HOUSE BILL NO. 4885

A bill to amend 1978 PA 368, entitled

"Public health code,"

by amending sections 16807 and 17601 (MCL 333.16807 and 333.17601), section 16807 as added by 2004 PA 97 and section 17601 as amended by 2016 PA 238.

the people of the state of michigan enact:

Sec. 16807. This part does not limit any of the following:

(a) An individual employed by a regionally accredited college or university and involved with research or the teaching of communication disorders from performing those duties for which he or she the individual is employed by that institution, as long as the individual does not engage in the practice of audiology or hold himself or herself the individual out as licensed or otherwise authorized under this article as an audiologist.

(b) An individual who is employed by the department of community health and human services in 1 of its approved hearing screening training programs from conducting screening of hearing sensitivity.

(c) An individual certified by an agency acceptable to the occupational health standards commission Michigan occupational safety and health administration from engaging in hearing screening as part of a hearing conservation program in compliance with standards adopted under the Michigan occupational safety and health act, 1974 PA 154, MCL 408.1001 to 408.1094.

(d) A certified, licensed, registered, or otherwise statutorily recognized member of another profession, including a person an individual licensed to engage in the practice of medicine or osteopathic medicine and surgery and an unlicensed or licensed person individual to whom tasks have been delegated under his or her supervision , and including a person licensed under article 13 of the occupational code, 1980 PA 299, MCL 339.1301 to 339.1309, from practicing his or her the individual's profession as authorized by law, so long as the individual does not hold himself or herself the individual out to the public as possessing a license issued or title protected under this article.

Sec. 17601. (1) As used in this part:

(a) "Practice of speech-language pathology", subject to subsection (2), means the application of principles, methods, and procedures related to the development of disorders of human communication including the following:

(i) Identifying by history or nonmedical physical examination, assessing, treating with therapy, rehabilitating, and preventing disorders of speech, voice, and language.

(ii) Identifying by history or nonmedical physical examination, assessing, treating with therapy, rehabilitating, and preventing disorders of oral-pharyngeal function and disorders related to swallowing dysfunction.

(iii) Identifying by history or nonmedical physical examination, assessing, treating with therapy, rehabilitating, and preventing cognitive-communicative disorders.

(iv) Assessing, selecting, and developing augmentative and alternative communication systems and providing training in their use.

(v) Providing speech-language treatment or therapy and related counseling services to deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing persons and their families.

(vi) Enhancing speech-language proficiency and communication effectiveness.

(vii) Screening of hearing for the purpose of speech-language assessment provided that judgments and descriptive statements about results of that screening are limited to pass-fail determinations.

(b) "Speech-language pathologist" means an individual who is engaged in the practice of speech-language pathology.

(2) Practice of speech-language pathology does not include either of the following:

(a) The practice of medicine or osteopathic medicine and surgery or medical diagnosis, medical management with medication, surgical interventions, ordering medical testing, or medical treatment.

(b) The fitting and dispensing of hearing aids. under article 13 of the occupational code, 1980 PA 299, MCL 339.1301 to 339.1309.

(3) In addition to the definitions in this part, article 1 contains general definitions and principles of construction applicable to all articles in this act and part 161 contains definitions applicable to this part.

Enacting section 1. This amendatory act does not take effect unless House Bill No. 4883 (request no. H02610'25) of the 103rd Legislature is enacted into law.