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HB 2473

SOCIAL WORK LICENSURE COMPACT

104th Regular Session Introduced by Jackie Haas

Enacts the Social Work Licensure Compact to allow multistate practice via a Home State license, enabling telehealth across Member States while preserving each state’s public protec

Referred to Rules Committee
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Bill Summary · HB 2473

Summary — HB 2473: Social Work Licensure Compact (Introduced)

Note on source materials: The documents provided include text from two distinct bills both labeled “HB 2473” (an Arizona bill about ballot collection and an Illinois bill establishing a Social Work Licensure Compact). This summary focuses on the Social Work Licensure Compact (the Illinois “HB2473” / Social Work Licensure Compact Act) as requested. Sponsor and procedural information in the packet appears to be mixed between the two bills; where applicable this summary notes that potential discrepancy.

Purpose / Intent

The bill enacts the Social Work Licensure Compact to enable regulated social workers to practice across state lines via a multistate licensing model. Its goals are to:
- Increase access to social work services (including via telehealth);
- Reduce duplicative/licensing burdens for practitioners working in multiple states;
- Improve interstate regulatory cooperation and information sharing;
- Support mobility (notably for military families) and mitigate workforce shortages;
- Preserve each Member State’s authority to protect public health and safety.

Key Provisions

  • Ratification: Illinois ratifies and adopts the Social Work Licensure Compact, creating a legal mechanism for multistate practice among Member States that enact the Compact.
  • Multistate License and Authorization to Practice:
    • A “Multistate License” is issued by a practitioner’s Home State (state of primary domicile) when that state’s licensing requirements and the applicant’s record meet Compact standards (e.g., qualifying national exam, background checks, no disqualifying adverse actions).
    • The Multistate Authorization to Practice permits practice in other Member States (“Remote States”) without separate licenses.
  • Commission and Governance:
    • Establishes the Social Work Licensure Compact Commission as an interstate instrumentality composed of Member States.
    • Commission powers include rulemaking, adoption of standards, establishing a data system, dispute resolution procedures, and oversight/ enforcement mechanisms.
    • Commission may create an Executive Committee and promulgate rules for operation and discipline reciprocity.
  • Discipline, Adverse Actions, and Information Sharing:
    • Member States retain authority to impose adverse actions (revocation, suspension, probation, practice limitations).
    • Adverse actions and significant investigative information are shared via a Commission-managed data system; grounds for restricting or revoking Multistate Authorization are specified.
  • Special Provisions:
    • Supports licensing portability for active military members and their families.
    • Allows telehealth practice consistent with applicable state laws where the client is located.
  • Other mechanics: provisions for reissuance of a Multistate License by a new Home State, remediation programs, enforcement among states, withdrawal/amendment to the Compact, and severability.

Who Is Affected

  • Regulated social workers seeking to practice across state lines (including via telehealth);
  • State licensing authorities/boards (must implement Compact obligations, share data, accept Commission rules);
  • Consumers/patients (potentially greater access to social work services);
  • Military families and mobile practitioners (greater licensing mobility).

Procedural / Timeline Aspects

  • The Compact takes effect for Illinois upon enactment; many interstate compacts require a threshold number of states to join before the Commission may convene or full Compact functions begin. The introduced text is truncated and does not show the specific threshold or effective-date mechanics—those are typically contained in later sections of the Compact (e.g., Section 14) and will determine when multistate operations commence.
  • The Commission will enact rules and stand up a data system before full implementation; these steps can create administrative costs and timelines for states and boards.

Potential Impacts / Considerations

  • Benefits: improved clinician mobility, expanded access (telehealth), streamlined licensing for multistate practice, support for military families.
  • Costs/Complexity: state licensing boards may incur administrative and technology costs to integrate with the Commission’s data system; states must cede some uniform-rule-making authority to the Commission while retaining core disciplinary jurisdiction.
  • Public protection: Compact centralizes sharing of disciplinary data, which may aid faster action against problematic practitioners, but Member States maintain primary enforcement authority.

If you want, I can:
- Produce a side-by-side comparison of this Compact’s provisions with your state’s current social work licensing law; or
- Extract and summarize any specific Article/Section (e.g., disciplinary process, data system standards) if you provide the full text.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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