Section 34-28A-2 Declaration of Policy and Legislative Intent

It is declared that the practice of speech-language pathology and audiology is a privilege which is granted to qualified persons by legislative authority in the interest of public health, safety, and welfare, and, in enacting this law, it is the intent of the Legislature to require educational training and licensure of any person who engages in the practice of speech-language pathology or audiology, or both, to encourage better educational training programs, to prohibit the unauthorized and unqualified practice of speech-language pathology or audiology, or both, and the unprofessional conduct of persons licensed to practice speech-language pathology and audiology and to provide for enforcement of this chapter and penalties for its violation. To help insure the availability of the highest possible quality speech-language pathology or audiology services, or both, to the communicatively handicapped people of the state, it is necessary to provide regulatory authority over persons offering speech-language pathology and audiology services to the public.