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03/28/2024 08:03 PM
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=H&SPick=20170&cosponId=24866
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House of Representatives
Session of 2017 - 2018 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: November 28, 2017 09:37 AM
From: Representative W. Curtis Thomas
To: All House members
Subject: Protections for Professionals with Mental Health Disabilities
 
In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation to protect the rights of professionals with mental health disabilities by preventing licensing boards from investigating a licensed professional merely on the basis of that professional’s present or past mental health history.

Currently, each of the 29 licensing boards and commissions under the PA Department of State has their own laws and regulations governing their protections for professionals with mental health disabilities. Many of these laws and regulations permit the licensing board or commission to refuse, suspend, revoke, or investigate a licensee without any complaints or further proof regarding the professional’s competency or professionalism.

My legislation would further enhance the Commonwealth’s efforts to protect Pennsylvanians with mental health disabilities by prohibiting a licensing board from investigating a professional in the absence of a complaint or other proof that the professional is incompetent, unprofessional, or otherwise unfit for the license.

Additionally, this bill would specifically restrict a licensing board or commission from investigating a licensee when they disclose their mental health history while filing a complaint on another licensee.

I hope that you will join me in establishing Pennsylvania as a leader of protections for people with mental health disabilities. No one should feel ashamed to share their mental health history for fear of losing their professional license.



Introduced as HB2042