Comments Document

Industry Sponsor Testimony

Comments Document

Attached is a written testimony in support of the HB322.

Virginia Legislature, HB 322 (Glass) Hearing: February 1, 2024 As a business owner and your constituent, I urge you to support HB 322. This Compact legislation would remove significant barriers for licensed cosmetologists and allow them to work consistently, during temporary relocations or as they wait for their license in a new state. I have been a Virginia resident for more than 40 years and have owned a salon business for almost 35 years. I have grown my Great Clips business to 13 salons with over 100 licensed stylists. I pride myself on providing great jobs and career growth. I am committed to helping stylists in any way I can. I care deeply about my stylists, and I understand their hopes and dreams. I also know life can be bumpy and may disrupt their careers. This compact will help them when relocations occur. I support this legislation because I have had stylists who relocated with military spouses and struggled to get their license. I am hopeful that all states will join the Compact to reduce these licensing barriers. It should be easier for stylists to earn a living easily across state lines. The State of Virginia works hard to process reciprocity, but the current lag is 45 days. That's 45 days that a stylist cannot legally work in their chosen profession. The administrative burden is high, as other states are slow in providing information that is necessary to complete the process. With the Compact, the Department of Defense will provide a comprehensive, fully transparent database of licensees. This would provide increased protection of public health and safety. I am part of a strong franchise system that provides opportunities in all 50 states. I support my stylists' career growth and would love for them to easily move for promotions and unique opportunities. There are positions that may cover multiple states or provide short-term support in a different state. They should be able to take advantage of these great career opportunities. I also know stylists who work for Great Clips in another state may be interested in working for me in the short term, as they care for elderly parents or visit military families. There are many things that may force licensed stylists to relocate temporarily or permanently. Let's help them continue to earn a living. The Compact provides bi-directional mobility so Virginia residents may easily work in other states. I want to make it easier for licensed professionals to move in and out of Virginia. Patti Robertson

Virginia Legislature, HB 322 (Glass) Hearing: February 1, 2024 My name is Sean Carroll and I urge you to support HB 322. I am retired from the U.S. Coast Guard after 26 years of active duty. I now own a salon business, Meliorist, Inc. with plans to expand in the tri-region area of Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC. My existing salon is in Reston, Virginia and all my stylists are licensed in Virginia. As I build my business, I look forward to providing them with growth opportunities that may cross state lines. That is one reason I support HB 322. I also believe HB 322 would address concerns I see: - This would support military families that are relocated throughout their careers. This is funded by the Department of Defense to provide flexibility to family members as they relocate. - Bi-directional mobility supports Virginia residents that may need to temporarily work in another state due to family health issues or other family emergencies. - This would allow me to hire across state lines more easily. The reciprocity process can take months, and this would allow stylists to work as they work through the process. - I have stylists that apply from other states and want to work in my business. I had a stylist from Arizona that became so discouraged and overwhelmed by the process that she just walked away. I wonder if she may simply choose to work without a license, which is a public health and safety risk. - The Compact creates a comprehensive shared database that will provide full transparency of the licensee’s history. - I could accept applicants from other member states, and they could go to work immediately to earn a living and I would help them through the reciprocity process. - The density on the east coast makes it very likely that stylists may simply want to work across state lines from time to time. We should make it easier to take on temporary assignments, special projects, or short-term positions. Let’s reduce barriers to mobility for stylists so they can consistently earn a living. Please support HB 322. Thank you for your consideration. Sean Carroll

Comments Document

Support for HB322 as it protects our military families. My letter provides testimony to the challenges our family faced as a result of not having a Compact protecting my training in other States while moving in support of my spouse on Active Duty. Ours is not an isolated story, but representative of the many military families who struggle to make ends meet and the employment challenges faced by their spouses. This Compact is a significant step in easing the transition of our young military families as they transition to their new homes in support of our nation.

Comments Document

Virginia Legislature, HB 322 (Glass) Hearing: February 1, 2024 The importance of passing the Compact as it protects the careers of our military families as they move in support of our nation's calling. Gives testimony as to the challenges faced by those same families with regards to Licensure, Testing, Reciprocity, and planning/preparing during a stressful period which can be significantly reduced through the passage of this Compact.

