State Fiscal Highlights
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STATE FUND |
FY 2010 |
FY 2011 |
FUTURE YEARS |
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Occupational Licensing Fund (Fund 4K90) – Counselor, Social Worker, Marriage and Family Therapist Board |
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Revenues |
- 0 - |
Gain of about $21,600 |
Potential gain from license |
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Expenditures |
Minimal increase for start-up costs to regulate art therapists |
Increase of about $10,200 for |
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Potential increase |
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Note: The state fiscal year is July 1 through June 30. For example, FY 2010 is July 1, 2009 – June 30, 2010. |
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· The bill adds art therapists to the professionals the Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board regulates. The Board anticipates minimal start-up costs to begin licensing art therapists and expects to absorb those costs within existing resources. However, additional staff may be necessary if more art therapists apply for licensure than the Board anticipates. Revenue generated from initial licensure and renewal fees would offset any future increase in administrative costs.
· The bill creates the Art Therapist Professional Standards Committee and requires the Governor to appoint three members to serve on the Board and comprise the committee. According to the Board, each additional board member would receive about $3,400 annually in compensation and travel reimbursement for performing duties as a board member. Three additional members will increase annual costs of the Board by about $10,200.
Local Fiscal Highlights
· No direct fiscal effect on political subdivisions.
Detailed Fiscal Analysis
The bill requires the Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board to regulate the practice of art therapy and changes the name of the Board to the "Counselor, Social Worker, Marriage and Family Therapist, and Art Therapist Board."
Board composition
Currently, the Board's governing authority consists of 15 members appointed by the Governor, including four licensed professional clinical counselors or professional counselors, two independent social workers, two licensed social workers, two licensed independent marriage and family therapists, two licensed marriage and family therapists, and three members representing the public. Members are appointed for three-year terms and may be reappointed. The Board is divided into three separate professional standards committees representing counselors, social workers, and marriage and family therapists. The full Board meets six times per year and the committees meet separately six times per year to discuss concerns of their respective professions.
The bill requires the Governor to appoint three additional board members – two art therapists and one public member – within 90 days of the bill's effective date. The bill also establishes the Art Therapist Professional Standards Committee comprised of the new appointees. The art therapist appointees are not required to be licensed as art therapists upon appointment, but must become licensed within one year of the bill's effective date to remain on the Board. Each new board member will be subject to existing law and will receive compensation for performing duties as a board member. Board members receive annual compensation of about $3,000 for performing official board business and about $400 for travel reimbursement. Three additional board members will increase annual costs of the Board by about $10,200.
Licensure
The bill requires an individual seeking a license to practice art therapy to submit a written application and fee to the Board (see the LSC bill analysis for licensure qualifications and requirements). The Art Therapist Professional Standards Committee must issue a license to practice as an art therapist to any applicant who completes the application form, meets the eligibility requirements outlined in the bill, and pays the fee. The bill allows the Board to determine, through administrative rules, the period for which an art therapy license is valid and when it must be renewed.
According to the Board's Executive Director, an art therapist license will expire every two years and the initial licensure and renewal fees are likely to be similar to the fees for the other professions regulated by the Board (currently $60 for a temporary license and $75 for an independent license). The Art Therapy Credentials Board (ATCB), reports that there are 208 art therapists in Ohio. ATCB anticipates that all 208 art therapists will apply for an independent license and that an additional 100 individuals who are not currently certified as a registered art therapist through ATCB will apply for a temporary license, generating a total of $21,600 in fee revenue every two years. The Board anticipates minimal start-up costs to begin licensing art therapists and expects to absorb those costs within existing resources. However, additional staff may be necessary if more art therapists apply for licensure than the Board anticipates. Revenue generated from initial licensure and renewal fees would offset any future increase in administrative costs.
In addition to issuing licenses, the Board will be responsible for investigating complaints of art therapists filed with the Board and ensuring that all individuals holding an art therapy license complete continuing education requirements each renewal cycle. The administrative costs associated with monitoring art therapists would also be offset by fee revenue.
Rules promulgation
The bill requires the Board to adopt any rules necessary to carry out its duties regarding art therapists. This provision will increase the Board's administrative burden to promulgate the rules, but it will be accomplished within the Board's existing resources.
