The Arizona Legislature unanimously passed a bill this month with changes to the boards regulating psychologists and health professions; today, Governor Doug Ducey not only vetoed that bill, but BLASTED the Legislature for its "watered down and weak" effort.
The veto letter (below) calls for major reforms to the regulatory boards and promises that he will "explore all other options at my disposal to shine a light on this dark corner of state government."
The bill was sponsored by Senator Nancy Barto (R-LD15), chair of the Senate's Health Committee. She has not yet responded to Arizona's Politics' request for comment. The bill passed 29-0 in the Senate, and the House voted 55-0 in the waning hours of the session.
Among other things, the bill would have removed behavior analysts from the purview of the State Board of Psychologist Examiners and gave it to the Board of Behavioral Health Examiners. It also would have required non-disciplinary orders against a professional to be placed on the Board's (or, Commission's) website and would have permitted boards to establish confidential monitoring programs.
Ducey said "there needs to be more oversight" because Arizona should not rely on "aggressive reporting" - which he appreciated - to "lear(n) of significant problems that need to be addressed.
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