130th MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST SPECIAL SESSION-2021
Legislative Document No. 1424
H.P. 1040 House of Representatives, April 12, 2021
Resolve, To Change the Educational Requirements of Behavioral
Health Professionals Providing Services for Children
Received by the Clerk of the House on April 8, 2021. Referred to the Committee on Health
and Human Services pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed pursuant to Joint Rule
401.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative SALISBURY of Westbrook.
Cosponsored by Representative: MADIGAN of Waterville, Senator: CLAXTON of
Androscoggin.
Printed on recycled paper
 1 Sec. 1. Department of Health and Human Services to amend rules
2 governing educational requirements for behavioral health professionals
3 providing services for children. Resolved: That, no later than October 1, 2021, the
4 Department of Health and Human Services shall amend its rule Chapter 101: MaineCare
5 Benefits Manual, Chapter II, Section 28 and Section 65 to change the educational
6 requirements for all behavioral health professionals providing services for children,
7 regardless of the setting in which the service is provided, and for such behavioral health
8 professionals to receive training to provide specialized services to allow the following
9 educational requirements:
10 1. A minimum of 60 higher education credit hours in a related field of social services,
11 human services, health or education;
12 2. A minimum of 90 higher education credit hours in an unrelated field; or
13 3. A high school diploma or equivalent with the provider agency required to have a
14 specific plan for supervision and training documented in the personnel file of the employee.
15 The changes to educational requirements required by this resolve do not affect the
16 requirements for behavioral health professional training and the prescribed time frames.
17 Sec. 2. Training within existing resources. Resolved: That the Department of
18 Health and Human Services shall amend or establish contracts to train any number of
19 additional individuals to become behavioral health professionals providing services for
20 children pursuant to section 1, regardless of the setting in which the service is provided,
21 within existing resources. The department may make any changes necessary, including
22 choosing to charge individuals or their employers fees for training, in order to offer training
23 within existing resources.
24 SUMMARY
25 This resolve changes the educational requirements for behavioral health professionals
26 providing services for children, regardless of the setting in which the service is provided,
27 to a minimum of 60 credit hours in a related field, 90 credit hours in an unrelated field or a
28 high school diploma with a plan for supervision and training. The same changes to the
29 educational requirements apply for a behavioral health professional to be eligible to receive
30 training to provide specialized services. It also requires the Department of Health and
31 Human Services to amend or establish contracts for training behavioral health professionals
32 to train any number of additional individuals within existing resources, and authorizes the
33 department to opt to charge individuals or their employers fees for training.
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