NASW-ND Advocacy
Advocacy Committee Action
Legislative Session
HB1035: Social Work Licensure Compact
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NASW-ND is happy to announce that HB 1035 has been signed by the Governor on Friday, Mar. 14th!
HB 1035 (Social Work Licensure Compact) seeks to streamline licensing across compact states, making it easier for social workers to practice across state lines. To date, 22 states have adopted the compact, with more expected to follow during this legislative session. Learn more about its benefits and implications by visiting the linked NASW website.
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SB 2357: Mental Health Composite Board
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On Friday, Mar. 28, SB 2357 failed on the House Floor with 8 votes in support and 84 votes in opposition, with 2 representatives absent or not voting.
SB2357 (Mental Health Composite Board) is a bill that would combine the state board of psychologist examiners, board of social work examiners, board of addiction counseling examiners, board of counselor examiners, and marriage and family therapy licensure board one “mental health composite” board. The new board would be composed of equal parts representation (2 members) of each profession in the composite board, versus a social work specific board.
NASW-ND opposes this bill as it dilutes the social work perspective, stretches thin board member capacity, and would lead to generalizing rules and ethical considerations instead of adhering specifically to social work. NASW-ND gave the legislature considerations for improvements that could increase efficiencies while maintaining the integrity of each profession. See NASW-ND’s linked written testimony here.
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HB 1430: Conversion Therapy
On Thursday, Mar. 27, HB 1430 failed on the Senate Floor with 22 votes in support and 25 votes in opposition. Thank you for all who helped us defeat the conversion therapy bill!
On Monday, Feb. 24, the North Dakota House passed a bill that would allow social workers to counsel individuals questioning their gender or sexual identity based on personal beliefs rather than professional ethics and evidence-based practices.
HB 1430 (Conversion Therapy) seeks to overturn current social work ethics in North Dakota. In response to social work opposition, the committee amended the language to ban conversion therapy while, immediately after providing a loophole, calling it NOT an ethical violation. Make no mistake: HB 1430 seeks to overturn social work ethics that have been in place since 2021.
Interim Committee/Interstate Licensure Compact
- An interstate compact is a legal contract between two or more states/territories that would enable social workers to practice in each other’s jurisdiction, giving members of the profession more license mobility.
- State legislatures must enact compact legislation to become a member state of a compact. Seven states must pass the compact legislation in order for the compact to become active.
- On April 12, 2024 Kansas became the seventh state to pass Social Work Interstate Licensing Compact Legislation. That was a threshold that had to be met for states to create a Compact Commission that will govern the compact and ensure coordination between the participating states. In all, 22 states have passed the compact legislation. They are Missouri on July 7, 2023, followed by South Dakota on February 4, 2024; Utah; Washington state, and Kentucky in March; Virginia, Nebraska, Vermont, and Maine in April; Georgia, Iowa, Alabama, Ohio, Louisiana, Tennessee and Minnesota in May; Colorado, Louisiana, Arizona and Rhode Island in June; and New Hampshire in July. The legislation has been introduced in about a dozen other states. Additional states can join the Compact Commission after they pass the legislation.
- In the state of ND, the Interim Workforce Committee concluded their study on the interstate social work licensure compact. After review, the committee voted to support the compact and move forward with legislation during the 2025 legislative session.
- RESOURCES
Removal of ASWB Exam Requirement for Social Work Licensure
- In August 2022, the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) released its 2022 ASWB Exam Pass Rate Analysis: Final Report which provided data on US and Canadian test-taker participation and performance on the ASWB social work licensing exams between 2011 and 2021 (with a particular focus on two time periods, 2011 to 2021 and 2018 to 2021). The Final Report reviews performance on five social work exams: Associate, Bachelors, Masters, Advanced Generalist, and Clinical.
- Differences were observed in pass rates among racial/ethnic subgroups, as well as in pass rates among age and language subgroups. Disparities in pass rates, both nationally and in North Dakota cause major concern in usage of the ASWB exam.
- Many factors may contribute to the disparity in pass rates. Until these factors are more fully researched, understood, and addressed, there is little doubt that the disparities will continue to exist, and North Dakota will continue to experience a serious and unfortunate shortage of licensed social workers from diverse groups.
- NASW-ND opposes the use of the ASWB social work licensure exam.
- The NASW-ND Advocacy Committee has sent a letter to the North Dakota Board of Social Work Examiners urging them to take action on the removal of the ASWB licensure exam requirement for BSW and MSW licensure.
- NDBSWE concluded that they would like further insight from North Dakota social workers, universities, legislators, and stakeholders regarding the exam. They plan to send out a survey and hold a social work town hall to obtain this information.
- RESOURCES
Interim Studies
SB 2012 - Social Work Licensure Compact & Medicaid Provider Reimbursement - Legislative Management Study
HCR 3017 - Increased inpatient mental health care for children - Legislative Management Study