SOCIAL WORK LICENSURE - S.B. 189 (S-1): FLOOR ANALYSIS
sans-serif">Senate Bill 189 (Substitute S-1 as reported by the Committee of the Whole)
Sponsor: Senator Bev Hammerstrom
CONTENT
The bill would amend Part 185 (Social Work) of the Public Health Code to require that, beginning one year after the bill’s effective date, social workers obtain a license, rather than a registration or certification, from the State. Specifically, the bill would:
-- Prohibit people from engaging in the practice of social work unless they were licensed.
-- Create two levels of licensure: a licensed master’s social worker (L.M.S.W.) and a licensed bachelor’s social worker (L.B.S.W.), and require that licenses be renewed every three years.
-- Delineate a scope of practice for L.B.S.W. and L.M.S.W. licensees.
-- Require that candidates for L.M.S.W. and L.B.S.W. licenses complete at least two years of full-time, postdegree experience practicing under the supervision an L.M.S.W., and that they obtain a limited license during this time.
-- Exempt certain practitioners, including ordained clerics and social workers providing certain services to nonprofit organizations, from licensure requirements.
-- Require the Michigan Board of Social Work to grant full licensure to certified or registered social workers upon their next renewal application for registration or certification.
-- Require that L.M.S.W. candidates seeking to practice psychotherapy complete at least two years of postmaster’s degree experience in the practice of psychotherapy under the supervision of an L.M.S.W., and meet other requirements.
-- Change the title of “social work technician” to “social service technician”, and provide for limited registration as a social service technician.
-- Require the Board to establish a requirement that, in any three-year renewal cycle, a licensee complete at least 60 clock hours in continuing education requirements.
MCL 333.16263 et al. - Legislative Analyst: Claire Layman
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would change the regulation of social workers from a registered profession to a licensed profession. The cost of this change to the Department of Consumer and Industry Services would be negligible ($15,000 to $20,000 for information technology), as the responsibilities and workload would be similar. This bill, however, would add continuing education requirements, which do increase costs as audits are required of sample populations within a profession to ensure compliance. There is no additional revenue proposed to cover these costs, which are estimated at approximately $90,000. These costs would include salaries for two additional staff, not including fringe benefits.
The bill does not contain a licensing exemption for current Family Independence Agency (FIA) field staff employees who are not degreed and have years of social work professional experience. The result of requiring FIA employees to be licensed would be higher case-to-worker ratios due to required management responsibility, revising position descriptions, and resulting employee turnover. Approximately 3,600 case management and 500 supervisory staff would have to be evaluated. If determined ineligible by the Board, these employees would have to be replaced with degreed and licensed social workers.
Date Completed: 7-2-03 - Fiscal Analyst: Maria Tyszkiewicz/Constance Cole
- Floor\sb189 - Bill Analysis @ www.senate.michigan.gov/sfa
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.