Bill Would Strengthen Training Requirements for Alcohol and Drug Support Specialists

An effort to strengthen the training alcohol support specialists receive is moving through the General Assembly.House Bill 335 is sponsored by state Representative Joni Jenkins. It would require drug and alcohol support to receive extra training to be licensed in that field.Jenkins told a committee last week that the extra training hours would be the equivalent of doing coursework for a master’s degree."We have folks right now doing the work without licensure, so we’re really not changing what folks are doing, we’re just putting them on a path to licensure,” she says.The bill easily passed out of committee. It awaits action on the House floor.