Practice of alcohol and drug counseling; removing certain limitation on appointees to the Oklahoma Board of Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors. Effective date.

SB 1040 amends Oklahoma law to update the appointment rules for the Oklahoma Board of Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors. It removes a previous requirement that five board members must secure licensure by January 1, 2005, and instead specifies that at the time of appointment, five members must be licensed alcohol and drug counselors and one must be certified. The bill also allows the Governor to consider recommendations from various organizations (like counselor associations or recovery groups) when making appointments. This change directly affects the composition of the seven-member board, which oversees licensing standards for alcohol and drug counseling professionals in Oklahoma. The bill takes effect November 1, 2025.