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Access MFTs Legislation is Introduced in Minnesota

By Portability AAMFT posted 7 days ago
On March 20 th , the Minnesota legislature introduced Senate File 4746 , sponsored by Senator Koran . On March 24 th , the Senate Health and Human Services Committee heard Senate File 4746 . The legislation was received positively by the committee. On March 23 rd , the Minnesota legislature introduced House File 4595 , sponsored by Representative s Schomacker , Backer, Franson, Schwartz, Nadeau, Repinski, Curran, Bahner, Carroll, and Bierman. House Fi le 4595 was heard by the Health Finance and Policy Committee on March 25 th . HF 4595 passed the Health Finance Committee ...
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SB 2585 Passes Tennessee Senate Floor Unanimously!

By Portability AAMFT posted 11 days ago
On March 19 th , Senate Bill 25 85 passed the Senate floor in Tennessee with no opposition. Next, in the House, H ouse B ill 1909 must pass the Health Committee and the House floor. Continue to check back for more updates on the Access MFTs initiative in Tennessee. If you have any questions or stories about portability in Tennessee, please reach out to portability@aamft.org !
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HB 549 Passes Kentucky Senate Committee and Senate Floor!

By Portability AAMFT posted 13 days ago
On Tuesday, March 10 th , Kentucky House Bill 459 passed the Senate Licensing and Occupations Committee . On Thursday, March 19 th , House Bill 459 passed the Senate Floor! The bill received unanimous support from both the committee and the full Senate . The bill now needs to go back to the House for c oncurrence . Check back for updates through the end of the legislative session! Continue to check back for more updates on the Access MFTs initiative in Kentucky. If you have any questions or stories about portability in Kentucky, please reach out to portability@aamft.org !
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Access MFTs Legislation Passes House and Senate Committees in Tennessee!

By Portability AAMFT posted 26 days ago
In Tennessee, Senate Bill 2585 and House Bill 1909 were both heard in committee this week. The legislation continues to make positive progress towards elevating the marriage and family therapy profession in the state. First, o n March 3 rd , the Tennessee Senate Commerce and Labor Committee heard S enate Bill 2585 . The bill passed the committee unanimously , 9-0. Then, o n March 4 th , the Tennessee House Health Subc ommittee heard House Bill 1909 . The bill passed the subcommittee unanimously with a vote of 8-0. Continue to check back for more updates ...
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HB 459 Unanimously Passes Kentucky House!

By Portability AAMFT posted 02-13-2026
On Wednesday, February 11 th , Ken tucky House Bill 459 passed the House Licensing and Occupations Committee and on Friday, February 13 th , HB 459 passed the House floor! The bill received unanimous support in the committee meeting and passed the House floor with a vote of 90-0. The next steps for Access MFTs legislation in Kentucky are introduction in the Se na te, pass age in Senate Committee, pass age of the Senate floor, and then to be signed into law by the governor. Continue to check back for more updates on the progress of the Access MFTs initiative in Kentucky! ...
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Access MFTs Bill Introduced in Tennessee

By Portability AAMFT posted 01-27-2026
On January 22 nd , Tennessee became the fourth state to introduce Access MFTs legislation in 2026 . House Bill 1909 builds on the work from the 2024 Access MFTs legislation and increases the clarity and intent of the law. This recently introduced Access MFTs legislation clarifies the previous language by specifying the requirements for licensure by endorsement in Tennessee. These requirements include a completed application, payment of fees, documentation of licensure in all previous jurisdictions , completion of the Tennessee jurisprudence examination, and evidence of highly regarded personal ...
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Access MFTs Bill Introduced in Kentucky!

By Portability AAMFT posted 01-26-2026
Enhanced portability legislation has returned to Kentucky for 2026! Representative Kim Moser has introduced HB 459 . This bill is identical to the legislation introduced in Kentucky during the 2025 legislati ve session. Click here for the end-of-session recap for information on the Kentucky legislation from 2025. Under HB 459, MFT applicants for licensure by endorsement will be required to hold a full license in another state or territory and be of good moral character. The bill will exempt applicants from being held to substantially equivalent standards in edu cation and supervised experience hours. ...
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Oklahoma Sees Success in Enhancing Portability

By Portability AAMFT posted 01-26-2026
Oklahoma is the first state to streamline portability in 2026 ! At the December 2025 board meeting, the Oklahoma board voted to allow board staff to approve licensure applications between board meetings. This change tackles the biggest challenge for portability in Oklahoma , as allowing board staff to approve applications will decrease wait times for applicants seeking to practice in the state. This change also highlights alternative methods to enhance the portability process. Traditionally , the Access MFT s initiative has accomplished streamlined portability ...
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Rhode Island Bill Introduced

By Portability AAMFT posted 01-23-2026
The second state to file Access MFTs legislation for 2026 is Rhode Island! With nine co-sponsors, the clear support for portability for MFTs has never been clearer ! H7064 was introduced by Representatives Shallcross Smith, Bennett, Fogarty, McNamara, Perez, Carson, Casimiro, Azzinaro, Donovan, and Fellela . After a quick turnaround , H7064 was heard by the Rhode Island House Committee on Corporations on January 20 th . All testimony provided was in support of the legislation, and the bill was held for further study. In addition to enhancing the portability process, H7064 will also make changes ...
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Access MFTs is Returning to Tennessee!

