BILL ANALYSIS
AB 2167
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 2167 (Nava)
As Amended April 14, 2010
Majority vote
BUSINESS & PROFESSIONS 11-0
APPROPRIATIONS 17-0
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|Ayes:|Hayashi, Emmerson, |Ayes:|Fuentes, Conway, Ammiano, |
| |Conway, Eng, Hernandez, | |Bradford, Charles |
| |Hill, Ma, Nava, Niello, | |Calderon, Coto, Davis, De |
| |Ruskin, Smyth | |Leon, Hall, Harkey, |
| | | |Miller, Nielsen, Norby, |
| | | |Skinner, Solorio, |
| | | |Torlakson, Torrico |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Establishes new examination requirements for
applicants seeking licensure as clinical social workers (LCSWs).
Specifically, this bill :
1)Sunsets the current examination requirements for individuals
seeking licensure as an LCSW on January 1, 2014.
2)Requires the Board for Behavioral Sciences (BBS), commencing
January 1, 2014, to issue a LCSW license to each qualified
applicant, as specified, who passes the following
examinations:
a) The Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Clinical Level
Exam administered by the ASWB; and,
b) A California jurisprudence and ethic examination incorporated
or developed and administered by BBS.
3)Authorizes BBS to make the final determination through
regulation, by December 1, 2013, that the new examination
meets the prevailing standards for validation and use of the
licensing and certification tests in California, and requires
BBS to immediately post this determination on its Internet Web
site.
4)Allows BBS to set a $100 fee for the California jurisprudence
AB 2167
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and ethics examination, based on the actual cost of developing
and administering the examination commencing January 1, 2014.
5)Makes conforming changes to the current laws governing
examination requirements for licensure as a LCSW.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Provides for the licensure and regulation of LCSWs by BBS.
2)Requires BBS to issue a license to each applicant meeting
specified requirements who passes BBS administered
examinations, as specified.
3)Establishes the following examination fee structure:
a) $150 for the standard written examination; and,
b) $100 for the clinical vignette written examination.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee analysis, costs associated with this legislation would
be minor and absorbable within existing resources.
COMMENTS : According to the author's office, "California is the
only state that does not allow masters level LCSWs to take the
national exam, administered by the ASWB, for licensure. This
effectively makes California LCSWs ineligible for the federal
National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Loan Repayment program
(LRP). In addition, without the national exam, California LCSWs
do not have portability. In addition, recruiting out of state
social workers is nearly impossible because California does not
recognize the national exam. Currently California has a need
for an estimated 19,000 to 25,000 trained, educated social
workers. Since the state's social work programs graduate only
4,500 students annually, there is a shortfall of 14,500 to
20,500 trained social workers."
The ASWB is the national association of boards that regulate
social work. ASWB develops and maintains social work licensing
examinations used across the country and in several Canadian
provinces, and serves as a resource for information on the legal
regulation of social work. California currently does not
recognize the national exam provided by ASWB as a means for
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licensure.
Allowing California's LCSWs to sit for the national examination
provided by the ASWB would qualify them to participate in the
NHSC LRP. The NHSC LRP is a loan repayment program administered
by the Health Resources and Services Administration of the
United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The NHSC LRP recruits fully-trained health professionals to
provide culturally competent, interdisciplinary primary health
care services to underserved populations located in selected
Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) identified by the HHS
Secretary. HPSAs can be found in rural and urban communities
across the nation. In return, the NHSC LRP assists clinicians
in their repayment of qualifying educational loans.
Primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, certified
nurse-midwives, physician assistants, dentists, dental
hygienists, and behavioral and mental health providers,
including LCSWs, are eligible for up to $50,000 in loan
repayments for the initial two-year service commitment and may
be eligible to continue their loan repayment beyond two years if
they have unpaid qualifying educational loans and continue to
serve at an eligible site.
Analysis Prepared by : Rebecca May / B.,P. & C.P. / (916)
319-3301
FN: 0004191