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1996 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 230
Establishing a joint subcommittee to study the licensure and certification of Employee Assistance Programs and Employee Assistance Professionals.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 23, 1996
Agreed to by the Senate, February 21, 1996

WHEREAS, an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a worksite-based intervention strategy intended to improve employee productivity through strategies for managing risk and reducing the need for insurance-funded services; and

WHEREAS, Employee Assistance Programs are designed to assist employees to deal effectively with issues arising from alcohol and substance abuse, family and marital problems, and workplace events that, untreated, can lead to increased absenteeism, workers compensation claims, increased health plan utilization, and reduced productivity; and

WHEREAS, 64 percent of all employers offer an Employee Assistance Program to their employees; and

WHEREAS, Employee Assistance Professionals are uniquely trained and qualified to understand and act upon the issues involved with troubled workplace employees; and

WHEREAS, the Employee Assistance Certification Commission (EACC) has established a specific, rigorous, and broad-ranging curriculum for the achievement and maintenance of the certification credential for employee assistance professionals, with a curriculum encompassing proficiency in the recognition, intervention, assessment, referral, tracking, and re-integration of troubled employees; and

WHEREAS, it is in the interest of employers and employees alike that management and employees be served by well-qualified persons who deliver services expected in order to increase the productivity of business and address the issues facing employees; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That a joint subcommittee be established to study the licensure and certification of Employee Assistance Programs and Employee Assistance Professionals. The study shall consider, but not be limited to, the curriculum developed by the Employee Assistance Certification Commission for certification purposes, minimum requirements for professional competency, potential requirements for professional licensure and renewal, potential requirements for program licensure and renewal, the cost of state regulation, potential sources of funding, and the appropriate state agency to administer such licensure and certification.

The joint subcommittee shall be composed of 7 members appointed as follows: 3 members of the House of Delegates to be appointed by the Speaker of the House; 2 members of the Senate to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections; and 2 citizens knowledgeable about human resources management and employee assistance programs, 1 to be appointed by the Speaker of the House and 1 to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections.

The joint subcommittee shall consult with the Department of Labor and Industry and the Department of Health Professions. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the joint subcommittee, upon request.

The direct costs of the study shall not exceed $7,500.

The joint subcommittee shall complete its work in time to present its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the 1997 Session of the General Assembly as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents.

Implementation of this resolution is subject to subsequent approval and certification by the Joint Rules Committee. The Committee may withhold expenditures or delay the period for the conduct of the study.