§ 90-270.51.  Powers and duties.

(a) The Board shall administer and enforce this Article.

(b) Subject to the provisions of Chapter 150B of the General Statutes, the Board may adopt, amend, or repeal rules to administer and enforce this Article, including rules of professional ethics for the practice of marriage and family therapy.

(c) The Board shall examine and pass on the qualifications of all applicants for licensure under this Article, and shall issue a license to each successful applicant.

(d) The Board may adopt a seal which may be affixed to all licenses issued by the Board.

(e) The Board may authorize expenditures to carry out the provisions of this Article from the fees that it collects, but expenditures may not exceed the revenues or reserves of the Board during any fiscal year.

(f) The Board may employ, subject to the provisions of Chapter 126 of the General Statutes, attorneys, experts, and other employees as necessary to perform its duties.

(g) Reserved for future codification purposes.

(h) The Board may order that any records concerning the practice of marriage and family therapy and relevant to a complaint received by the Board, or an inquiry or investigation conducted by or on behalf of the Board, shall be produced by the custodian of the records to the Board or for inspection and copying by employees, representatives of or counsel to the Board. These records shall not become public records as defined by G.S. 132-1. A licensee or an agency employing a licensee shall maintain records for a minimum of five years from the date the licensee terminates services to the adult client and the client services record is closed. For minor clients the licensee or agency employing the licensee shall maintain records until the client is 22 or five years after the termination of services, whichever occurs later. A licensee shall cooperate fully and in a timely manner with the Board and its designated employees, representatives, or investigators in an inquiry or investigation conducted by or on behalf of the Board. (1979, c. 697, s. 1; 1985, c. 223, s. 1; 1987, c. 827, s. 78; 1993 (Reg. Sess., 1994), c. 564, s. 2; 2009-393, ss. 5.1, 5.2.)