(a) The Commissioner of Public Health shall grant a license (1) as a professional counselor to any applicant who furnishes evidence satisfactory to the commissioner that such applicant has met the requirements of § 20-195dd, and (2) as a professional counselor associate to any applicant who furnishes evidence satisfactory to the commissioner that such applicant has met the requirements of § 20-195dd. The commissioner shall develop and provide application forms. The application fee for a professional counselor shall be three hundred fifteen dollars. The application fee for a professional counselor associate shall be two hundred twenty dollars.

(b) Licenses issued to professional counselors and professional counselor associates under this section may be renewed annually pursuant to § 19a-88. The fee for such renewal shall be one hundred ninety-five dollars. Each licensed professional counselor and professional counselor associate applying for license renewal shall furnish evidence satisfactory to the commissioner of having participated in continuing education programs. The commissioner shall adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, to (1) define basic requirements for continuing education programs that shall include (A) not less than one contact hour of training or education each registration period on the topic of cultural competency, (B) on and after January 1, 2016, not less than two contact hours of training or education during the first renewal period in which continuing education is required and not less than once every six years thereafter on the topic of mental health conditions common to veterans and family members of veterans, including (i) determining whether a patient is a veteran or family member of a veteran, (ii) screening for conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, risk of suicide, depression and grief, and (iii) suicide prevention training, and (C) on and after January 1, 2018, not less than three contact hours of training or education each registration period on the topic of professional ethics, (2) delineate qualifying programs, (3) establish a system of control and reporting, and (4) provide for a waiver of the continuing education requirement for good cause.

(c) (1) Any individual who has been convicted of any criminal offense may request, at any time, that the commissioner determine whether such individual’s criminal conviction disqualifies the individual from obtaining a license issued or conferred by the commissioner pursuant to this chapter based on (A) the nature of the conviction and its relationship to the individual’s ability to safely or competently perform the duties or responsibilities associated with such license, (B) information pertaining to the degree of rehabilitation of the individual, and (C) the time elapsed since the conviction or release of the individual.

(2) An individual making such request shall include (A) details of the individual’s criminal conviction, and (B) any payment required by the commissioner. The commissioner may charge a fee of not more than fifteen dollars for each request made under this subsection. The commissioner may waive such fee.

(3) Not later than thirty days after receiving a request under this subsection, the commissioner shall inform the individual making such request whether, based on the criminal record information submitted, such individual is disqualified from receiving or holding a license issued or conferred pursuant to this chapter.

(4) The commissioner is not bound by a determination made under this section, if, upon further investigation, the commissioner determines that the individual’s criminal conviction differs from the information presented in the determination request.