ALC-Occupational Licensing Review Subcommittee

Meeting the occupational licensing review subcommittee to order and representative makes do you have any comments thank you very much and we must now have a motion to suspend the rules to take up of that the supplemental report didn't get through everything during the session so this is a a supplemental meeting to take up extra st. Can thank you very much any any discussion on favor i'll pose. Thank you very much ok and so we have a review of the supplemental report the department of financial administration the office of driver services and they need an additional time to complete their and submit their report so we have with us today mr wayne hamrick. And miscross the earnhart and miss marlon accuse where they in the. Give them a please and have a seat. So in a few would a turn on your light you're buttons there and pull your microphones closer to you because it's hard to hear some time and if you would identify yourself for the record please you could be recognized. I am more limited some assistant administrator of the office of driver services and motor christian hard and system administrator within the office of a modern traver services in my vehicle. And i'm wind hammering the administrator for driver services and motor vehicle very good thank you okay so you all have some reports to give us from the commercial driver. Fader licensing. Well I don't know that it's so much as a report is just that this was kind of our first time to be included with this committee meeting and so what we did as we just can answer the questions that were there on the website we're a little different than the other last thing agencies in regards to we don't really receive the the money itself back to our agency all we are licensing is a cd a commercial truck driver a cdl holder so that they can operate on the highways in the roadway so that's our only involvement with the licensing part state police does the testing and examinations for the driver were the issuing agency for the credential itself and so we we process about a hundred and twenty thousand we currently have a hundred twenty thousand of those on the highway and they their renewal every five years for about fifty dollars it's fifty dollars it's the fee so all of our licensing requirements are federally mandated that's what you have to do for commercial driver to be on the highway. So let me ask you this question I and you may or may not know the answer but I think it was last year where they were having a real problem with getting me. Stay pleased to do the testing for these people have that kind of alleviated do we have as big problems with it before yes meant that that has been alleviated we actually collaborated with state police so that we can have certain officers and departments open so that we could get those through and again that wasn't really on the state itself it was a federal mandate that was required and it came up rather quickly and I think there was an astormit that particular time that the cost of delay and so what we did as we worked with state police to basically when they were testing we had our offices opened so that they can come directly to this section to get their license so that they weren't penalized or delayed any further so that that's that's been resolved i'm glad to hear that was correctly because I know it was an issue from the folks with the transportation association highway all of it everybody was really unhappy because it was taking so long for these people to get there and they needed to be on the road so yes okay anything else. This. Do we have some questions from the committee. Representative makes that matter so much of my question is on here just says you collect one point two million dollars in annual fees i'm sure that's from the driver's permit it says you don't have a reserve because it's not active for that and can can you kind of go over that with hers as that money thing that you're collecting going into the main department's accounts as I go on a state police or what happens to the the fees that you collect for the. Our license yet yes sir that's that stick for state police for the testing in the processing okay so so do you all get any money from that with your agency or is that just your expenses are just out of your agency but the expenses are just out of the face but but the finding from the the fifty dollars that's that's generated back to arkansas state police for the testing requirements okay perfect art thank you. Representative cabinet thank you madame chairman for for the renewals when they they get their issue license but then they're going to renew is any of that able to be done online to speed up the process. Yes yes may have that that is available for them to remove online note that register the first time registration i'm thinking commercial truck no for the for the cdl now that can't be done online there are federal requirements that they have two present original documents for us to issue that okay so there's no way to speak that process. Not that we've seen to be able to meet the federal mandates at this time and in every state is going to be the same when it comes to those federal requirements we will we look at that a week where certainly written out to amber the american association and motor vehicle administrators for for best practices and gaddens is on what we can do also to help with those in our other surrounding states but right now to meet that federal requirement not now we're not able to do those online so I miss spoke early when I was thinking of the cd on the commercial trucks we have made it in collaboration with the arkansas truckers association where the registration for the international registration plan all of that now is online so it's a choice any more to go into any dmb to have that process you can do everything online pretty much with those okay thank you so clarify that with me a little bit where it what what what's the. Let in go online what is that. It's for you to register your your your tractor trailer for interstate not not the license. See any other questions. Anybody have any other thing else otherwise we will uhm with our objection as report will stand as reviewed thank you very much. And a next we have folks from the architect apartment of health. Office of preparedness and emergency response. Mr chat thompson mr craig smith and miss christi. You will identify yourself you'll be recognized thank you madame center of money was craig smith attorney for the arkansas department of health I know that mr thompson was listed as also presenting but he is can you play your microphone up to you please. Mister thompson is had to address another matter with one of our other licensing programs and had to miss. Give his absence. Good afternoon i'm christy cresse their section chief for ems. Or we're talking about here is a emergency medical folks just map. Yeah. The section of emails at the department health license is the occupations for empty's marching medical technicians advanced empties and paramedics. Emtees are the entry level and to provide basic support and treatment advanced or those that can provide a bank skills in some formal collogical interventions and other specific life threatening conditions that they may be able to address then paramedics can use a wide range of