ORS 675.785: Powers and duties of board; rules; fees.

The Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists has the following powers and duties: (1) In accordance with the applicable provisions of ORS chapter 183, the board shall adopt rules necessary for the administration of the laws the board is charged with administering. (2) Subject to applicable provisions of the State Personnel Relations Law, the board may appoint, prescribe the duties and fix the compensation of employees of the board necessary to carry out the duties of the board. (3)(a) The board may impose nonrefundable fees in an amount set by rule for the following: (A) License application. (B) First issuance of a license. (C) Renewal of a license. (D) Late filing of a license renewal. (E) Renewal of registration as an associate. (F) Examinations. Examination fees may not exceed the costs incurred in administering the particular examination. (G) Limited permits. (b) Fees established under this subsection are subject to prior approval of the Oregon Department of Administrative Services and must be within the budget authorized by the Legislative Assembly as that budget may be modified by the Emergency Board. (4) The Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists shall: (a) Maintain a register of all current licensed professional counselors and marriage and family therapists. (b) Annually publish a directory listing all current licensed professional counselors and marriage and family therapists. The directory must be available to the public, and the board may collect a publication fee for the directory. (5) The board shall: (a) Investigate alleged violations of the provisions of ORS 675.715 to 675.835 or rules adopted under authority of the board. (b) Establish procedures to review the complaints of clients of licensees of the board. Upon receipt of a complaint under ORS 675.715 to 675.835 against a licensed or unlicensed person, the board shall conduct an investigation as described under ORS 676.165. (6) The board shall report to the Legislative Assembly concerning the activities of the board during the preceding biennium. (7) The board shall form standards committees to establish, examine and pass on the qualifications of applicants to practice professional counseling or marriage and family therapy in this state, including standards and requirements for continuing education and supervision, as appropriate. The standards committee for professional counselors shall be made up of the professional counselors on the board, the faculty member and the public member. The standards committee for marriage and family therapists shall be made up of the marriage and family members of the board, the faculty member and the public member. (8) The board shall grant licenses to applicants who qualify to practice professional counseling or marriage and family therapy in this state upon compliance with ORS 675.715 to 675.835 and the rules of the board. (9) The board may administer oaths, take depositions, defray legal expenses and issue subpoenas to compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of documents or written information necessary to carry out ORS 675.715 to 675.835. (10) The board may adopt a seal to be affixed to all licenses. (11) The board shall adopt a code of ethics for licensees. The board may use the ethical codes of professional counseling and marriage and family therapy associations as models for the code established by the board. (12) The board may set academic and training standards necessary under ORS 675.715 to 675.835, including, but not limited to, the adoption of rules to establish semester hour equivalents for qualification for licensing where quarter hours are required under ORS 675.715 to 675.835. (13) The board shall require the applicant for a professional counselor license or a marriage and family therapy license to receive a passing score on an examination of competency in counseling or marriage and family therapy. The examination may be the examination given nationally to certify counselors, or in the case of marriage and family therapy, the examination approved by the Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards. (14) For the purpose of requesting a state or nationwide criminal records check under ORS 181A.195, the board may require the fingerprints of a person who is: (a) Applying for a license that is issued by the board; (b) Applying for renewal of a license that is issued by the board; or (c) Under investigation by the board. (15) The board shall prescribe, in consultation with the Oregon Board of Psychology, the duties of the Director of the Mental Health Regulatory Agency. [1989 c.721 §14; 1991 c.703 §21; 1993 c.546 §111; 1997 c.269 §4; 1997 c.791 §18; 1999 c.463 §5; 2001 c.120 §6; 2005 c.730 §73; 2007 c.70 §300; 2009 c.697 §6; 2009 c.756 §19; 2017 c.104 §16; 2021 c.677 §11; 2023 c.439 §4; 2023 c.602 §18]