(A) There is hereby created the counselor, social worker, and marriage and family therapist board, consisting of fifteen members. The governor shall appoint the members with the advice and consent of the senate.

(1) Four members shall be individuals licensed under this chapter as licensed professional clinical counselors or licensed professional counselors. At all times, the counselor membership shall include at least one individual who has received a doctoral degree in counseling from an accredited educational institution recognized by the board and holds a graduate level teaching position in a counselor education program .

(2) Four members shall be individuals licensed under this chapter as independent marriage and family therapists or marriage and family therapists . At all times, the marriage and family therapist membership shall include one educator who holds a teaching position in a master's degree marriage and family therapy program at an accredited educational institution recognized by the board.

(3) Two members shall be individuals licensed under this chapter as independent social workers. Two members shall be individuals licensed under this chapter as social workers, at least one of whom must hold a bachelor's or master's degree in social work from an accredited educational institution recognized by the board. At all times, the social worker membership shall include one educator who holds a teaching position in a baccalaureate or master's degree social work program at an accredited educational institution recognized by the board.

(4) Three members shall be representatives of the general public who have not practiced professional counseling, marriage and family therapy, or social work and have not been involved in the delivery of professional counseling, marriage and family therapy, or social work services. At least one of the members representing the general public shall be at least sixty years of age. During their terms the public members shall not practice professional counseling, marriage and family therapy, or social work or be involved in the delivery of professional counseling, marriage and family therapy, or social work services.

(B) Both of the following apply to each member specified in divisions (A)(1), (2), and (3) of this section:

(1) During the five years preceding appointment to the board, the member shall have actively engaged in the practice of the member's profession. A member holding a teaching position shall have actively engaged in the practice of the member's profession by conducting research in the member's profession or by educating and training master's, doctoral, or postdoctoral students in the member's profession, as applicable.

(2) During the two years immediately preceding appointment, the member shall have devoted the majority of their professional time to the activity described in division (B)(1) of this section while residing in this state.

(C) At least three members, one from each of the board's professional standards committees, during the five years preceding appointment, shall have practiced at a public agency or at an organization that is certified or licensed by the department of developmental disabilities, the department of alcohol and drug addiction services, the department of job and family services, or the department of mental health.

(D) Not more than eight members of the board may be members of the same political party or sex.

(E) At least one member of the board shall be of African, Native American, Hispanic, or Asian descent.

(F) Terms of office shall be three years, each term ending on the same day of the same month of the year as did the term that it succeeds. As a result of the dates of initial appointment, the number of terms expiring each year are four, five, or six.

(G) A member shall hold office from the date of appointment until the end of the term for which the member was appointed. A member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration of the term for which the member's predecessor was appointed shall hold office for the remainder of that term. A member shall continue in office after the expiration date of the member's term until a successor takes office . Members may be reappointed, except that if a person has held office for two consecutive full terms, the person shall not be reappointed to the board sooner than one year after the expiration of the second full term as a member of the board.

Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 232, §1, eff. 7/10/2014.

Effective Date: 2002 HB374 04-07-2003