pharmacology monitoring devices as well as critical thinking and complex issues to address advanced level of services that may be required. And with that unhappy to answer any questions. So where does the. There's three levels. Anything like you're talking about three and entry level middle in a higher where do they were they get their training. For an emt or does that training come for an emtee the training is received at different training sites whether it's a community college or some of the ambulance services have received a private career education license through the department of higher ad and they teach their own academy style. So there's different levels then for each one in each one has a certification. It's my basic empty and a technician in a paramedic. And i'll have a separate certifications they have separate license levels gift. Representative makes you am I about two questions where are we as far as staffing levels within the state are we in good shape reserve shortest mt overall view of or route with having enough people to fill this roles. So the wait the best way to answer that is we have about eight thousand providers that includes all levels emt advanced empty and paramedics. I wouldn't say that were necessarily falling short and providers due to license or status what that means is about fifty percent of our licensed providers are not utilizing their license in the ambulance industry they may be working in the hospital or a doctor's office they could be administrators or educators so they're still holding a license but they're not working in the industry which is where you're saying they work for shortage but if you look at our numbers in license there isn't really a shortage or coming up that even every year. Caps out there the digits they're just bulks or choosing not to and then my my other question was on here on your questions were their complaints against practitioners and you said eleven providers were found in violation to be a mass rules do you all do spot checks or periodic inspections to make sure the ems providers are up to standard or do you count on basically wasn't lower to report these violations. The email that services undergo an annual inspection and then we do a spit inspections at the hospitals or the ambulance services throughout okay in and based on those inspections there was only eleven founded violations correct based on this what we've got here. That does related to complaints for harm that was caused to be the consumers or members of the public okay and there may be other complaints in other uh citations for failure to meet certain standards and the rules whether it's a documentation control substance issues at a facility or on the trucks all those that are unrelated from actual horm to members of the public then I was eleven or related to actual issues with a services that were provided and and those have been resolved or in the process of being resolved okay thank you senator young more. Thank you madame chair and thank you both for being here quick question only because I didn't see on the on this document that we have and so it may not just be the appropriate document you may be doing this and I assume you are but are you all applying act seven twenty five of the twenty one session as a relates to waving fees for certain income levels with these fall under that or you'll apply that that law I believe some have to look back at the the act itself but I believe that we implemented that fee waiver program in the mess rules under the previous communication process yeah and am assuming so too I just I didn't see it here and it may be this wouldn't be the perfect place for it to be but I just wanted to check thank you. The. Thank you madame chair on you go this your passing rates for the each one of the sort of the test do you happen to know what the national average is on these passing rates i'm just going curious how arguments are compares to the national. I think we're somewhere in the low seventies that's how we we compare nationally. Okay but you know you've given us like empty eighty women advanced seventy one paramedic seventy eight do you know what the national. Can you get that when you give you a look at thank you. There any further questions. Without jetching this report stand as review thank you very much thank you next on our schedule is the. Are so social work licensing board. The. The. Good afternoon if you would identify yourself you'll be recognized. Magazine more department health. Are a better good and i'm a member of the social work licensing board thank you so we have the social license thing more today you have some report for us well thank you for your time this morning or it's afternoon and I appreciate that appreciate misgoodman coming from the board couple of things i'll just point out the social work board to be out of the apartment health since about twenty nineteen with transformation they meet monthly so there's good attendance there and they're able to process the work at things done quickly they have nine more members currently. As far as the number of licensees that is growing up there haven't about anywhere two fifty three hundred new licensees per year. Due to legislation to the last session they are doing a significant fee reduction across all their fees due to some legislation i'll pass that allows the secretary of health working with the board to go ahead and reduce those that's been helpful um. The board seems to be fascinated functioning fan and we appreciate that opportunity to come in here inspect the older day after any questions and misgood may have a few things she will want to share as well but had to take questions now that's okay with your. The. Senator you more. Let's be nice thank you madam chair are always a nice to the nice guild more in the family as you all know him thank you mister gilmore for being here and taking questions just the same question I had previously II think I know the answer I just would like to to hear again you all are implementing a seven twenty five of the twenty first session or twenty one session that's correct under yesterday we have we've implemented that and I think all their licensed entities on the department of health did that fairly quickly I think so operate I was thinking that you all might have been one of the first agencies but I appreciate that thank you. The. Representative cabinet thank you madame chair i'm down here in the front first i'll just want thank offer reducing your phase because that was kind of important to get that back because as you're well aware we talk about all the time that we're in such a cross is for minor health workers and that could deter somebody be enabled to do it one of the things that you you don't have the information but if you could get it to us really really two things and then I got a rent and another meeting but so for me can you tell me why the certification requirements are in arkansas in the end let me know what it is on the national level to see if arkansas coincides with national so we can kind of see what that might be also if you can tell me the cost for them to get the certification and know what the license areas but what's the fee to take the test what's it cost to get that certification if we can get that so we can look at a complete cost for an applicant that is actually applied so we