The Ohio House of Representatives today announced the passage of Senate Bill 287, legislation to revise the law governing the professions of chemical dependency counseling and alcohol and other drug prevention that are regulated by the Chemical Dependency Professionals Board.

S.B. 287 makes revisions to allow the Chemical Dependency Professionals Board to license independent chemical dependency counselor-clinical supervisors and certify prevention specialist assistants. This legislation also makes several revisions to the sets of requirements prescribed to qualify for various levels of prevention specialists and establishes requirements for qualifying for a registered applicant certificate, due to expire every two years.

S.B. 287 is designed to ease the transition from a workforce that is nearing retirement age to a fully staffed and sustainable workforce. Current law does not adequately account for the large scale replacement of retiring licensees that will be forthcoming.

Provisions in this legislation will not only help to sustain the current workforce, but will encourage an increase in the number of individuals entering this profession by streamlining the process for individuals interested in moving from certification to licensure.

S.B. 287 passed in the House unanimously and will now be sent back to the Senate for concurrence.