Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the Arkansas General Assembly, fetched 2026-07-23. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. The official bill page.
Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
1 State of Arkansas As Engrossed: H2/19/25 S3/18/25
2 95th General Assembly
A Bill
3 Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1257
4
5 By: Representative L. Johnson
6 By: Senator Irvin
7
8 For An Act To Be Entitled
9 AN ACT TO REMOVE THE LIMITATION OF THE PRACTICE OF
10 NEUROPSYCHOLOGY FROM TECHNICIANS EMPLOYED BY
11 PSYCHOLOGISTS; TO ALLOW PSYCHOLOGY TECHNICIANS TO BE
12 EMPLOYED BY PSYCHOLOGISTS; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
13
14
15 Subtitle
16 TO REMOVE THE LIMITATION OF THE PRACTICE
17 OF NEUROPSYCHOLOGY FROM TECHNICIANS
18 EMPLOYED BY PSYCHOLOGISTS; AND TO ALLOW
19 PSYCHOLOGY TECHNICIANS TO BE EMPLOYED BY
20 PSYCHOLOGISTS.
21
22 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:
23
24 SECTION 1. Arkansas Code � 17-97-401(a) and (b), concerning
25 technicians employed by psychologists, are amended to read as follows:
26 (a)(1) A technician may be employed by a licensed psychologist in the
27 practice of neuropsychology or a healthcare facility.
28 (2)(A) An individual employed as a technician may be employed
29 only in neuropsychological testing and shall be restricted to the
30 administration and scoring of standardized objective tests shall only
31 practice under the supervision of a licensed psychologist in the following
32 areas:
33 (i) Administration and scoring of standardized
34 objective psychological tests with specific predetermined and manualized
35 procedures;
36 (ii) Manualized cognitive intervention services; and
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1 (iii) Administration of fitness-to-proceed
2 examinations under � 5-2-301 et seq.
3 (B) An individual employed as a technician may shall not:
4 administer or score projective tests
5 (i) Select tests;
6 (ii) Conduct intake assessments;
7 (iii) Conduct clinical interviews including without
8 limitation patient interviews and collateral interviews of relatives, friends
9 of the patient, or other professionals associated with the patient;
10 (iv) Interpret patient data;
11 (v) Communicate test results or treatment
12 recommendations to patients; or
13 (vi) Administer tests in educational institutions.
14 (b)(1) A technician shall have a bachelor's degree from a regionally
15 an accredited institution, preferably with a major in psychology approved by
16 the Arkansas Psychology Board.
17 (2) The basic educational background of a technician shall
18 include passing grades from instruction in:
19 (A) Abnormal psychology;
20 (B) Personality;
21 (C) Psychological statistics; and
22 (D) Psychological testing.
23 (3) As used in this subsection, "passing grade" means:
24 (A) "C" in a letter grading system;
25 (B) "Pass" in a pass/fail system; or
26 (C) "Satisfactory" in a satisfactory/unsatisfactory
27 grading system.
28 (4) A technician who has completed a degree with a nonpsychology
29 major shall have completed course work with passing grades in the subject
30 matter areas listed in subdivision (b)(2) of this section.
31 (5)(A)(2)(A) A technician who does not have this academic
32 background and the academic background under subdivision (b)(1) of this
33 section and who is currently employed by a psychologist shall be provided
34 with specific information to supplement his or her training in
35 neuropsychological psychological test administration.
36 (B) Any A technician employed by a psychologist in the
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1 future shall be required to shall meet the academic background specified in
2 this section.
3
4 SECTION 2. Arkansas Code � 17-97-402(a), concerning additional
5 training for technicians employed by psychologists, is amended to read as
6 follows:
7 (a) The supervising psychologist shall make the technician aware:
8 (1) Of the goals of neuropsychological examination and his or
9 her specific role in achieving those goals;
10 (2) Through additional training, if necessary, of appropriate
11 institutional emergency procedures to deal with various medical emergencies
12 such as heart attack, respiratory arrest, and seizures and of other relevant
13 information; and
14 (3)(2) In addition to medical emergencies, of recommended
15 procedures for dealing with incompetent or adjudicated patients who attempt
16 to leave the testing setting without authorization.
