March 17, 2025 - Introduced by Representatives Snyder, Dittrich, Knodl, Murphy, Mursau, Novak, O'Connor, Tusler, Johnson, Miresse, Moore Omokunde and Palmeri, cosponsored by Senators Tomczyk, James, Dassler-Alfheim and Wall. Referred to Committee on Regulatory Licensing Reform.

1An Act to amend 440.08 (2) (a) (intro.), 457.08 (1) (intro.), 457.08 (2) (intro.),
2457.08 (3) (intro.) and 457.08 (4) (intro.); to create 457.08 (6) and 457.085 of
3the statutes; relating to: provisional social worker certificates and licenses.

Current law prohibits a person from using the title “social worker” without holding a social worker certificate, and similarly prohibits the use of other titles corresponding to higher levels of social work practice without a corresponding credential for that level of social work practice. Those higher levels of social work practice include advanced practice social work, independent social work, and clinical social work. Current law further prohibits the practice of clinical social work without a clinical social worker license. Current law specifies requirements for obtaining these social worker credentials, all of which include a requirement of passage of an examination.

This bill provides for an alternative pathway to obtain a social work credential without passage of a national examination. Under the bill, an individual who has taken the examination corresponding to a particular category of social work credential and has not passed the examination, but who otherwise satisfies the requirements for the credential, may obtain a provisional credential. With the provisional credential, the individual is allowed to practice the corresponding level of social work, may use the corresponding title, and is considered to be that level of social worker, but the individual must obtain at least three hours of supervision during every 160 hours of practice, in accordance with the bill and rules promulgated by the Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling, and Social Work Examining Board and subject to periodic evaluation. Upon successful completion of the supervised practice requirement, the individual must receive a final evaluation and may obtain a corresponding nonprovisional social worker credential without passage of the examination.

AB141,2,52440.08 (2) (a) (intro.) Except as provided in par. (b) and in ss. 440.51, 442.04,
3444.03, 444.11, 447.04 (2) (c) 2., 447.05 (1) (b), 449.17 (1m) (d), 449.18 (2) (e), 455.06
4(1) (b), 457.085 (3), 463.10, 463.12, and 463.25 and subch. II of ch. 448, the renewal
5dates for credentials are as follows:

AB141,2,97457.08 (1) Social worker certificate. (intro.) The social worker section
8shall grant a social worker certificate to an individual who qualifies under sub. (6)
9(a) or s. 457.09 (5) (d) or to any individual who does all of the following:

AB141,2,1411457.08 (2) Advanced practice social worker certificate. (intro.) The
12social worker section shall grant an advanced practice social worker certificate to
13any an individual who qualifies under sub. (6) (b) or to an individual who is certified
14under sub. (1) and does all of the following:

AB141,3,216457.08 (3) Independent social worker certificate. (intro.) The social
17worker section shall grant an independent social worker certificate to any an

1individual who qualifies under sub. (6) (c) or to an individual who is certified under
2sub. (1) and does all of the following:

AB141,3,74457.08 (4) Clinical social worker license. (intro.) The social worker
5section shall grant a clinical social worker license to any an individual who qualifies
6under sub. (6) (d) or to an individual who is certified under sub. (1) and does all of
7the following:

AB141,3,139457.08 (6) Certificate or license based on provisional certificate or
10license. (a) Upon satisfaction of the requirements in s. 457.06, the social worker
11section shall grant a social worker certificate to an individual who has held a
12provisional social worker certificate and whose completion of supervised practice
13has been verified under s. 457.085 (4) (e) 2.

AB141,3,1714(b) Upon satisfaction of the requirements in s. 457.06, the social worker
15section shall grant an advanced practice social worker certificate to an individual
16who has held a provisional advanced practice social worker certificate and whose
17completion of supervised practice has been verified under s. 457.085 (4) (e) 2.

AB141,3,2118(c) Upon satisfaction of the requirements in s. 457.06, the social worker
19section shall grant an independent social worker certificate to an individual who
20has held a provisional independent social worker certificate and whose completion
21of supervised practice has been verified under s. 457.085 (4) (e) 2.

AB141,4,222(d) Upon satisfaction of the requirements in s. 457.06, the social worker
23section shall grant a clinical social worker license to an individual who has held a

1provisional clinical social worker license and whose completion of supervised
2practice has been verified under s. 457.085 (4) (e) 2.