HOUSE BILL NO. 4467 April 25, 2023, Introduced by Reps. McFall and McKinney and referred to the Committee on Health Policy. A bill to amend 1978 PA 368, entitled "Public health code," by amending sections 16281, 16905, 18101, 18105, 18106, 18111, 18114, and 18117 (MCL 333.16281, 333.16905, 333.18101, 333.18105, 333.18106, 333.18111, 333.18114, and 333.18117), section 16281 as added and section 18117 as amended by 1998 PA 496, section 16905 as amended by 2006 PA 388, sections 18101 and 18111 as amended and sections 18106 and 18114 as added by 2019 PA 96, and section 18105 as amended by 2006 PA 429. EMR 01920'23 2 THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT: 1 Sec. 16281. (1) If there is a compelling need for records or 2 information to determine whether child abuse or child neglect has 3 occurred or to take action to protect a child where there may be a 4 substantial risk of harm, a family independence agency department 5 of health and human services caseworker or administrator directly 6 involved in the child abuse or child neglect investigation shall 7 notify a licensee or registrant that a child abuse or child neglect 8 investigation has been initiated regarding a child who has received 9 services from the licensee or registrant and shall request in 10 writing the child's medical records and information that are 11 pertinent to that investigation. Upon On the receipt of this 12 notification and request, the licensee or registrant shall review 13 all of the child's medical records and information in the 14 licensee's or registrant's possession to determine if there are 15 medical records or information that is pertinent to that 16 investigation. Within 14 days after receipt of a request made under 17 this subsection, the licensee or registrant shall release those 18 pertinent medical records and information to the department of 19 health and human services caseworker or administrator directly 20 involved in the child abuse or child neglect investigation. 21 (2) The following privileges do not apply to medical records 22 or information released or made available under subsection (1): 23 (a) The physician-patient privilege created in section 2157 of 24 the revised judicature act of 1961, 1961 PA 236, MCL 600.2157. 25 (b) The dentist-patient privilege created in section 16648. 26 (c) The licensed professional counselor-client and limited 27 licensed professional counselor-client privilege created in section 28 18117. EMR 01920'23 3 1 (d) The psychologist-patient privilege created in section 2 18237. 3 (e) Any other health professional-patient privilege created or 4 recognized by law. 5 (3) To the extent not protected by the immunity conferred by 6 1964 PA 170, MCL 691.1401 to 691.1415, 691.1419, an individual who 7 in good faith provides access to medical records or information 8 under this section is immune from civil or administrative liability 9 arising from that conduct, unless the conduct was gross negligence 10 or willful and wanton misconduct. 11 (4) This section does not apply to a report, record, datum, or 12 information whose confidentiality and disclosure are governed by 13 section 5131. 14 (5) A duty under this act relating to child abuse and child 15 neglect does not alter a duty imposed under another statute, 16 including the child protection law, 1975 PA 238, MCL 722.621 to 17 722.638, regarding the reporting or investigation of child abuse or 18 child neglect. 19 Sec. 16905. (1) This part does not apply to an individual 20 engaged in the practice of social work as defined in part 185, in 21 the course of employment with a governmental agency or a reputable 22 social service agency regularly providing social work services as 23 an agency. 24 (2) This part does not apply to an ordained cleric or other 25 religious practitioner who is employed by or working under the 26 authority of an organization exempt from taxation under section 27 501(c)(3) of the internal revenue code of 1986, 26 USC 501, if the 28 advice or counsel given by the cleric or other religious 29 practitioner is incidental to his or her the cleric's or other EMR 01920'23 4 1 religious practitioner's duties as a cleric or other religious 2 practitioner, and if the cleric or other religious practitioner 3 does not hold himself or herself the cleric or other religious 4 practitioner out to the public as a marriage and family therapist 5 licensed under this article or use 1 or more of the titles listed 6 in section 16903 and if no fee or donation is exacted for the 7 service. 8 (3) This part does not apply to a physician licensed under 9 this article who has completed an accredited psychiatric residency 10 program approved by the Michigan board of medicine or to a 11 psychologist fully licensed under this article, if both of the 12 following circumstances exist: 13 (a) The individual is practicing his or her the individual's 14 profession in a manner consistent with his or her the individual's 15 education and training and is practicing in a manner consistent 16 with the code of ethics of that profession. 17 (b) The individual does not hold himself or herself the 18 individual out to the public as a marriage and family therapist 19 licensed under this article or use any of the titles listed in 20 section 16903 for advertising purposes. However, this subdivision 21 does not prohibit the individual from advertising under a telephone 22 or other business directory listing that uses those titles if the 23 individual discloses in the listing, in an unabbreviated fashion, 24 the profession in which he or she the individual is licensed. 