ALC-Occupational Licensing Review Subcommittee

Yeah medical marijuana subcommittee is meeting in here in an hour so we've got to be very succinct with our work this afternoon and there's probably a joke in there I could tell about that but we're going to jump into this so first up without a japan by can read right without objection the reports originally schedule for september will be heard today in thursday i'll remember we weren't able to have those meetings so first on the agenda is the arkansas board of examiners and speech language pathology and audiology and you gentlemen will take the hot seat introduce yourselves and then they can proceed with any remarks to have. Maggie more horrible health nothing room best but. Yeah. Game any opening comments licensing yeah i'll turn it over to mr row here to give a brief overview of the board but. We appreciate how today the board is small board a couple of employees they're going through some major fee reductions right now but i'll turn over to night to kind of give it overview with or does. So the speech pathology and ideology board consists of six board members did have to meet a minimum of four times a year but usually meets by monthly. We licensed speech language pathologist at a provisional speech language pathologist ideologist and speech language pathology assistance we are currently working on roll provisions for automatic military license per act one thirty seven of two thousand and twenty three. We are transitioning. To add new digital platform for accepting applications and other license changes such as name changes or address changes. The. We currently have thing an online payment option available for new licensees I will comparing our application process for arkansas rounding states we have here requirements to become licensed surrounding states require produce of applicants passports references proof of citizenship and more extremely information about then arkansas requires. Our education requirements or the same as surrounding states and the is reset for the boy asher which is the bigger can speech language hearing association. Our ce requirements when compared to surrounding states everybody seems to do ten per year but we do not require an ethics corporate like surrounding states do. As of september first we have three three thousand six hundred and thirty active licensees this time last year we had three thousand one hundred and sixty five active licensees. In the past year we have added four hundred and ten new licensees compared to two hundred and eighty five the previous year. With with the recent reduction of application and renewal fees by ninety five percent we hope that it's a good time to bring in some more at a state licensing take any question drive what's the overall state of the occupation within arkansas do we have enough to not have enough is a challenge recruiting new members kind of telstra that the state of that occupation we don't keep statistics on positions better. We have I haven't heard of any buddy having trouble finding work. And I almost schools are even ones and very small counties and cities have wanted to full time. Speech language pathologists ideologists. Was slightly different with its own much smaller applicant poll. It's only about four hundred compared to two thousand four speech language pathology. I think telemercy is helpful that's quite a bit as well I think that was something they did you don't want to laws change couple years back and then one last question then i'll end it over to my co chair you're your current fund balance is two point three million dollars you've said you've reduced her fees to try to help bring that down a little bit of any other plans for use of the money in in there or is it just we're going to allow it kind of a slowly doing all down with the reduce fees. The. Yeah we are recently are temporary position for the assistant has been moved full time so that will help reduce that quite a bit each year but we're also i'm also considering going back to doing me allowance for physical licenses the board voted. Leave two or three years ago to go completely digital but some people still want to first agree and that would be an additional. Late last time I looked at everything about eight thousand dollars a year so and any like educational or outreached like high schools trying to recruit new people into the field that you might do with that II have wanted to do that in the past before I took over in this position but that seems to be more for the archer of the states kind of professional organization they they hand almost a down and they didn't really seem to want much help when I looked into it before okay I think the board to live more members themselves go to the different colleges as well and provide some education and then speak into the fund balance I think there's been some upgrades he's continually to make to his renewal and application system and that's ongoing it's expensive so that will help with all that down as well english so maybe you hopefully you know there's thing in about with the loans act and ro effort to really begin to work with little people and three and four year olds and even younger so have you have seen an increased demand at the school level and that the daycare level in all that for more audiologist and speech pathologists. I have in seen anything directly I know that. I know a speed language pathologist work with kids as young as believe like eight months now so. They're there are certain people working with the bunch younger than you wouldn't normally think could you you really don't know where people our their employed or whatever you just issue license yeah we just basically handle the licensing part then you haven't seen an uptick and the number of licenses are there's been a slight uptick over the past year. About hundred but I don't necessarily know exactly where these people are going by okay thank you any other questions colleagues. The. Saying nine german thank you for your presence here today without objection this report will stand reviewed thank you. All right next item number c two we have the archive apartment of labor and licensing labor standards division so if. The. And right then when you gentlemen get settled in if you were just introduced yourselves to the committee and then you're free to make any opening statements that you have. I'm dan parker on the chief legal council for the department rough hudson director of labor males morgan associate council department labor licensing. Opening statements I guess very briefly I mean we're happy to report that this is a license we think that the state can do without and we've proposed to go and had an eliminating it it's when we called the pea license of private employment agency license and it back inspected the