Texas 2011 82nd Regular

Texas House Bill HB1797 Introduced / Bill

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                    82R7646 JAM-F
 By: Naishtat H.B. No. 1797


 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 AN ACT
 relating to the licensing and practice of social work.
 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 SECTION 1.  Section 505.351, Occupations Code, is amended by
 amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (a-1) to read as
 follows:
 (a)  A person may not engage in the practice of social work
 unless the person holds an appropriate license issued under this
 chapter.
 (a-1)  A person may not use or cause to be used the title
 "social worker," "licensed baccalaureate social worker," "licensed
 master social worker," "licensed clinical social worker," or
 "licensed social worker," or any combination, variation, or
 abbreviation of those titles, as a professional or business
 identification, representation, asset, or means of obtaining a
 benefit unless the person holds an appropriate license issued under
 this chapter.
 SECTION 2.  Section 505.353(b), Occupations Code, is amended
 to read as follows:
 (b)  An applicant may take the licensing examination
 conducted by the board under Section 505.354 for:
 (1)  a master social worker license if the applicant
 possesses a doctoral or master's degree in social work from a
 graduate program that is accredited by or is in candidacy for
 accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education;
 (2)  a baccalaureate social worker license if the
 applicant possesses a baccalaureate degree in social work from an
 educational program that is accredited by or is in candidacy for
 accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education; or
 (3)  a clinical social worker license if the applicant
 possesses a doctoral or master's degree in social work from an
 accredited graduate program approved by the board and meets the
 qualifications for clinical social work practice as determined by
 the board under this chapter.
 SECTION 3.  The changes in law made by this Act to Section
 505.353, Occupations Code, apply to a license for which an
 application is filed on or after the effective date of this Act. A
 license application filed before the effective date of this Act is
 governed by the law in effect on the date the application was filed,
 and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
 SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
 a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
 provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
 Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
 Act takes effect September 1, 2011.