I am a licensed clinical social worker and resident of Richmond, Virginia. I am writing to you to encourage caution, care and curiosity when considering HB 326 (Glass) which seeks to authorize Virginia to become a signatory to the Social Work Licensure Compact. The Social Work Licensure Compact is shortsided legislation that appears sound on the surface however it is deeply flawed. The Social Work Compact as it is written infringes on states’ rights, does not account for fiscal implications, and fails to provide guidance on the oversight, maintenance or regulation of compact licensure. Yes, it is critical that we find ways to address the behavioral health workforce crisis however the Compact has the potential to impact insurance reimbursement, social work wages, and push Virginias out of the job market market. Two helpful scenarios to examine the holes in the Compact are: If a social worker resides in a state outside of Virginia that is a signatory of the Compact providing services to a resident of Virginia that are in violation of the state laws and regulations where does jurisdiction fall? Which state and regulatory board is responsible for handling this violation and sanctioning the social worker that resides out of state who violated Virginia state laws and regulations? As written, the Compact does not provide guidance. State regulatory boards, like the Virginia Board of Social Work, are already understaffed and under-resourced. With an increase in licensed practitioners that reside outside of the state providing services in Virginia, what budgetary implications are not considered in terms of staffing and time that will become necessary in order to monitor, maintain, and provide oversight for compact licensure? As written, the Compact does not provide guidance. There is a reason that 26 states have not introduced legislation to sign on to the Compact there are more questions than the Compact has answered. Other states are proceeding with caution and calling on the Compact to undergo revisions that reflect these and other deeply valid concerns. I urge you to proceed with great caution in considering support for HB 326. We do not have enough information and do not trust that this Compact will not harm Virginians across the Commonwealth.

Please vote yes to support HB326 for Virginia to become a signatory to the Social Work Compact. As a LCSW, this Compact will allow me to practice with clients outside of Virginia. Especially with the enormous growth in virtual therapy, this will significantly increase access to mental health care to residents of all of the states in the compact.

Comments Document

Pyramid Healthcare, Inc. urges you to adopt HB 326 to have Virginia join the Interstate Social Work Licensure Compact. We are an integrated behavioral healthcare system serving Medicaid and commercial clients in 9 states across a continuum of residential and outpatient substance abuse, mental health, autism, and eating disorder treatment services. We employ 3,100 team members across our 80+ active facilities. Our Newport News facility has operated since July 2021 and offers 150 withdrawal management/detox and residential treatment beds for adults. We also offer structured outpatient treatment for adults with substance use and co-occurring disorders. Our New River Valley facility opened in August 2023 and offers residential and partial hospitalization programming for adults throughout the New River Valley. We will soon begin the construction of a 100 bed residential detoxification and rehabilitation treatment facility in King George County. Virginia has already recognized the value of interstate licensure compacts, having previously adopted compacts for audiology and speech-language pathologists, counselors, EMS personnel, nurses, occupational therapists, psychologists, and physical therapists. Missouri has already adopted the Social Work Compact and legislation is currently pending in 23 other states. The Compact is supported by the Council of State Governments, the Department of Defense, and the Association of Social Work Boards, as well as numerous other organizations who helped develop the SW Compact. The Compact is an interstate occupational licensure compact that allows social workers with bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, and clinical licenses to provide services to clients in all other Compact states instead of having to file duplicate license applications in each state in which they practice. Each Compact state extends licensure reciprocity to the other states in the Compact. In order to be eligible, a social worker must first already be eligible for or hold a social work license in their primary state of residence and meet other criteria. After the social worker’s eligibility is determined, they receive a multistate license and may begin working in any Compact member state. There are over 500,000 licensed social workers across the country and we employ many social workers across our counseling, operations, clinical, quality, compliance, and utilization review teams, among other functions. The Compact will streamline the licensing process while reducing administrative burden and allowing social workers to quickly resume providing care. It does so while protecting patient and public safety. Joining the Compact will facilitate multistate practice and reduce the barriers to license portability for our current and potential employees by easing mobility across state lines, expanding employment opportunities to address crucial workforce shortages, allowing continuity of care for our patients that move across state lines, allows the use of telehealth to be leveraged, and supports the relocation of military spouses and their families. Given Virginia’s unique geographic location, bordering NC, TN, KY, WV, MD, and DC –as well as the presence of major military installations where members of the military and their families are frequently relocated into and out of the region, the Compact will positively impact the state’s ability to attract and retain qualified and desperately needed social workers.

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Alexandria is a vibrant city based on history, culture, a waterfront and lots of tourism. If Virginia has money and space to build an arena then you have money and space to build new schools. Our school system is deplorable. It’s overcrowded. Think of your citizens before thinking about your quick money grab that eventually leads to an inevitable loss. We don’t want or need an arena. This is pure greed.

State documents should reflect one's true gender. I support trans men and women.

Please allow home grown outdoor in this bill. The lobbyist are trying to ruin for all the little mom and pop shops in Virginia. It’s so greedy and needs less regulation and less restrictions.

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Alexandria is a vibrant city based on history, culture, a waterfront and lots of tourism. If Virginia has money and space to build an arena then you have money and space to build new schools. Our school system is deplorable. It’s overcrowded. Think of your citizens before thinking about your quick money grab that eventually leads to an inevitable loss. We don’t want or need an arena. This is pure greed.