NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY

1979 SESSION

 

 

CHAPTER 1005

HOUSE BILL 1179

 

 

AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR THE LICENSING OF PSYCHOLOGISTS IN STATE GOVERNMENT.

 

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

 

Section 1.  G.S. 90-270.4(a) as it appears in the 1977 Cumulative Supplement to Volume 2C of the General Statutes of North Carolina is hereby rewritten to read as follows:

"§ 90-270.4(a).  Nothing in this Article shall be construed as limiting the activities, services, and use of official title on the part of any person in the regular employ of a federal, county or municipal government, or other political subdivision or agency thereof, or of the State Department of Public Instruction, or of a duly accredited or chartered educational institution, insofar as such activities and services are a part of the duties and responsibilities of his position. Such duties and responsibilities may include, but are not restricted to, teaching, writing, conducting research, the giving of public speeches or lectures, the giving of legal testimony, consulting with publishers, serving on boards, commissions, and review committees of public and nonprofit private agencies, with or without remuneration so long as such activities do not involve the practice of psychology as defined in this Article.

Nothing in this Article shall be construed as limiting the activities, services, and use of official titles on the part of any person in the regular employ of the State of North Carolina or whose employment is included under the State Personnel Act who has served in a position of employment involving the practice of psychology as defined in this Article, providing that such person has served in this capacity for a continuous period of five years prior to July 1, 1979. All such State employees, other than employees of the Department of Public Instruction who are exempt from licensing under this act, whose activities involve the practice of psychology and who are not licensed, or who have not practiced for 5 continuous years in a position involving the practice of psychology, are allowed to continue in such activities which involve the practice of psychology in their employment until December 31, 1984, the purpose of this provision being to allow those who do engage in activities involving the practice of psychology to meet the qualifications of licensing for the practice of psychology as defined in this Article. In addition to the requirements for licensing contained in Article 18A, an employee of a State agency or department who has served in a position involving the practice of psychology for five consecutive years by December 31, 1984, and who has graduate training in psychology and experience as the Board finds to be the equivalent of a master's degree in psychology, shall be permitted to take the examination for licensing as a psychological associate. Provided, however, that any agency or department of the State of North Carolina which employs psychologists may petition the State Personnel Commission for exemption from the requirements of this act, which exemption shall be granted upon a showing that there is an insufficient number of licensed psychologists available to fill all authorized psychologists' positions in such agency or department."

Sec. 2.  The second sentence of G.S. 90-270.6 (1977 Cumulative Supplement) is deleted and the following sentences substituted in lieu thereof:

"At all times three members shall be licensed practicing psychologists and two members shall be licensed psychological examiners. In the event that the composition of the Board on the effective date of this act does not conform to that prescribed in the preceding sentence, such composition shall be corrected thereafter by appropriate appointments as terms expire and as vacancies occur on the Board."

Sec. 3.  G.S. 90-270.16 is amended by adding a new subsection (c) as follows:

"(c)       No practicing psychologist or psychological examiner shall employ any psychologist who does not possess a valid license issued under this Article or who has not been temporarily licensed under the provisions of G.S. 90-270.5."

Sec. 4.  G.S. 90-270.15 is amended by adding a new subdivision of subsection (a) as follows:

"(6)      Has employed a psychologist who has no valid license issued under this Article, nor a temporary license as provided by G.S. 90-270.5."

Sec. 5.  This act shall become effective on January 1, 1980.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 8th day of June, 1979.