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By fall 2006, members of the Connecticut Athletic Trainers Association will have to be licensed by the state. Requirements will include a 4-year program in athletic training and passing the national Board of Certification (BOC) exam.
The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation will now offer electronic fingerprinting to real estate sales associate and real estate broker applicants. Electronically scanning and submitting fingerprints significantly shortens the processing time. Electronic fingerprinting will be mandatory beginning July 1, 2006.
Ohio is considering joining the 30 other states that already regulate home inspectors. A bill has been introduced that would require home inspectors to have at least a minimum amount of training and experience, pass an exam, and earn continuing education each year. Legislators that support the bill aim to prevent unqualified people from getting into the business, but the low number of complaints against home inspectors submitted to the Attorney General's office has kept the bill from gaining large support so far this session.
In the opening speech of the Registered Master Builders Federation conference, the Minister of Building Issues announced that the New Zealand government has approved a licensing regime for building practitioners. Licensure will be introduced gradually with voluntary licensure in the next few years before the system is fully in place by 2011. There will be 13 license classes, based on complexity of the building, for designers, those who oversee building construction, and specialist construction trades. The Minister stated that licensure will "improve professionalism and accounability and build consumer confidence."
Oscar Stilley, a prominent Arkansas anti-tax attorney has had his law license suspended for six months for the use of "strident" language in a 2002 brief. He said he plans to appeal the decision made by the Arkansas Supreme Court Committee on Professional Conduct.
Missouri does not recognize the credential of certified professional midwife. In order to practice midwifery, which Missouri defines as a practice of medicine, one must be a certified nurse-midwife or a physician. A bill to change the restictions governing midwifery is currently under debate in the state legislature. Opponents argue that certified professional midwives do not have enough training. Supporters say that it would give families more legal options for home birth.
Washington law requires only a 4-hour AIDS-awareness class and a $40 registration fee to become a registered counselor. In the last 10 years, the state has sanctioned 104 registered counselors for sexual misconduct. The registered counselor credential was created nearly 20 years ago, and some are now questioning if it provides for a high enough level of public protection. Read the full article.
Some are also questioning whether the State Department of Health is too lax in its disciplinary practices in sexual-misconduct cases. A Seattle Times investigation found that nearly one-third of sexual misconduct complaints in the last 10 years were dismissed without an inquiry and many practitioners who were subject to sexual complaints were allowed to return to work, sometimes with practice restrictions. The Times investigation found that at least 1 out of 1o practitioners disciplined for sexual misconduct committed repeated offenses. The findings have prompted the Department of Health to issue 8 emergency suspensions for health-care professionals charged with sexual misconduct in the last month, compared with only 7 for the year in 2005.
The Daily News article
The Seattle Times article
Welcome to spring and nicer weather for us all. CLEAR was very busy this past winter preparing for a full round of spring and summer activities. Some of the highlights included:
* a webinar series that kicked off with a well-received presentation in April on Fraudulent Credentials and False Information.
* publication of two new Resource Briefs
* program preparation for Expect the Unexpected: Are We Clearly Prepared?, CLEAR's 26th annual conference
* The National Certified Investigator/Inspector Program is enjoying its busiest year ever.
* CLEAR is pleased to solicit nominations for this year's awards program. The deadline for receipt of nominations is May 19, 2006.
* The CLEAR Board of Directors invites nominations for 2006-2008 board service and the position of 2006/2007 President-Elect. The deadline for nominations is June 30, 2006.
The Marriott Austin at the Capitol in Austin, Texas is the site for CLEAR's 2007 midyear business meeting, which will be held January 4-6. CLEAR meeting attendees will receive a special room rate of $105 USD.