day when you had stelling and snowing a agencies like that that would actually they were employee paid recruiters and that model has largely been replaced by the indeed send us a precruders of the world there actually wanting to solicit employees to send him resumes and then. I guess hooked them up with employers in the employer if they hire one of those candidates they'll pay that fee so this is kind of an outdated license that we're happy to uh eliminate. And part of our package II drafted the bill that a repeal this chapter at the code. If that's the committee's wishes who always like to simplify government when where we can looks like you have though you've collected seventy two hundred dollars and fees so there's still somebody out there applying for the license and then about eighty two seventy five sir roughly today okay and then the revenue of looks like you've got a fun balance of two hundred thousand dollars and then that it would be dispersed as that. If this has been eliminated or what would happen with that phone balance. Are more with this serve this is part of the division of labor so it's not a special revenue agency right and so we try and get its little general avenue as we possibly can to operate and it would just go back in the job general revenge okay alright any questions from anybody. Representative croffer or you recognized. Thank you. Oh one question on there's a you talked about snailing and snailing but what about the others that consider themselves hunters does that ball in this area that totally separate. Yeah I think the head hunters are the folks that are recruiting the employee and getting compensated by the employer so I think that would affect them or this wouldn't affect them at all it would not okay aren't thank you. So what were were sounds like you're pretty confident that this is outdated it wouldn't in fact anybody wouldn't be a detriment to the citizens of arkansas so it's time to eliminate this from the code it sounds collect that's your recommendation to this many okay any other questions. Okay saying nine gentlemen thank you for for being being here this afternoon were. The zip and through this pretty quick colleagues and the last one we have on the agenda today's arts of state board of podiatric medicine and gentlemen. Get settled in. Introduce yourselves to the committee and. Magic health. John robiner chair arkansas border podiatric medicine. Just quick over the age of view we meet annually in the end as needed throughout the year normally we made a handful of times we have five members on the board we have one essentially part time employees that kind of how we class fire on average we receive probably three complaints a year and have usually about three applicants a year so we are we are small board we've got a hundred and twelve active licenses right now. Our fund balance is around three hundred thousand dollars we have cut our application fees in our renewal fees and were also talking about trying to do some continuing get hours if if we can get the clearance to go ahead and fund continuing education I really think that's probably where the fund balance really needs to go the regardless that's that's the direction I want to go with that if if possible. Let's see we can normally get somebody's application approved in a lot in license within two and three business days once we receive all of the partnered and information. Let's see their secretary can't approve the license as far as comparing is to surrounding states are containing ad requirements are are in line a few states require a few more few few last bit on average where we're in line with our continuing education. I don't know you'll have any any questions for me i'm the only one the one that I have is kind like I asked the the the first group is having enough parties within the state do we have an offers or short age or kind of where a way out of the head in your occupation health care itself in well II practice the southeast arkansas we struck right healthcare struggles for practitioners just that just that simple and ultimately that their balls back to being able to recruit our kids from southeast arkansas to come back home in practice in south east arkansas you know you can get people to come in from other places. But you're going to struggle to keep her own in that this this health care in general this does not put actually that this health care in jiver and in so encouraging in doing things doing what we can at the state level to encourage our kids to go into health care professions period and then get him to come back home they've got every reason to come back home mom a day it is a great reason for them to come back home it's a great reason for senator english so tell me what the what's the educational background of a peda interest what do they have to do after after college usually a premare free bed background you take a audientric medical school which is a four year school following four years of but I actually school you have three years of residency and then come out into practice a very very much like telepathic or dos same basic number of years. So are they pretty well dispersed across the state no there must be the wrong burst in northwest arkansas people have left that about southeast arkansas it's like a patient tells me i'm not very good but i'm always going to it really makes you feel probably goes with the line of things yes okay thank you representative ladyman thank you miss german i'll have to say that those are some of the lowest fees I have seen since i've been on this company I would I would agree with you and i'd like to see their phone balance dwindled down in to continue getting education hours I really think I can probably swing my four dollars renewal fee I think I need when how long you say you reduce the fees yes are along at these fees being in these reduced guys this will be the first first year this will be our first this will be our first cycle to have the reduced fees so you are confident you can work with those. I think we can handle that yes you're doing a good job. The. Okay anyone else going to right saying that gentleman thank you for being here today and for your work on the half of the citizens of the state thank you all right college so without objection the division of labor and licensing report will be reviewed and the podiatric medicine will be reviewed if anybody has any recommendations to changes that need to be made to these three make sure you have those recommendations to staff by november ten for us to take it up at the november meetings we've got one more meeting this week and it'd be thursday at one thirty. Tenderly in room a woman will see how that goes but will be in back and room a thursday at one thirty saying nothing else before the committee we are turn.