North Carolina SB 974: Behavior Analysis Reforms.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 1
SENATE BILL 974

Short Title: Behavior Analysis Reforms. (Public)
Sponsors: Senator Burgin (Primary Sponsor).
Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate
May 4, 2026
*S974-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO REFORM THE PRACTICE OF BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS. 2
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 3
SECTION 1.(a) G.S. 90-732 reads as rewritten: 4
"§ 90-732. Definitions. 5
The following definitions apply in this Article: 6
... 7
(9) Registered behavior technician. – An individual who is registered by the 8
certifying entity as a registered behavior technician." 9
SECTION 1.(b) G.S. 90-745 reads as rewritten: 10
"§ 90-745. Exemptions from licensure. 11
An individual is exempt from the requirements of this Article if any of the following 12
conditions are met: 13
... 14
(2) The individual is a registered behavior technician delivering applied behavior 15
analysis services under the extended authority and direction of a licensed 16
behavior analyst, licensed assistant behavior analyst, or other professional 17
licensed under this Chapter or Chapter 90B of the General Statutes, so long as 18
the services of the licensed professional are within the scope of practice of the 19
license possessed by that licensed professional, and the services performed are 20
commensurate with the licensed professional's education, training, and 21
experience. The registered behavior technician does not design assessment or 22
intervention plans or procedures but delivers services as assigned by a 23
supervisor who is responsible for the registered behavior technician's work. 24
...." 25
SECTION 1.(c) Article 43 of Chapter 90 of the General Statutes is amended by 26
adding the following new sections to read: 27
"§ 90-745.1. Registered behavior technicians. 28
(a) At least ten percent (10%) of all services provided by a registered behavior technician 29
must involve the observation and direction of the registered behavior technician by a licensed 30
behavior analyst or licensed assistant behavior analyst. 31
(b) Registered behavior technicians shall not have any individual, one-on-one contact 32
with a patient until they have provided 80 hours of applied behavior analysis services to patients 33
under the observation and direction of a licensed behavior analyst or licensed assistant behavior 34
analyst. 35
"§ 90-746.1. Practice limitations. 36

General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 Senate Bill 974-First Edition
(a) No individual licensed or registered under this Article shall practice behavior analysis 1
via telehealth unless the patient is located in a county in this State with a population density of 2
less than 400 people per square mile. 3
(b) No individual licensed under this Article shall practice behavior analysis with a minor 4
for more than 16 hours in any seven-day period without the minor's parent or legal guardian being 5
physically present." 6
SECTION 2. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the North Carolina 7
Behavior Analysis Board the sum of fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) in nonrecurring funds for 8
the 2026-2027 fiscal year to be used to adopt rules governing registered behavior technicians. 9
SECTION 3. Section 1 of this act is effective January 1, 2027. Section 2 of this act 10
is effective July 1, 2026. The remainder of this act is effective when it becomes law. 11