hours shall be in
ethics courses[
.
]
; provided further that a minimum of two credit
hours shall be in courses related to domestic violence.
"

����
SECTION

3
.
�
Section 453D-7,
Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (a) to read as
follows:

����
"(a)
�
An applicant shall be issued a license by the
department if the applicant provides satisfactory evidence to the department
that the applicant is qualified for licensure pursuant to the requirements of
this chapter and meets the following qualifications:

����
(1)
�
Receipt of a master's degree or
doctoral degree from an accredited educational institution in counseling or in
an allied field related to the practice of mental health counseling that
includes, or is supplemented by, graduate level course work in counseling
comprising a minimum of forty-eight semester hours or seventy-two quarter hours
in the following course areas, with a minimum of three semester hours or five
quarter hours in each course area as indicated below:

���������
(A)
�
Human growth and development, including
but not limited to the study of life span development, strategies to facilitate
that development and transitions, theories of learning and personality
development, and human behavior to include crisis, disabilities, addictive
behavior, and environmental factors;

���������
(B)
�
Social and cultural foundations,
including but not limited to the study of issues and trends in a multicultural
and diverse society, including characteristics of diverse groups that may
include but are not limited to age, race, religious or sexual preference,
physical disability, ethnicity and culture, gender, socioeconomics,
intellectual ability, and individual, family, and group strategies with diverse
populations;

���������
(C)
�
Counseling theories and applications,
including but not limited to counseling and consultation, including both
individual and systems perspectives, interviewing, assessment, and counseling
skills, as well as applying principles, methods, and theories of counseling,
treatment and counseling of mental and emotional disorders, and educational
techniques aimed at preventing these disorders with individuals and families;

���������
(D)
�
Group theory and practice, including
but not limited to principles of group dynamics, group process, group
leadership styles, theories and methods of group counseling, and the
application of theory to the group processes;

���������
(E)
�
Career and lifestyle development,
including but not limited to the study of vocational development theories and
decision-making models, assessment instruments, and techniques, types, sources,
and uses of occupational and educational information systems, career
development applications, and career counseling processes, techniques, and
resources;

���������
(F)
�
Appraisal of human behavior, including
but not limited to assessment and diagnosis of disorders with an emphasis on
DSM categories and an understanding of these disorders relative to the
counseling context;

���������
(G)
�
Tests and measurements, including but
not limited to theoretical and historical bases for assessment techniques, and
assessment methods, including analysis of various types of tests to select,
administer, interpret, and use assessment and evaluation instruments and
techniques in counseling;

���������
(H)
�
Research and program evaluation,
including but not limited to research design and methods, statistical analysis,
principles, practices, and application of needs assessment, and program
evaluation;

���������
(I)
�
Professional orientation and ethics,
including but not limited to the history of the helping profession,
professional roles and functions, ethical standards, confidentiality,
professional organizations, and the public policy process, including advocacy on
behalf of the profession and its clientele; [
and
]

���������
(J)
�
At least two academic terms of
supervised mental health practicum intern experience for graduate credit of at
least six semester hours or ten quarter hours in a mental health counseling
setting, with a total of three hundred hours of supervised client contact.
�
The practicum experience shall be completed
under the clinical supervision of a person who is licensed as a mental health
counselor, psychologist, clinical social worker, advanced practice registered
nurse with a specialty in mental health, marriage and family therapist, or
physician with a specialty in psychiatry;
and

���������
(K)
�
Courses related to domestic violence;

����
(2)
�
Completion of not less than three
thousand hours of post-graduate experience in the practice of mental health
counseling, with one hundred hours of face‑to‑face clinical
supervision that shall be completed in [
no
]
not
less than two
years and in [
no
]
not
more than four years, under the clinical
supervision of a person who is a licensed mental health counselor,
psychologist, clinical social worker, advanced practice registered nurse with a
specialty in mental health, marriage and family therapist, or physician with a
specialty in psychiatry.
�
In
collaboration with the supervisor, the applicant may elect to fulfill some or
all of the supervision requirements through face-to-face supervision that is
conducted electronically through a videoconference service that complies with
all federal and state privacy, security, and confidentiality laws, including
the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996; provided that
the applicant shall review the laws and rules of other jurisdictions to
determine the impact, if any, that electronic supervision may have on licensure
by endorsement or reciprocity in other states [
prior to
]
before

electing electronic supervision; and

����
(3)
�
Passage of the National Counselor
Examination for Licensure and Certification."

