AB 1367 Alcoholism and Drug Counselor Licensing Law (DeSaulnier) through the Assembly Business and Professions Committee! |
| Posted by Rhonda Messamore (rmessamore) on Jan 17 2008 |
As you may know, CAADAC has sponsored several licensing bills from 1993 – 2004. Only one of those bills, SB 537 (Vasconcellos, 2001), made it to the governor’s desk and was eventually vetoed by Governor Davis. It is my pleasure to announce the passage of AB 1367 Alcoholism and Drug Counselor Licensing Law (DeSaulnier) through the Assembly Business and Professions Committee! Yesterday’s victory is the first of its kind for CAADAC sponsored legislation in seven years and, although there is still much work to be done, it is definitely one to be remembered and celebrated!
With any piece of legislation there is a vast amount of work put forth to get to this stage of the legislative process. CAADAC is very appreciative and indebted to the esteemed Assembly Member Mark DeSaulnier and his honorable staff for their hard work and dedication in regards to assuring higher standards of competency for counselors in our great state. I would like to personally thank and congratulate Assembly Member DeSaulnier and his staff for their success yesterday. The Assemblyman’s leadership and passion in this area have been truly inspiring – we are extremely fortunate to have him in our corner.
I would also like to acknowledge a few others who have been instrumental in the movement of AB 1367. Willie Guerrero from Kahn, Soares and Conway (CAADAC’s Lobbyist) has put an enormous amount of time and energy to assure our message was heard. Along with Assemblyman DeSaulnier and his office, your Executive Director, Rhonda Messamore’, Public Policy Coordinator, Sherry Daley, and your Past President Warren Daniels, has spent tireless hours meeting with Assembly Members, stakeholders and other interested organizations to assure that today’s success occurred. Willie and Sherry have been phenomenal leaders and guides for us, and Rhonda has been a true workhorse throughout this process. To all of you, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you and congratulations on this tremendous accomplishment.
I want to share with you what a magnificent sight it to see Assemblyman DeSaulnier’s esteemed colleague, Assembly Member Jim Beall, Chair of the CA Assembly Select Committee on Alcohol and Drugs in the audience. It was even more incredible to hear him speak so eloquently about the need for this licensing law in our state. I would like to extend our gratitude to him and his staff for supporting AB 1367.
I also want to acknowledge, Cathie Smith from The Justin Foundation who again testified in support of AB 1367 yesterday. As a Mom, who suffered a personal tragedy due to inadequately trained counselors, her insight in regards to the need for higher standards in the state have been invaluable.
I would be remiss if I did not thank Mary Reimersma from the California Association for Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT), and Amanda Levy from the California Psychological Association (CPA) for their expertise and assistance is working with us and Assemblyman DeSaulnier to “fine tune” AB 1367! We are committed to continuing our work with them throughout the process.
Finally, I would like to extend my utmost recognition to you, our loyal and dedicated members who know, live and breathe the high standards of competency everyday, while instilling hope and restoring dreams to those affected by the life-threatening disease of addiction.
We have our work cut out for us and while this is one of many hurdles that we must conquer, we continue to lay the groundwork necessary to minimize opposition, gain support and move this bill to the next stage of the legislative process. “Although this morning’s passage was a success, there is still much work to be done” said Willie Guerrero, CAADAC Lobbyist. To which, Rhonda Messamore (Executive Director) replied, “let’s get to work!”
Warm Regards,
Bob Tyler, President
Last changed: Jan 18 2008 at 1:38 AM
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