can know. Okay yeah we can we can pull that together. Will currently focus on the fees here in arkansas and we can look at the national that we will look at we can okay I appreciate that thank you. Representative crawford thank you madame chair thank you guys for being here. The thing that. I guess disturbs many disturbs you guys as well would be there inappropriate relationship between social worker and client and it looks like most of its been taken care of where you report their license however number three I guess on page two aren't not sure which page but it falls under three and it says in cases of sexual misconduct. The license were revoked in an other cases that period a probation was issued with requirements for continuing education up can you speak to their what kind of continuing education and you know I do understand that he said she said so you know if that's part of it. What things came we put because this is such a volatile situation sometimes with counselor of social workers. What boundaries do you think we get per to protect the client in the social worker. So i'll let miss. Goom and speak into this a little bit in a second they do have a code of ethics that they uphold you all licensees too and that's kind of what they decide and use to to do discipline. The. I don't mean this the way it sounds but I think every case is little bit different and I think there's probably different levels of severity. I don't know the specifics in that case it's probably some of its probably a public record but I don't have all those details misgoom and I don't know if she was on the board that time can speak to some of that or not if she's willing there are different levels and I would say that anytime there is sexual contact that is very serious and that would not be probation there might be something where there was a inappropriate relationship with a client or client's family or if it's a a young person communication outside the the normal office things like that that are boundary issues but not that serious sexual misconduct so that we take very seriously and are in all of those cases there are continuing education courses are in boundaries that we absolutely require we may require probation with supervision from elsie and and regular meetings to deal with their issue and then they bring that information back to us so it's a very serious thing we don't have that many cases of it but the boundary issue we do have a lot of questions about that in part of the delaw is that you cannot have any kind of relationship with a client until two years or more after you not been seeing that that client nokia that's good thank you that helps me. Somewhat in our society that were in. You know it'll be great if we had enough people when they're a. Counseling situation where you had another person there but then when you talk about after hours I guess. Something you trust them to do thank you well I would say that we you know we take complaint from anyone but the profession are self police is quite a bit so if there is someone who is a social worker or any other account professional in that organization they're they're on the look out to so I feel better about that thank you so if there are something written there and II know i've gone on a board and I can remember that sometimes this this issue would come up and investigation would take place and and all that but i'm assuming that there must be some some piece of paper someplace that says this this is acceptable behavior and this is not acceptable behaviour and so everybody knows what. What they're what they are not supposed to do and obviously then what are the consequences for that miss behavior yet it goes back to the code of ethics that is a part of the profession that they hold the license it too so and that's part of I think with the test in so as far as license you're they have to be from there without it at a test that they are aware of that it's part of the law and part of our rules as well so it's in both places it's laid out I think very specifically so I know you know when scores were real strict rules and and in our would assume that without the same kind of things in this profession as well and that there really is their consequences for behaviour it's not just. You know and don't do it again kind of thing so representative makes thank you so and pretty basic question what is the path the latency like for an individual so i'd say this I don't want to become a social worker what kind of education is required how long that usually take for us to have someone who's interested get through the system in and be able to get their license and begin going to work near the debt there are three levels of licensing of social workers the first level is a licensed social worker you have to have a degree from and a credited social work program nine of those are consider so you have to have that degree of criminal background check and take an exam then after you have practiced a while many people go back to school and get a masters and social worker and then you can become a license master social with an msw and there are two problems in arkansas that offer those a lot of market and then again you take an exam and if you want to continue to the highest level which is an else csw you have to have two years of supervise experience as a master level plus four thousand supervised hours and taken exam then you become an LCSW about sixty percent of our social workers are at the license lsw entry level another forty percent or thirty percent at a masters in only about ten percent rlcs and it is that that entry levels at a bachelor's degree associates degree a bachelor of social work matters alright perfect thank. The. Senator hill. Over here okay I got a question do you brought it about that in just in you get your bachelor's agreement or get your masters great then you still have to take an exam through yall so you tell her me the education the receiving is not any good. Hmm. And me because you're you're questioning the education they just received the the exam is a national exam and so when you pass that then if you want to become license and another stay that's acceptable so and you know what you learn in. In school certainly prepares you to take that test. So I still don't care much for the answer but I don't understand what we have load school for so many years then then we have to provide a test for them for them go to work. So I think you'll find that with a lot of professions like psychology and and it nursing pretty much every license profession has it has a test it was along with it and they're usually a national test that they most states are come to or utilize i'm i'm glad you were out that app since we're going that route have you only implemented or service member policy is forward being able to accept receptible mother's data that had been implemented in this. It's in the board draft rules that are moving forward now for this one yesterday okay thank you. Are there any further questions. Seeing none without objection this report stands as reviewed thank you very much. See no further business we will be adjourned that the recommendations. If you will email those to the staff by the sixth of september thank you and our next meeting is going to be monday september eleventh at one thirty pm in room the thank you very much b.