---
type: "Bill"
title: "Mental health professionals."
description: "Allows certain individuals to take the examination for licensure as a social worker before having completed the bachelor's degree. Makes the following changes in regard to marriage and family therapists, mental health counselors, addiction counselors, and clinical addiction counselors: (1) Provides that an individual must be licensed as an associate before obtaining the relevant experience hours, except in certain circumstances. (2) Amends provisions concerning experience hours and the expiration of a temporary license or permit. Removes certain provisions regarding first available examinations."
jurisdiction: "us/states/in"
legislature: "Indiana General Assembly"
session: "2025"
identifier: "SB 216"
citation: "Indiana SB 216 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["ADDICTION SERVICES; Illicit Drugs", "Prescription Drugs", "Substances", "and Alcohol", "AGENCIES; Professional Licensing Agency (PLA)", "CHILDREN AND MINORS; Generally", "HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS; Behavioral Health", "HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS; Licensing (Including Behavioral and Mental Health)", "HEALTH; Behavioral Health; Generally", "HEALTH; Behavioral Health; Mental Illness and Treatment", "HIGHER EDUCATION; Academics and Curriculum", "HIGHER EDUCATION; Generally", "SOCIAL SERVICES; Social Workers"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Ed Charbonneau", "Lori Goss-Reaves", "Michael Crider", "Vaneta Becker"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 22
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2025-01-08"
last_action: "2025-05-01"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/ce7b41d1-875a-479d-9abf-785abd2b930c"
source_url: "https://api.iga.in.gov/2025/bills/sb0216"
source_hash: "b74e834f007c2ed32daf92300a7ac8069d753d38c957a950ef20ffc0313afd06"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-in"]
---

# Indiana SB 216 (2025) — Mental health professionals.

Allows certain individuals to take the examination for licensure as a social worker before having completed the bachelor's degree. Makes the following changes in regard to marriage and family therapists, mental health counselors, addiction counselors, and clinical addiction counselors: (1) Provides that an individual must be licensed as an associate before obtaining the relevant experience hours, except in certain circumstances. (2) Amends provisions concerning experience hours and the expiration of a temporary license or permit. Removes certain provisions regarding first available examinations.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Engrossed Senate Bill (S)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/124/2025/senate/bills/SB0216/SB0216.04.ENGH.pdf)
2. **Enrolled Senate Bill (S)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/124/2025/senate/bills/SB0216/SB0216.05.ENRH.pdf)
3. **Introduced Senate Bill (S)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/124/2025/senate/bills/SB0216/SB0216.01.INTR.pdf)
4. **Senate Bill (H)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/124/2025/senate/bills/SB0216/SB0216.03.COMH.pdf)

## Votes

- SB 216 - Crider - 3rd Reading — **49–0** (pass) · upper
- SB 216 - Goss-Reaves - 3rd Reading — **94–0** (pass) · lower
- SB 216 - Crider — **39–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Ed Charbonneau — primary (person)
- Lori Goss-Reaves — primary (person)
- Michael Crider — primary (person)
- Vaneta Becker — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2025-01-08** Authored by Senator Crider
- **2025-01-08** First reading: referred to Committee on Health and Provider Services `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2025-01-16** Committee report: do pass, adopted `committee-passage`
- **2025-01-16** Senator Becker added as third author
- **2025-01-21** Senator Charbonneau added as second author
- **2025-01-21** Second reading: ordered engrossed `reading-2`
- **2025-01-23** House sponsor: Representative Goss-Reaves
- **2025-01-23** Third reading: passed; Roll Call 19: yeas 49, nays 0 `passage, reading-3, reading-3`
- **2025-01-24** Referred to the House `referral`
- **2025-03-03** First reading: referred to Committee on Public Health `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2025-03-20** Committee report: amend do pass, adopted `committee-passage`
- **2025-03-24** Second reading: amended, ordered engrossed `reading-2`
- **2025-03-24** Amendment #1 (Goss-Reaves) prevailed; voice vote `amendment-passage`
- **2025-03-26** Returned to the Senate with amendments `receipt`
- **2025-03-25** Third reading: passed; Roll Call 310: yeas 94, nays 0 `passage, reading-3, reading-3`
- **2025-04-15** Motion to concur filed `filing`
- **2025-04-16** Senate concurred with House amendments; Roll Call 457: yeas 39, nays 0
- **2025-04-17** Signed by the President Pro Tempore `passage`
- **2025-04-22** Signed by the Speaker `passage`
- **2025-04-23** Signed by the President of the Senate `passage`
- **2025-05-01** Public Law 130 `became-law`
- **2025-05-01** Signed by the Governor `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/ce7b41d1-875a-479d-9abf-785abd2b930c`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Indiana legislature records).