Committee approves bill requiring licensure boards to collect optional workforce contact data

The committee unanimously approved House Bill 459 (as amended by PSS 1), a proposal to help Kentucky better understand and address its health-care workforce shortages by requiring licensure boards to collect limited, optional contact data from licensees.

Representative Kim Mosier (64th District) said the substitute makes two changes to allow Kentucky statistics to link data: adding date of birth and a mailing address. She emphasized responses remain optional for individual licensees and that the boards will not collect Social Security numbers or similarly sensitive identifiers. "This bill simply requires that health care licensure boards collect through a survey information about where individuals are working," Mosier said, adding the change is intended to identify who is actively practicing.

Dr. Nate Wood, a licensed marriage and family therapist, and other presenters told the committee the measure is designed to clarify whether licensed professionals remain in clinical practice or have left the field, retired, or moved to part-time work.

Senator McDaniel asked about a provision in section 2 referencing KRS 3 35 that would grant licensure under certain circumstances to applicants licensed in other states and exempt them from certain Kentucky education requirements. Dr. Wood and Representative Mosier said the bill recognizes comparable educational and experiential requirements across states (citing COAMFT standards for their field) but committee members requested additional clarity from licensing boards about the exact implications of the KRS citation before floor action.

The committee voted 11-0 to pass HB 459 as amended by PSS 1.

What’s next: The bill advances from committee to the floor; members asked staff to confirm details of the section 2 KRS reference with the relevant licensure boards before final action.