Committee advances amended bill to allow direct licensure pathway for speech‑language pathologists, align with compact

The Senate Licensing & Occupations Committee on March 3 advanced Senate Bill 177 as amended by a committee substitute. The sponsor introduced the bill and called two witnesses: Kate Wood Hall, a government affairs consultant, and Anne Blandford, president of the Kentucky State Speech Language and Hearing Association. The committee adopted the substitute and voted to report the bill favorably.

Anne Blandford told the committee that speech‑language pathologist (SLP) education has shifted: accredited master’s programs now require 400 direct clinical contact hours. Current Kentucky statute still requires a 9‑month post‑professional graduate experience and an interim license before full licensure. Blandford said that changed educational standards and a July CMS clarification (which briefly restricted billing for clinicians on interim licenses by requiring direct on‑site supervision for Medicare Part B billing) had produced staffing and access problems, especially in rural areas. “CMS came back and clarified that they were taking that back, but it was several months before they did that and the damage was already done,” Blandford said, describing lost jobs and reduced access.

The substitute creates an optional pathway to direct licensure (candidates would pass boards and receive full licensure without the universal nine‑month post‑professional requirement), while preserving the interim pathway for those who do not pass boards. Blandford told the committee the change is not intended to diminish training rigor: the post‑professional requirement consists of structured mentorship roughly equivalent to 18 hours over nine months, and national certification and fellowship options remain available.

Committee members asked whether the opt‑in approach would raise costs or reduce mentorship; Blandford and Hall said the change would not increase costs and that mentorship remains available through professional certification programs and incentives. Members also queried whether other states had pursued similar pathways; Blandford noted Virginia and Oregon have pursued related changes but that bills in some states failed where drafters removed supervision entirely or did not coordinate with the interstate compact. Several senators expressed concerns about lowering training requirements generally but supported moving the bill forward for further consideration; the committee voted to send SB 177, as amended by PSS 1, forward with a favorable report.

The transcript records repeated emphasis on compact coordination and ensuring the state remains eligible for the interstate compact; the substitute was described as designed to maintain compact compliance while offering a direct pathway for newly graduated clinicians.