Massachusetts 2023-2024 Regular Session

Massachusetts Senate Bill S2673 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2673
2	2	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
3	3	_______________
4	4	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
5	5	(2023-2024)
6	6	_______________
7	7	SENATE, April 1, 2024.
8	8	The committee on Higher Education, to whom was referred the petitions (accompanied
9	9	by bill, Senate, No. 160) of Sal N. DiDomenico, Manny Cruz, Susannah M. Whipps, Jack
10	10	Patrick Lewis and other members of the General Court for legislation relative to Social Work
11	11	Uplifting Practices and Exam Removal (“The SUPER Act”), report the accompanying bill
12	12	(Senate, No. 2673).
13	13	For the committee,
14	14	Joanne M. Comerford 1 of 4
15	15	FILED ON: 2/7/2024
16	16	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2673
17	17	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
18	18	_______________
19	19	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
20	20	(2023-2024)
21	21	_______________
22	22	An Act relative to social work uplifting practices and exam removal..
23	23	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
24	24	of the same, as follows:
25	25	1 SECTION 1. The first paragraph of section 131 of chapter 112 of the General Laws, is
26	26	2hereby amended by striking out the words “has passed an examination prepared by the board for
27	27	3this purpose;”.
28	28	4 SECTION 2. The first sentence of the first paragraph of section 132 of chapter 112 of the
29	29	5General Laws is hereby amended by striking the words “Examinations for licensed certified
30	30	6social workers, including those in independent clinical practice” and inserting in place thereof
31	31	7the following words:- Examinations for licensed independent clinical social workers.
32	32	8 SECTION 3. Chapter 112 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after
33	33	9section 135C the following section:-
34	34	10 Section 135D. To ensure a stable, diverse workforce of licensed social workers in the
35	35	11Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and to provide for increased support and retention of
36	36	12practicing licensed social workers, the executive office of health and human services shall create
37	37	13and administer a field placement grant program. The program shall, subject to appropriation, 2 of 4
38	38	14provide grant funding to designated recipients with a specific focus on recruiting and retaining
39	39	15Masters of Social Work (MSW) students from historically marginalized communities and low-
40	40	16income communities. Funds to establish this program shall be allocated from state, federal, or
41	41	17other dedicated resources, including existing trust funds.
42	42	18 Eligible applicants must attend a school of social work Masters program physically
43	43	19located in Massachusetts that has been accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.
44	44	20 To be eligible for consideration, applicants must submit the following:
45	45	21 (i) Applicant demographic background information, including, but not limited to, race,
46	46	22ethnicity, geographic location in the state, and date of birth for purposes of data collection;
47	47	23 (ii) Applicant’s school of social work, type of Masters program, and grade point average;
48	48	24 (iii) Applicant’s stated and signed commitment to working in Massachusetts post-
49	49	25graduation for at least 2 years; and
50	50	26 (iv) Applicant’s 1-page statement on the importance of this stipend in the applicant’s life
51	51	27and how the grant will support their educational goals and the workforce needs of the
52	52	28Commonwealth.
53	53	29 Priority for the field placement grant program shall go to first-generation college students
54	54	30and persons from currently underrepresented communities in the social worker profession.
55	55	31Applications will be submitted and considered on a rolling basis between January 1st and no
56	56	32later than March 1st of each year. Recipients of stipends shall be notified no later than April
57	57	3315th.
58	58	34 Stipends shall be allocated as follows: 3 of 4
59	59	35 (i) A current MSW student in good standing completing their first-year field placement of
60	60	3616 hours per week shall be eligible for a monthly stipend of $1,000 per month, not to exceed
61	61	37$8,000 annually.
62	62	38 (ii) A current MSW student in good standing completing their second-year field
63	63	39placement of 24 hours per week shall be eligible for a monthly stipend of $2,000 per month, not
64	64	40to exceed a total of $16,000 annually.
65	65	41 (iii) Advanced standing students who are only required to conduct one field placement
66	66	42shall be eligible for the second-year field placement stipend.
67	67	43 Applicant data, including application details submitted, shall be tracked by the executive
68	68	44office so that the program efficacy can be evaluated.
69	69	45 SECTION 4. Section 136 of chapter 112 of the General Laws is hereby amended by
70	70	46inserting after the fourth paragraph the following paragraph:-
71	71	47 Licensed independent clinical social workers engaged in independent clinical practice
72	72	48who provide one-on-one supervision to a licensed certified social worker, Masters of social work
73	73	49intern, or Bachelors of social work intern, shall be eligible to receive up to 8 continuing
74	74	50education credits during a licensing period for this supervision.
75	75	51 SECTION 5. The executive office of health and human services shall conduct an
76	76	52evaluation of the impact of removal of the licensing examination requirement for Licensed
77	77	53Certified Social Workers under sections 1 and 2. The executive office shall contract with an
78	78	54independent evaluation consultant to perform the evaluation. The evaluation shall include an
79	79	55analysis of the impact of removing the examination requirement on alleviating shortages of 4 of 4
80	80	56qualified social workers, expanding access to quality behavioral health services, increasing the
81	81	57diversity of the social worker workforce among diverse language skills, race, ethnicity, and
82	82	58cultural backgrounds, and the impact of any increase in diversity on patient care, particularly for
83	83	59vulnerable populations. In preparing the evaluation, the consultant shall meet with
84	84	60representatives of organizations representing social workers, social work education, social work
85	85	61testing, social work patients, behavioral health advocacy organizations, and other groups that
86	86	62may assist the evaluation. The evaluation and analysis shall be conducted independently of the
87	87	63executive office. The executive office shall submit the evaluation to the committee on higher
88	88	64education, the committee on mental health, substance use and recovery and the house and senate
89	89	65committees on ways and means no later than July 1, 2028.
90	90	66 SECTION 6. Sections 1 and 2 are hereby repealed.
91	91	67 SECTION 7. Sections 1 and 2 shall take effect on January 1, 2026. Section 6 shall take
92	92	68effect on July 1, 2029.