AB177: Makes various changes relating to audiology, fitting and dispensing hearing aids and speech-language pathology. (BDR 54-199)

Legislative Summary

AN ACT relating to professions; providing for the licensure of speech-language pathology assistants; authorizing certain persons to engage in the supervised practice of speech-language pathology; revising the scope of practice of audiologists, hearing aid specialists and speech-language pathologists; requiring certain persons to be licensed and regulated as audiologists or speech-language pathologists; increasing the maximum amount of certain fees; authorizing the Speech-Language Pathology, Audiology and Hearing Aid Dispensing Board to waive fees in certain circumstances; requiring that certain fees be discounted for certain persons affiliated with the military; revising the required qualifications for and processes for issuing certain licenses; eliminating the requirement for a licensed audiologist to obtain an endorsement before engaging in the practice of fitting and dispensing hearing aids; revising provisions relating to the sale of hearing aids; imposing certain requirements relating to the classification of persons who practice speech-language pathology in schools under a collective bargaining agreement; and providing other matters properly relating thereto.