AB-1598 Behavioral sciences
Sep 20, 2026 edition · GC-2026-0063 · Published 2026-09-20 · Version 2 · Proposed
AB 1598 proposed associate-registration flexibility with limited hardship relief and a precise 2030 examination boundary.
What happened
AB 1598’s retained proposal would allow six renewals across a maximum seven-year associate-registration period in marriage and family therapy, clinical social work and professional clinical counseling. Its operative law-and-ethics provisions exempt initial-license and subsequent-associate-registration applications received by the board on or before January 1, 2030 from the seven-year examination age limit. The proposed recency limit therefore applies after January 1, not to an application received on that day. The bill also revises other experience/examination and professional or faith-based exemption provisions.
A subsequent associate-registration number would ordinarily remain unavailable for private-practice employment or volunteering, with a one-time, two-consecutive-year hardship extension possible for one private-practice or professional-corporation employer. Board approval would be required before work began or continued. Joint signatures under penalty of perjury, good cause and a remaining-hours plan are required. The proposal also expands disclosures that clients receive about unlicensed/supervised status and the employer or volunteer entity. These conditional proposed changes do not automatically extend a registration or authorize unsupervised practice.
Scope and timing
- Authority status
- Proposed
- Applicability
- Potentially applicable
- Audience
- Health systems, Provider networks
- Jurisdiction
- California
Why it matters
Workforce planning needs accurate cohort dates and approval conditions rather than treating the proposed hardship route as an automatic extension.
Recommended action
Monitor the final disposition and review renewal cohorts, examination dates, supervision and client disclosures. Confirm enacted authority and board approval before relying on a hardship extension.
Sources
- AB-1598 Behavioral sciences, bill historyOfficial · California Legislature · 2026-08-31 · Source review 2026-09-10
- AB-1598 Behavioral sciences, current bill text (08/27/26 - Enrolled)Official · California Legislature · 2026-08-27 · Source review 2026-09-10
Complete edition and supplemental material
This finding in the complete approved report →Regulatory horizons, CIA trends and implementation trackers remain in the full report.
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