25 (4) This part does not limit an individual in, or prevent an 26 individual from, the practice of a statutorily regulated profession 27 or occupation if services to families, couples, or subsystems of 28 families are part of the services provided by that profession or 29 occupation, and if the individual does not hold himself or herself EMR 01920'23 5 1 the individual out to the public as a marriage and family therapist 2 licensed under this article or use 1 or more of the titles listed 3 in section 16903. As used in this subsection, "statutorily 4 regulated profession or occupation" means an occupation or 5 profession regulated by statute that includes, but is not limited 6 to, all of the following: a physician, attorney, social worker, 7 social service technician, fully licensed psychologist, limited 8 licensed psychologist, temporary limited licensed psychologist, 9 licensed professional counselor, limited licensed professional 10 counselor, or school counselor. 11 Sec. 18101. As used in this part: 12 (a) "Clinical counseling principles, methods, or procedures" 13 means 1 or more of the following: 14 (i) Psychotherapy, the diagnosis and treatment planning for 15 mental and emotional disorders, and evaluation. 16 (ii) Selecting, administering, scoring, and interpreting 17 assessments, tests, and appraisals that are designed to assess an 18 individual's aptitudes, interests, attitudes, abilities, 19 achievements, and personal characteristics in order to use 20 appraisal and diagnostic results in helping processes. 21 (iii) Psychoeducational consulting. As used in this 22 subparagraph, "psychoeducational consulting" means assisting a 23 consultee that is working with an individual, small group, or 24 organization by identifying problems, strengths, and weaknesses and 25 making recommendations for the implementation of preventative or 26 remedial strategies. 27 (iv) Counseling techniques. As used in this subparagraph: 28 (A) "Counseling techniques" means the application of basic 29 counseling and psychotherapy skills and theories in the counseling EMR 01920'23 6 1 process for the purposes of establishing and maintaining the 2 counseling relationship; diagnosing the problem; formulating a 3 preventative, treatment, or rehabilitative plan; and facilitating 4 appropriate interventions. 5 (B) "Diagnosing the problem" means the identification of the 6 problem through the application of recognized counseling techniques 7 and psychotherapy skills and theories, including the use of the 8 classifications and diagnoses in the Diagnostic and Statistical 9 Manual for Mental Disorders, obtained through the successful 10 completion of a qualified program. Diagnosing the problem does not 11 include the identification of other medical or physical conditions. 12 (v) Behavioral modification techniques. As used in this 13 subparagraph, "behavioral modification techniques" means assisting 14 clients in identifying maladaptive or harmful behaviors and 15 replacing them with adaptive and helpful behaviors. 16 (vi) Referral. As used in this subparagraph, "referral" 17 includes determining the need for referral to 1 or more statutorily 18 regulated mental health professionals whose expertise, skills, and 19 competence are appropriate to the problems of the individual, 20 informing the individual of the referral, and communicating as 21 appropriate with the professional to whom the individual has been 22 referred. 23 (vii) Preventative techniques. As used in this subparagraph, 24 "preventative techniques" means assisting a client in maintaining 25 mental and emotional well-being and preventing emotional distress 26 and mental illness. 27 (viii) Establishing a counseling plan for the treatment of 1 or 28 more of the following disorders of an individual, couple, group, or 29 family: EMR 01920'23 7 1 (A) An emotional disorder. 2 (B) A mental disorder. 3 (C) An addiction disorder. 4 (D) A physical disorder that requires a counseling 5 intervention. 6 (ix) Promoting mental health wellness. As used in this 7 subparagraph, "mental health wellness" means the achievement of 8 social, career, and emotional development across an individual's 9 life span. 10 (x) Preventing and treating mental and emotional disorders. As 11 used in this subparagraph, "preventing and treating mental and 12 emotional disorders" includes the use of crisis intervention. 13 (b) "Licensed professional counselor" means an individual who 14 is licensed under this article to engage in the practice of 15 counseling without supervision. 16 (c) "Limited licensed professional counselor" or "limited 17 licensed counselor" means an individual who has been granted a 18 limited license under this article to engage in the practice of 19 counseling under the supervision of a licensed professional 20 counselor who meets the requirement of section 18106. 21 (d) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (e), "practice 22 of counseling" or "counseling" means the rendering to individuals, 23 groups, families, organizations, or the general public in 24 accordance with accepted and established ethics a service involving 25 clinical counseling principles, methods, or procedures for the 26 purpose of achieving social, personal, career, and emotional 27 development and with the goal of promoting and enhancing healthy 28 self-actualizing and satisfying lifestyles whether the services are 29 rendered in an educational, business, health, private practice, or EMR 01920'23 8 1 human services setting. 