H. B. 4417
(By Delegates Douglas and Kuhn)
[Originating in the
Committee on Government Organization]
[Introduced February 5, 2002]
A BILL to amend and reenact section fifteen, article thirty-two,
chapter thirty of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine
hundred thirty-one, as amended, relating to speech-language
pathology and audiology license renewal; allowing the board to
establish continuing education hours by legislative rule; and
deleting obsolete language.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That section fifteen, article thirty-two, chapter thirty of
the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as
amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 32. SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGISTS AND AUDIOLOGISTS.
§30-32-15. License renewal.
(a) Licenses first issued under this article shall expire on
the first day of January, one thousand nine hundred ninety-five, and subsequent licenses shall expire every two years thereafter;
(b) Every person licensed under this bill shall:
(1) Pay an amount established by the board by legislative rule
in order for his or her license to be renewed;
(2) Submit an application for renewal on a form prescribed by
the board;
(3) Meet any other requirements the board establishes as
conditions for license renewal; and
(4) Engage in a minimum of ten hours of continuing education
activities during the two-year licensing period , as set forth in
legislative rule,
whose content is directly related to the
professional growth and development of speech-language pathologists
and audiologists. The following are examples of ways in which
these hours may be obtained:
(i) Short courses, mini-seminars and teleconferences of the
American speech-language-hearing association;
(ii) Educational sessions of the West Virginia speech-
language-hearing association;
(iii) Educational sessions provided within the licensee's work
setting; or
(iv) Any other activities approved by the board.
(c) Licensees are granted a grace period of thirty days after the expiration of their licenses in which to renew retroactively as
long as they otherwise are entitled to have their licenses renewed
and pay to the board the renewal fee and any late fee set by the
board.
(d) A suspended license is subject to expiration and may be
renewed as provided in this article, but such renewal shall not
entitle the licensee, while the license remains suspended and until
it is reinstated, to engage in the licensed activity, or in any
other conduct or activity in violation of the order of judgment by
which the license was suspended.
(e) A license revoked on disciplinary grounds is subject to
expiration as provided in this article, but it may not be renewed.
If such license is reinstated after its expiration, the licensee,
as a condition of reinstatement, shall pay a reinstatement fee that
shall equal the renewal fee in effect on the last regular renewal
date immediately preceding the date of reinstatement, plus any late
fee set by the board by legislative rule.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from
the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would
be added.