By Portability AAMFT posted 12-15-2025
After initially passing the Access MFTs law in 2024, the initiative will be returning to Tennessee in 2026 to clarify language in the law. The Access MFTs language from 2024 did not provide the clarity for MFT licensure portability as intended. To bolster access to qualified marriage and family therapists in Tennessee, the initiative is returning to revise the statute's language . We are excited to work with the TNAMFT team again! If you have any questions, concerns, or stories regarding portability in Tennessee, please reach out to the Access MFT’s team at portability@aamft.org .
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California Exam Update

By Portability AAMFT posted 12-05-2025
During the November meeting of the Cali fornia B oard of Behavioral Sciences , the adoption of the national exam for MFTs in California was discussed. The topic will be discussed again in February of 2026 and then open for p ublic comment. Those comments will be reviewed in May 202 6 . If you are interested in watching the California Board of Behavioral Sciences meeting, the links below will take you to the recorded meetings . Day 1: November 20, 2025 Day 2: November 21, 2025
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Access MFTs Bill Introduction in Florida!

By Portability AAMFT posted 12-05-2025
The first Access MFTs bill of the 2026 legislative session has been filed ! Florida House Bill 631 , sponsored by Representative Esposito , and Senate Bill 768 , sponsored by Senator Rouson, are on track to improve the portability process for marriage and family therapists in Florida. Under HB 631 and SB 768 , MFT applicants under the endorsement process must hold an active license in good standing in another state or territory and have received no disciplinary action over the preceding 5 years. This is an exciting step towards addressing mental healthcare workforce shortages ...
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Minnesota Joins Access MFTs Initiative!

By Portability AAMFT posted 12-04-2025
The Access MFTs initiative for 2026 continues to expand! We are excited to share that Minnesota will be joining Phase 3 of the Access MFTs initiative. Current Minnesota rules have substantial barriers to licensure by endorsement as the current law includes both substantially equivalent language and a requirement of 5 years of experience to achieve licensure through this pathway. Minnesota statute also includes substantially equivalent language. AA MFT will be working in partnership with the Minnesota Association for Marriage and Family Therapy to remove barriers and streamline the endorsement process ...
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Rhode Island Joins Access MFTs Initiative!

By Portability AAMFT posted 10-23-2025
Access MFTs is excited to announce that the portability initiative will be entering Rhode Island next year! AAMFT will be partnering with the Rhode Island Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (RIAMFT) to work towards the goal of streamlining licensure portability in the state. To enhance MFT portability in Rhode Island, Access MFTs will be targeting barriers to licensure that exist in the state for LMFTs , such as the inclusion of substantially equivalent language in the current law . If you have any questions, concerns, or stories that you would like to share with the Access MFTs team regarding ...
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Florida Joins Access MFTs Initiative!

By Portability AAMFT posted 10-23-2025
Florida has joined Phase 3 of the Access MFTs’ initiative! While Florida currently offers enhanced portability for telehealth practitioners, the Access MFTs initiative aims to eliminate barriers for MFTs who are seeking licensure to pr ovid e in-person mental health services in the state. If you have any questions, concerns, or stories that you would like to share with the Access MFTs team regarding portability in Florida, please email us at portability@aamft.org .
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Updates on California

By Portability AAMFT posted 08-21-2025
California is continuing to work on switching from the California clinical MFT exam to the Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards (AMFTRB) exam. The AMFTRB exam is what is currently required in the other 49 states. This change will make it easier for LMFTs who are educated in California to move to or pursue licensure in another state without having to take an additional exam. There have been no recent updates on the progress of this effort but continue to check in for regular updates on this issue!
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North Carolina Breaks Down Portability Barriers

By Portability AAMFT posted 07-02-2025
On July 1 , 2025, North Carolina Governor Josh Stein signed House Bill 67 , which will go into effect on October 1 , 2025. House Bill 67 r e moves licensure barriers for L MFT s seeking to obtain a North Carolina license to practice. Th e major barrier that the new North Carolina law removes from previous portability policy is remov ing the experience requirement from 5 years and an existing license in good standing to 2 years of experience and an existing license in good standing. The new law also makes changes to the e xam requirement as now the California licensure exam is an ...
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West Virginia Takes the Next Steps

By Portability AAMFT posted 07-02-2025
On July 1 , 2025, West Virginia’s Senate Bill 458 went into effect. The original bill was signed on April 7, 2025, by Governor Jim Justice. Although not introduced as part of AAMFT’s Access MFTs initiative, this bill is still a huge win for MFT license portability in the state of West Virginia. As a Universal Professional and Occupational Licensing Act , it means that the new l aw applies to all professions with a board of examination or registration, including Marriage and Family Therapists. As a result of this law, to be granted a license in West Virginia, MFTs must be licensed and have held their license in ...
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End of Session Update for Kentucky & Texas

By Portability AAMFT posted 06-30-2025
During the 2025 legislative session, Access MFTs had ongoing efforts in Kentucky and Texas. In Kentucky, the Access MFTs bill made it out of committee and had great forward momentum throughout the legislative sess ion. Unfortunately, due to other challenges, the bill was unable to complete the legislative process and be signed into law. The other state that Access MFT legislation faced challenges that were unable to be overcome was in Texas. The Texas legislature only meets every other year, so the next opportunity to address portability in Texas will be in 2027. Despite these challenges, ...
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Major Access MFTs Success in Connecticut!

By Portability AAMFT posted 06-25-2025
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont signed H.B. 7081 into law on June 23, 2025. The law will go into effect on October 1, 2025. In the new update, to obtain a license in the state of Connecticut, an MFT must have a license in good standing in another state with no pending disciplinary actions or unresolved complaints. The new law also removes the previous requirement of MFTs to have practiced in another state for at least four years. This is another big win for Access MFTs as the push for licensure portability continues to grow across the country. This success in Connecticut will help build up mental health professionals and expand the profession for ...
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