1. There is hereby created and established a “State Committee of Psychologists”, which shall consist of seven licensed psychologists and one public member. The state committee of psychologists existing on August 28, 1989, is abolished. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent the appointment of any current member of the state committee of psychologists to the new state committee of psychologists created on August 28, 1989.

2. Appointments to the committee shall be made by the governor upon the recommendations of the director of the division, upon the advice and consent of the senate. The division, prior to submitting nominations, shall solicit nominees from professional psychological associations and licensed psychologists in the state. The term of office for committee members shall be five years, and committee members shall not serve more than ten years. No person who has previously served on the committee for ten years shall be eligible for appointment. In making initial appointments to the committee, the governor shall stagger the terms of the appointees so that two members serve initial terms of two years, two members serve initial terms of three years, and two members serve initial terms of four years.

Ask a business law question, get an answer ASAP!
Thousands of highly rated, verified business lawyers.
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

3. Each committee member shall be a resident of the state of Missouri for one year, shall be a United States citizen, and shall, other than the public member, have been licensed as a psychologist in this state for at least three years. Committee members shall reflect a diversity of practice specialties. To ensure adequate representation of the diverse fields of psychology, the committee shall consist of at least two psychologists who are engaged full time in the doctoral teaching and training of psychologists, and at least two psychologists who are engaged full time in the professional practice of psychology. In addition, the first appointment to the committee shall include at least one psychologist who shall be licensed on the basis of a master’s degree who shall serve a full term of five years. Nothing in sections 337.010 to 337.090 shall be construed to prohibit full membership rights on the committee for psychologists licensed on the basis of a master’s degree. If a member of the committee shall, during the member’s term as a committee member, remove the member’s domicile from the state of Missouri, then the committee shall immediately notify the director of the division, and the seat of that committee member shall be declared vacant. All such vacancies shall be filled by appointment of the governor with the advice and consent of the senate, and the member so appointed shall serve for the unexpired term of the member whose seat has been declared vacant.

4. The public member shall be at the time of the public member’s appointment a citizen of the United States; a resident of this state for a period of one year and a registered voter; a person who is not and never was a member of any profession licensed or regulated pursuant to sections 337.010 to 337.093 or the spouse of such person; and a person who does not have and never has had a material, financial interest in either the providing of the professional services regulated by sections 337.010 to 337.093, or an activity or organization directly related to any profession licensed or regulated pursuant to sections 337.010 to 337.093. The duties of the public member shall not include the determination of the technical requirements to be met for licensure or whether any person meets such technical requirements or of the technical competence or technical judgment of a licensee or a candidate for licensure.

5. The committee shall hold a regular annual meeting at which it shall select from among its members a chairperson and a secretary. A quorum of the committee shall consist of a majority of its members. In the absence of the chairperson, the secretary shall conduct the office of the chairperson.

6. Each member of the committee shall receive, as compensation, an amount set by the division not to exceed fifty dollars for each day devoted to the affairs of the committee and shall be entitled to reimbursement for necessary and actual expenses incurred in the performance of the member’s official duties.

7. Staff for the committee shall be provided by the director of the division of professional registration.

8. The governor may remove any member of the committee for misconduct, inefficiency, incompetency, or neglect of office.

9. In addition to the powers set forth elsewhere in sections 337.010 to 337.090, the division may adopt rules and regulations, not otherwise inconsistent with sections 337.010 to 337.090, to carry out the provisions of sections 337.010 to 337.090. The committee may promulgate, by rule, “Ethical Rules of Conduct” governing the practices of psychology which rules shall be based upon the ethical principles promulgated and published by the American Psychological Association.

10. Any rule or portion of a rule, as that term is defined in section 536.010, that is promulgated to administer and enforce sections 337.010 to 337.090, shall become effective only if the agency has fully complied with all of the requirements of chapter 536 including but not limited to section 536.028 if applicable, after August 28, 1998. All rulemaking authority delegated prior to August 28, 1998, is of no force and effect and repealed as of August 28, 1998, however nothing in this act shall be interpreted to repeal or affect the validity of any rule adopted and promulgated prior to August 28, 1998. If the provisions of section 536.028 apply, the provisions of this section are nonseverable and if any of the powers vested with the general assembly pursuant to section 536.028 to review, to delay the effective date, or to disapprove and annul a rule or portion of a rule are held unconstitutional or invalid, the purported grant of rulemaking authority and any rule so proposed and contained in the order of rulemaking shall be invalid and void, except that nothing in this act shall affect the validity of any rule adopted and promulgated prior to August 28, 1998.

11. The committee may sue and be sued in its official name, and shall have a seal which shall be affixed to all certified copies or records and papers on file, and to such other instruments as the committee may direct. All courts shall take judicial notice of such seal. Copies of records and proceedings of the committee, and of all papers on file with the division on behalf of the committee certified under the seal shall be received as evidence in all courts of record.

12. When applying for a renewal of a license pursuant to section 337.030, each licensed psychologist shall submit proof of the completion of at least forty hours of continuing education credit within the two-year period immediately preceding the date of the application for renewal of the license, with a minimum of three of the forty hours of continuing education dedicated to professional ethics. The type of continuing education to be considered shall include, but not be limited to:

(1) Attending recognized educational seminars, the content of which are primarily psychological, as defined by rule;

(2) Attending a graduate level course at a recognized educational institution where the contents of which are primarily psychological, as defined by rule;

(3) Presenting a recognized educational seminar, the contents of which are primarily psychological, as defined by rule;

(4) Presenting a graduate level course at a recognized educational institution where the contents of which are primarily psychological, as defined by rule; and

(5) Independent course of studies, the contents of which are primarily psychological, which have been approved by the committee and defined by rule.

—

–

The committee shall determine by administrative rule the amount of training, instruction, self-instruction or teaching that shall be counted as an hour of continuing education credit.