HB5435 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB104 19710 AAS 33159 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB5435

Introduced 2/13/2026, by Rep. Theresa Mah

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

See Index

Amends the Clinical Social Work and Social Work Practice Act. In provisions concerning the qualifications for a clinical social worker license, provides that a person shall be qualified to be a licensed clinical social worker if that person, among other things, (i) demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation that, subsequent to securing a master's degree in social work from an approved program and obtaining a social worker license or temporarily practicing pending the issuance of a social worker license if the license was ultimately issued (rather than subsequent to only securing a master's degree), the applicant has successfully completed at least 3,000 hours of satisfactory, supervised clinical professional experience; or (ii) demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Department that such applicant has received a doctor's degree in social work from an approved program and has, subsequent to receiving the degree, completed at least 2,000 hours of satisfactory, supervised clinical professional experience after obtaining a social worker license or during temporary practice pending the issuance of a social worker license if the license was ultimately issued (rather than subsequent to only securing a master's degree). Provides that any hours of supervised clinical professional experience completed before the effective date of the amendatory Act may be counted toward the required hours for qualification for a clinical social worker license if the hours were completed subsequent to securing an applicable graduate degree and the completed hours would have qualified towards licensure under the law in effect at the time the hours were earned. In provisions concerning qualifications for a social worker license, provides that a person shall be qualified to be a licensed social worker if that person, among other things, has a degree in social work from an undergraduate program approved by the Department and has successfully completed at least 3,000 hours (rather than 3 years) of supervised professional experience subsequent to obtaining the degree within a period of no more than 4 years. Provides that the Department may grant a waiver for or an extension of the 4-year time period if an applicant demonstrates that there is good cause to grant the waiver or extension. Makes other changes. Effective January 1, 2027.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning regulation.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Clinical Social Work and Social Work Practice Act is amended by changing Sections 9 and 9A as follows:

(225 ILCS 20/9) (from Ch. 111, par. 6359)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2028)

Sec. 9. Qualifications for clinical social worker license. A person shall be qualified to be licensed as a clinical social worker if that person:

(1) has applied in writing on the prescribed form;

(2) has not engaged in conduct or actions that would constitute grounds for discipline under this Act;

(3)(a) demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Department that, subsequent to securing a master's degree in social work from an approved program and obtaining a social worker license under Section 9A or temporarily practicing pending the issuance of a social worker license under Section 9B if the license was ultimately issued, the applicant has successfully completed at least 3,000 hours of satisfactory, supervised clinical professional experience; or

(b) demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Department that such applicant has received a doctor's degree in social work from an approved program and has, subsequent to receiving the degree, completed at least 2,000 hours of satisfactory, supervised clinical professional experience after obtaining a social worker license under Section 9A or during temporary practice pending the issuance of a social worker license under Section 9B if the license was ultimately issued subsequent to the degree;

(4) has passed the examination for the practice of clinical social work as authorized by the Department or has completed the examination alternative set forth in Section 8.2; and

(5) has paid the required fees.

Notwithstanding paragraph (3), any hours of supervised clinical professional experience completed before the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly may be counted toward the required hours for qualification under this Section if the hours were completed subsequent to securing an applicable graduate degree and the completed hours would have qualified towards licensure under the law in effect at the time the hours were earned.

(Source: P.A. 103-433, eff. 1-1-24; 104-178, eff. 1-1-26.)

(225 ILCS 20/9A) (from Ch. 111, par. 6359A)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2028)

Sec. 9A. Qualifications for license as licensed social worker. A person shall be qualified to be licensed as a licensed social worker if that person:

(1) has applied in writing on the prescribed form;

(2) has not engaged in conduct or actions that would constitute grounds for discipline under this Act;

(3)(a) has a degree from a graduate program of social work approved by the Department; or

(b) has a degree in social work from an undergraduate program approved by the Department and has successfully completed at least 3,000 hours 3 years of supervised professional experience subsequent to obtaining the degree within a period of no more than 4 years, as established by rule. If no supervision by a licensed social worker or a licensed clinical social worker is available, then supervised professional experience may include supervision by other appropriate disciplines as defined by rule;

(4) (blank); and

(5) has paid the required fees.

The Department may grant a waiver for or an extension of the 4-year time period under this Section if an applicant demonstrates that there is good cause, as determined by rule, to grant the waiver or extension.

An individual who is in the process of completing the hours of supervised professional experience under subparagraph (b) of paragraph (3) shall be subject to oversight by the Department solely for the purpose of determining the individual's eligibility for licensure and the eligibility of the completed hours for the supervised professional experience requirement.

The Department may, by rule:

(1) establish standards for supervision, documentation, and verification of any supervised professional experience;

(2) deny or invalidate any hours of supervised professional experience obtained in violation of this Act or Department rules; and

(3) deny an application for licensure based on conduct that occurred during the time period in which the applicant was completing the hours of supervised professional experience if the conduct would have constituted grounds for discipline under this Act had the individual been licensed at the time.

(Source: P.A. 104-178, eff. 1-1-26.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect January 1, 2027.