SB 48 Utah Senate · 2025 General Session

Behavioral Health Amendments

SB 48 modifies Utah's licensing rules for mental health therapists by updating definitions and requirements for clinical supervision. It expands therapists' scopes of practice, clarifies standards for clinical supervisors (including training and oversight rules), and creates the Mental Health Professionals Education and Enforcement Fund. These changes directly affect licensed mental health therapists, their supervisors, and trainees by adjusting practice boundaries and supervision protocols. The bill makes technical corrections to existing code but does not appropriate new funding.

Issues: ✓ Healthcare

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Feb 2025

Senate Passage

Feb 2025

House Passage

Feb 2025

Signed into Law

Mar 2025

Introduced Jan 21, 2025 Signed Mar 26, 2025

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What changed between versions

Introduced → Enrolled · 6 edits · Mar 26, 2025

MODERATE

This bill updates Utah's mental health therapist licensing laws by correcting technical errors, expanding practice scopes, and creating a new fund for education and enforcement. The changes affect how mental health professionals are supervised, defined, and regulated under state law.

Scope change

The bill expands the definition of mental health therapists to include additional licensed professionals and clarifies supervision requirements for applicants seeking licensure.

DEFINITION

Updated and reorganized definitions for clinical supervision, clinical supervisor, and related terms to clarify supervision requirements and expand acceptable supervision methods to include video conference.

Expanded the definition of mental health therapist to include advanced practice registered nurse interns and certified psychology residents.

Clarified that direct clinical supervision includes group supervision and expanded direct observation to include electronic discussions between supervisee and observer.

FISCAL

Created a new Mental Health Professionals Education and Enforcement Fund to collect administrative penalties for education, training, and enforcement activities.

REQUIREMENT

Updated clinical supervisor requirements to include video conference as an acceptable method for consultation and feedback.

TECHNICAL

Made technical corrections to formatting and numbering throughout the definitions section.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 26, 2025

Signed into law

Governor Signed

executive

Feb 20, 2025

Legislature · Passed

Senate/ signed by President/ sent for enrolling

legislature

Feb 20, 2025

Upper · Passed

House/ signed by Speaker/ returned to Senate

upper

Feb 20, 2025

Lower · Passed

House/ passed 3rd reading

lower

Feb 14, 2025

Lower · Passed

House/ committee report favorable

lower

Feb 13, 2025

Lower · Passed

House Comm - Favorable Recommendation

lower

Feb 10, 2025

Committee

House/ to standing committee

lower

Feb 7, 2025

Introduced

House/ 1st reading (Introduced)

lower

Feb 7, 2025

Lower · Passed

Senate/ passed 3rd reading

lower

Jan 28, 2025

Upper · Passed

Senate/ committee report favorable

upper

Jan 27, 2025

Upper · Passed

Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation

upper

Jan 21, 2025

Committee

Senate/ to standing committee

upper

Jan 21, 2025

Introduced

Senate/ 1st reading (Introduced)

upper

1 primary · 1 co-sponsor