����
SECTION

4
.
�
Section
453D-11, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

����
"[
[
]�453D-11[
]
]
�
Renewal of license; fees[
.
]
;
continuing education requirement.
�
(a)
�
Except
as otherwise provided in section 453D-7.5, licenses shall

be renewed, upon the payment of a renewal fee, triennially not
earlier than ninety days before June 30, with the first renewal deadline
occurring on June 30, 2008.
�
Failure to
renew a license shall result in a forfeiture of the license.
�
Licenses that have been forfeited may be
restored within one year of the expiration date upon payment of renewal and
restoration fees.
�
Failure to restore a
forfeited license within one year of the date of its expiration shall result in
the automatic termination of the license and the person may be required to
reapply for licensure as a new applicant.
�

All renewal and restoration fees shall be determined by the department.

����
(b)
�
Before every triennial renewal, each licensee
shall complete a minimum of two credit hours of continuing education within
every licensing triennium in courses related to domestic violence.

����
(c)
�
A first-time licensee shall not be subject to
the continuing education requirement established under subsection (b) for
the first license renewal.

����
(d)
�
Each licensee shall be responsible for
maintaining the licensee's continuing education records.
�
At the time of renewal, each licensee shall
certify under oath that the licensee has complied with the continuing education
requirement of this section.
�
The
director may require a licensee to submit evidence satisfactory to the director
that demonstrates compliance with the continuing education requirement of this
section.

����
(e)
�
A licensee seeking renewal of a license
without full compliance with the continuing education requirement shall submit
the renewal application, required fee, a notarized affidavit setting forth the
facts explaining the reasons for noncompliance, and a request for an extension
on the basis of the facts; provided that the licensee shall complete at least
ninety hours of continuing education, including at least twelve hours in ethics
courses, before the next licensing triennium.
�

The director shall consider each case on an individual basis and may
grant an extension of the continuing education requirement based upon:

����
(1)
�
Practice in an isolated geographical
area with an absence of opportunities for continuing education by taped
programs or otherwise; or

����
(2)
�
Inability to devote sufficient hours
to continuing education because of incapacity, undue hardship, or any other
serious extenuating circumstances.

����
(f)
�
The director may conduct random audits of
licensees to determine compliance with the continuing education
requirement.
�
The director shall provide
written notice of an audit to a licensee randomly selected for audit.
�
Within sixty days of notification, the
licensee shall provide the director with documentation verifying compliance
with the continuing education requirement established by this section.
"

����
SECTION

5
.
�
Section 465-7,
Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (a) to read as
follows:

����
(a)
�
Every applicant for a license as a
psychologist shall submit evidence satisfactory to the board that the applicant
meets the following requirements:

����
(1)
�
The applicant for licensure shall
possess a doctoral degree from:

���������
(A)
�
An American Psychological Association
approved program in clinical psychology, counseling psychology, school
psychology, or programs offering combinations of two or more of these areas; or

���������
(B)
�
A professional psychology training
program, awarded by an institution of higher education, or from a regionally
accredited institution;
provided that the applicant for licensure shall have
completed a minimum of three semester hours of graduate-level courses related
to domestic violence;

����
(2)
�
The applicant for licensure shall
demonstrate that the applicant has completed one year of post doctoral
supervised experience in health service in psychology, and:

���������
(A)
�
An internship approved by the American
Psychological Association; or

���������
(B)
�
One year of supervised experience in
health service in psychology, in an internship or residency program in an
organized health service training program; and

����
(3)
�
The applicant for licensure has passed
an examination as may be prescribed by the board; provided that applicants
issued an associate psychologist provisional license pursuant to section 465-7.2
shall be authorized to take the examination upon the issuance of the license;
provided further that the authorization to take the examination shall terminate
on the date the provisional license expires or if disciplinary action is taken
on the license."

����
SECTION

6
.
�
Section 465-11,
Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (c) to read as
follows:

����
"(c)
�
Beginning with the July 1, 2016, through June
30, 2018, biennium period and prior to every biennial renewal thereafter, each
licensee shall:

����
(1)
�
Pay all required fees; and

����
(2)
�
Complete a minimum of eighteen credit
hours of continuing education within every licensing biennium[
.
]
;
provided that a minimum of two credit hours shall be in courses related to
domestic violence.
"

����
SECTION

7
.
�
Section 467E-7,
Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (a) to read as
follows:

����
"(a)
�

Every applicant for a license as a social worker shall submit evidence
satisfactory to the director that the applicant meets the following
requirements:

����
(1)
�
For the licensed bachelor social
worker, the applicant:

���������
(A)
�
Holds a bachelor's degree from a
college or university in a social work program accredited by or deemed to be
equivalent to a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education; and

���������
(B)
�
Has passed the basic level national
examination given by the Association of Social Work Boards;

����
(2)
�
For the licensed social worker, the
applicant:

���������
(A)
�
Holds a master's degree from a college
or university in a social work program accredited by or deemed to be equivalent
to an accredited program by the Council on Social Work Education or a doctoral degree
from a doctoral degree program in social work accredited by the Western
Association of Schools and Colleges or a comparable regional accreditation
body; and

���������
(B)
�
Has passed the intermediate or higher
level national examination given by the Association of Social Work Boards; and

����
(3)
�
For the licensed clinical social
worker, the applicant:

���������
(A)
�
Has met the educational requirements in
paragraph (2)[
;
]
and completed a minimum of three semester hours of
graduate-level courses related to domestic violence;

���������
(B)
�
Has passed the clinical level national
examination given by the Association of Social Work Boards;

���������
(C)
�
Has provided evidence of successful
completion of at least three thousand hours of post masters clinical social
work experience under supervision completed within no fewer than two years, but
within no more than five years.
�
Clinical
social work experience shall include a minimum of two thousand hours of
assessment, clinical diagnosis, and psychotherapy; no more than a maximum of
nine hundred hours of client-centered advocacy, consultation, and evaluation;
and at least one hundred hours of supervision as follows:

��������������
(i)
�
At least sixty of the one hundred hours
of direct face-to-face supervision shall have been individualized supervision;
and

�������������
(ii)
�
Not more than forty hours of direct
face-to-face supervision may have been under small group (up to six
supervisees) supervision.

��������������
An
applicant who submits evidence of certification as a qualified clinical social
worker or diplomate in clinical social work by the National Association of
Social Workers or as a board certified diplomate by the American Board of
Examiners shall be deemed to have satisfied the experience requirements of this
subparagraph;

���������
(D)
�
For the purposes of subparagraph (C),
shall have had clinical supervision as follows:

��������������
(i)
�
The supervisor shall have been a
licensed clinical social worker with at least four thousand five hundred hours
of post masters clinical social work experience;

�������������
(ii)
�
For the first five years after July 1,
2004, the following individuals shall be deemed to have satisfied the
requirements of a supervisor:
�
a person
with a master's degree in social work with at least four thousand five hundred
hours post masters clinical social work experience; an individual who holds a
diplomate in clinical social work or a board certified diplomate certification;
or a board certified psychiatrist, psychologist, advanced practice registered
nurse who has a minimum of four thousand five hundred hours of post masters
clinical experience in assessment, clinical diagnosis, and psychotherapy; and

������������
(iii)
�
Supervision shall have included review
of assessment, clinical diagnosis, and psychotherapy; and

���������
(E)
�
In collaboration with the supervisor,
may elect to fulfill some or all of the supervision requirements set forth in
subparagraph (C) through face-to-face supervision that is conducted
electronically through a video conference service that is compliant with all
federal and state privacy, security, and confidentiality laws, including the
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.
�
[
Prior to
]
Before
making the
election, it [
is
]
shall be
incumbent upon the applicant to review
the laws and rules of other jurisdictions to determine the impact, if any, that
electronic supervision may have on license by endorsement in other states."

����
SECTION

8
.
�
Section
467E-11, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (c) to read
as follows:

����
"(c)
�
Beginning with the renewal for the licensing
triennium commencing on
July
1, 2016, through June 30, 2019, and prior to every triennial renewal
thereafter, each licensee shall:

����
(1)
�
Pay all required fees; and

����
(2)
�
Complete a minimum of forty-five credit
hours of continuing education courses within the three-year period preceding
the renewal date; provided that a minimum of three credit hours shall be in
ethic courses[
.
]
and a minimum of two credit hours shall be in
courses related to domestic violence.
"

����
SECTION
9.
�
Statutory material to be repealed is
bracketed and stricken.
�
New statutory
material is underscored.

����
SECTION
10.
�
This Act shall take effect on July
1, 2026.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Licensure
Requirements; Renewals; Continuing Education Requirements; Domestic Violence;
Marriage and Family Therapists; Mental Health Counselors; Psychologists;
Clinical Social Workers

Description:

Requires
marriage and family therapists, mental health counselors, psychologists, and
clinical social workers to complete courses related to domestic violence for
licensure and renewals.

The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.