2 (e) The practice of counseling does not include the practice 3 of psychology except for those preventive techniques, counseling 4 techniques, or behavior modification techniques for which the 5 licensed professional counselor or limited licensed professional 6 counselor has been specifically trained. The practice of counseling 7 does not include the practice of medicine or osteopathic medicine 8 and surgery, including, but not limited to, the differential 9 diagnosis of medical conditions or disorders, prescribing drugs, or 10 administering electroconvulsive therapy. A counselor shall not hold 11 himself or herself the counselor out as any of the following: 12 (i) A psychologist as that term is defined in section 18201. 13 (ii) A marriage and family therapist as that term is defined in 14 section 16901. 15 (iii) A licensed bachelor's social worker or a licensed master's 16 social worker as those terms are defined in section 18501. 17 (f) "Qualified program" means any of the following: 18 (i) A program that is accredited by the Council for the 19 Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs, 20 includes coursework and training in the diagnosis and treatment of 21 mental and emotional disorders, and is approved by the department 22 in consultation with the board. 23 (ii) A program that is not accredited by the Council for the 24 Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs, 25 includes coursework and training in the diagnosis and treatment of 26 mental and emotional disorders and all other coursework 27 requirements of the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and 28 Related Educational Programs, including practicum and internship 29 requirements, and is approved by the department in consultation EMR 01920'23 9 1 with the board. 2 Sec. 18105. (1) A licensee shall not perform any acts, tasks, 3 or functions within the practice of counseling unless he or she the 4 licensee is trained to perform such acts, tasks, or functions. 5 (2) Effective October 1, 1990, a person An individual shall 6 not engage in the practice of counseling unless licensed or 7 otherwise authorized under this article. 8 (3) The following words, titles, or letters or a combination 9 thereof, with or without qualifying words or phrases, are 10 restricted in use only to those persons individuals authorized 11 under this part to use the terms and in a way prescribed in this 12 part: "licensed professional counselor", "licensed counselor", 13 "professional counselor", and "l.p.c.", "limited licensed 14 professional counselor", and "l.l.p.c.". 15 Sec. 18106. A licensed professional counselor shall not 16 supervise a limited licensed professional counselor without 17 completing training in supervision as required by rules promulgated 18 by the department in consultation with the board. 19 Sec. 18111. (1) Subject to subsection (3), the department may 20 grant a limited license to an individual who meets both of the 21 following criteria: 22 (a) Is not less than 18 years of age. 23 (b) Has received, from an accredited college or university 24 approved by the department, a master's or doctoral degree in 25 counseling from a qualified program, or a degree determined by the 26 department in consultation with the board to be substantially 27 equivalent to a counseling degree from a qualified program. The 28 department in consultation with the board shall promulgate rules to 29 establish standards to approve qualified programs. EMR 01920'23 10 1 (2) A limited license granted under this section must require 2 that the individual confine his or her the individual's practice to 3 a program of counseling experience under the supervision of a 4 licensed professional counselor. 5 (3) The department in consultation with the board shall 6 promulgate rules under section 16145 as necessary or appropriate to 7 supplement the requirements for licensure under this part as a 8 limited licensed professional counselor, including adopting updated 9 standards of the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and 10 Related Educational Programs or a successor organization. 11 Sec. 18114. (1) Except as otherwise provided in subsection 12 (3), the department may grant relicensure as a licensed 13 professional counselor or limited licensed professional counselor 14 to an individual who is applying for relicensure less than 3 years 15 after the expiration date of his or her the individual's license, 16 if the individual submits to the department a completed application 17 on a form provided by the department together with payment of the 18 fees described in section 16201(3), and he or she the individual 19 complies with both of the following: 20 (a) Submits with his or her the individual's application a 21 professional disclosure statement that meets the requirements of 22 section 18113. 23 (b) If the individual holds or has held a license as a 24 licensed professional counselor or limited licensed professional 25 counselor in another state, ensures that the licensing agency of 26 each out-of-state license verifies all of the following on a form 27 provided by the department: 28 (i) That disciplinary proceedings are not pending against the