State Recognition for South Carolina
Recognized? No
Recognition Status:
Active Task Force? Yes
Year Started: 2007
Task Force Status: Registry bill introduced in House (2010) but died in committee. Responded to questions from state MT and introduced licensure bill (2011). Dept of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation (LLR) issued moratorium on creating new licenses. Bill language was amended from licensure to professional definition and general recognition. Legislation to create a music therapy registry through the Department of Consumer Affairs (SB 1057/HB 3093) introduced (2012). Proposed registry fees were raised so task force is reconsidering recognition options. Legislation to create a music therapy registry was filed in January 2013 (SB 277). Task force responded to concerns from state speech therapy lobbyist. After discovering that the SC Department of Health and Human Services recognizes music therapy as a core Medicaid Service but does not recognize MT-BCs as potential Medicaid providers because they are not licensed, SB 589 was filed that will create a music therapy license in the state. The bill was heard in committee, passed the Senate, and was sent to the House in February 2016. It ultimately died in the House committee on Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs due to opposition from the state speech, language, and hearing association about scope of practice concerns, as well as opposition from the Ways and Means committee about financial impact concerns. The SC task force took the 2017-2018 session off to regroup. A licensing bill was introduced in 2019 in the Senate (S 472) and a companion bill was introduced in the House (H 4150). They were both assigned to committees and are still awaiting a hearing. Both bills will carry over to the 2020 session.
Task Force Contact Name: Sarah Barnes
Task Force Contact Email: MTtaskforceSC@gmail.com
Task Force Members: Sarah Barrnes, Jennifer Gossett, Lisa Hanson, Sarah Pregnall, Sarah Winkler
Task Force Facebook:
State Association: Home – The Music Therapy Association of South Carolina (scmusictherapy.com)
State Association Facebook: SC Music Therapy Task Force
Regional Association: www.ser-amta.org
State Legislative Activity:
Below you will find a link to an online report with information about state-level bills that include the keyword “music therapy.” There may or may not be a bill for your state. Some bills may have a direct impact on the profession (e.g. music therapy licensure legislation) while others may not (e.g. music therapy is included in a pre-existing list of healthcare providers).
Information is provided by Fiscal Note, a subscription service that allows CBMT to follow state and federal legislative and regulatory developments. This resource is provided for informational purposes to help you stay informed on legislative and policy issues impacting music therapy practice. Please contact your task force chair with questions and before taking any action.