We are grateful to friends in the Senate who brought this to our attention.
An expanded version of the Counseling Discrimination law that passed in the 109th General Assembly has been filed. The very first bill filed in the Senate prevents state boards from referencing national codes of ethics in their rules such as the ethics standards of the American Counseling Association.
The bill also removes the word "principles" from the law and substitutes the much broader and more vague word "beliefs."
The impact is that the bill would allow counselors under even more circumstances to turn clients away. The proposed bill still requires counselors to make a referral, but in many areas that is a hardship on the client.
Support TEP's legislative work to fight back against SB1 at this link.
TEP has 3 Advancing Equality Days on the Hill planned for 2017. Sign up for Feb. 7, March 7, or April 4.
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Robin Lennon-Dearing, PhD, MSW