17
18 SECTION 3. Arkansas Code � 17-97-402(d), concerning additional
19 training of a technician employed by a psychologist, is amended to add an
20 additional subdivision to read as follows:
21 (4) The supervising psychologist shall provide eighty (80) hours
22 of documented training in the following areas:
23 (A) A minimum of four (4) hours of professional ethics,
24 confidentiality, mandatory reporting, best practices in objective test
25 administration, and scoring;
26 (B) A minimum of sixteen (16) hours in the study of test
27 manuals;
28 (C) A minimum of twenty (20) hours of direct observation
29 of test administration and scoring by a licensed psychologist; and
30 (D) A minimum of forty (40) hours of administering and
31 scoring tests under the direct supervision of a licensed psychologist.
32
33 SECTION 4. Arkansas Code � 17-97-402(g)(1), concerning additional
34 training for technicians employed by psychologists, is amended to read as
35 follows:
36 (g)(1) The supervising psychologist shall ensure that each technician
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1 employed by the psychologist has an explicit understanding of the limited
2 nature of the technician's role in neuropsychological psychological
3 examination.
4
5 SECTION 5. Arkansas Code � 17-97-403, concerning registration of
6 technicians employed by a licensed psychologist, is amended to add an
7 additional subsection to read as follows:
8 (c) The board may require an annual registration fee of ten dollars
9 ($10.00).
10
11 SECTION 6. Arkansas Code � 17-97-405(a)(1), concerning the supervision
12 of technicians employed by psychologists, is amended to read as follows:
13 (a)(1) An acceptable employment setting for a technician provides
14 shall provide ongoing neuropsychological psychological services or scientific
15 research in a well-defined and established program.
16
17 SECTION 7. Arkansas Code � 17-97-405(c), concerning the supervision of
18 technicians employed by psychologists, is amended to read as follows:
19 (c) The setting shall include a licensed, Arkansas Psychology Board-
20 approved psychologist who is legally and ethically responsible for the
21 oversight of the integrity and quality of the services as well as other
22 resources necessary to meet the employment needs of the technician whose
23 technical assistance is restricted to the practice of neuropsychology
24 psychology and research.
25
26 SECTION 8. Arkansas Code � 17-97-405, concerning the supervision of
27 technicians employed by psychologists, is amended to add an additional
28 subsection to read as follows:
29 (g) A supervising psychologist shall not supervise more than four (4)
30 full-time technicians at one (1) time.
31
32 SECTION 9. Arkansas Code � 17-97-406(a), concerning the qualifications
33 of supervisors for technicians employed by psychologists, is amended to read
34 as follows:
35 (a) A supervising psychologist shall be:
36 (1) Licensed to practice psychology in Arkansas;
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1 (2) Aware of and abide by the ethical principles and state
2 statutes pertaining to the practice of psychology in general and to
3 supervision in particular; and
4 (3) Approved by the Arkansas Psychology Board to practice
5 neuropsychology psychology.
6
7 SECTION 10. Arkansas Code � 17-97-406(d)(1), concerning the
8 qualifications of supervisors for technicians employed by psychologists, is
9 amended to read as follows:
10 (d)(1) A supervising psychologist shall have adequate training,
11 knowledge, and skill to render competently any neuropsychological service
12 which be licensed to practice psychological assessment services in the areas
13 in which the employed technician undertakes.
14
15 SECTION 11. Arkansas Code Title 17, Chapter 97, Subchapter 4, is
16 amended to add an additional section to read as follows:
17 17-97-407. Reimbursement -- Definition.
18 (a) As used in this section, "health benefit plan" means a plan,
19 policy, contract, certificate, agreement, or other evidence of coverage for
20 healthcare services offered or issued by a healthcare insurer in this state.
21 (b) A psychologist shall be reimbursed for services provided by a
22 technician for the administration and scoring of psychological testing by:
23 (1) The Arkansas Medicaid Program; or
24 (2) A health benefit plan.
25
26 /s/L. Johnson
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5 03-18-2025 14:05:51 JMB032Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.