Social Workers for Equity and Anti-Racism - Favorable - Workgroup on Social Worker Examination Requirements

Sep 21, 2026

SWEAR (Social Workers for Equity and Anti-Racism) submits written testimony in support of SB0871 and SB0145, arguing that Maryland social work licensing exams cause real financial, mental, and emotional harm through discriminatory disparities by age, race, language, and gender. The testimony supports reinstating a one-year moratorium on licensing exams and urges changes to workgroup language, plus revising and restoring provisions for temporary LCSW-C licensure to expand access without biased testing. Additional signed endorsements are noted by multiple Maryland districts.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages22

Reading Time55 min

AccessFree to download

Position and Request

Support for SB0871 and SB0145

Proposed Amendments: SB0871

Proposed Amendments: SB0145

Signed Testimony

SWEAR # Social Workers for Equity and Anti-Racism http://www.swear-md.org March 28,2023 To:Members of the House Health and Government Operations Committee From:SWEAR (Social Workers for Equity and Anti-Racism) Re:SB0871 Social Workers-Sunset Extension,Notification of Complete Application,and Workgroup onSocial Worker Examination Requirements for Licensure SB0145 State Board of Social Work Examiners-Conditional and Temporary Licenses to Practice SocialWork Position:Favorable SWEAR is a collective of over 300+everyday social workers formed in response to the harms ofdiscriminatory licensing exams in our profession.We are Maryland social workers who have witnessedand/or experienced the ways our profession's current exams negatively impact both social workprofessionals AND the many diverse communities that we serve. Since the ASWB(Association of Social Work Boards)release of exam pass/fail data in Auqust 2022,SWEAR has connected with hundreds of social workers who have witnessed and/or experienced veryreal financial,mental,and emotional harm as a result of the ASWB exams widespread disparities basedon age,race,language,and gender.Collectively,we have observed the ways these exams continue toprevent people who are older,Deaf&hard of hearing,non-native English speakers,and/or People of theGlobal Majority from entering and advancing in our profession. SWEAR supports a favorable vote on SB0871 and S0145.These bills create a diversified work groupspecifically focused on addressing alternatives to culturally biased exams.In addition,these bills providean opportunity for people with Bachelors of Social Work(BSWs)and Masters of Social Work(MSWs)degrees to enter and advance in the social work profession without having to pass a biased exam thathas no evidence of demonstrating high quality and ethical practice. In addition to a favorable vote,we strongly support the following amendments: SB0871 Reinstatement of the 1-year moratorium on all social work licensing exams.While we wait for aworkgroup to identify long-term solutions,social work professionals already licensed at the Master'sLevel (LMSWs)will continue to be denied promotions while often paying hundreds of dollars per month inmandatory supervision while they continue to try to pass the LCSW-C exam.A moratorium would pausethe requirement to pass culturally biased exams to achieve licensure while allowing more social workersto become licensed under the BSWE. Adjust language in the workgroup,per request by the Deaf and hard of hearing community,from“a representative of Gallaudet University"to "A social worker designated by the Maryland Association ofthe Deaf who is familiar with the licensing process for deaf and hard of hearing social workers."Arepresentative from Gallaudet does not ensure that the representative is Deaf or understands the examissue from the Deaf perspective. SB0145 Change“The BSWE mav..."to“The BSWE shall…”The BSWE has historically not addresseddisparities in social work licensing and opposed temporary licensing.The shift from"may"to "shall"ensures the Board of Social Work Examiners(BSWE)grants temporary licensure to eligible candidates. Reinstate 2-year temporary license option for LCSW-Cs.Temporary licensure for LCSW-C iscurrently amended out of SB0145.The LCSW-C exam is just as biased as the LBSW and LMSW exam.It is imperative that we include LCSW-Cs as possible candidates for temporary licensure.Many areready to advance in our field but are unable to do so because of the barrier of a bias exam. Please see the attached 2-Page Policy Brief and 6-Page Fact Sheet for additional information.It shouldbe noted that this written testimony has been signed by 64 people from 29 different Districts throughoutthe state of Maryland,and include 30 alumni of 5 different Maryland Area Schools of Social Work,25Licensed Clinical Social Workers,and 25 members of the NASW-MD-Maryland Chapter. Sincerely, Adam Schneider MSW,DISTRICT 42B,UM SSW F

FAQs

What is SWEAR’s overall position on SB0871 and SB0145?

SWEAR supports a favorable vote on both SB0871 and SB0145, arguing these bills address alternatives to culturally biased licensing exams and expand fair opportunities for candidates.

Why does SWEAR support reinstating a one-year moratorium on licensing exams?

SWEAR states that licensed professionals at the master’s level (LMSWs) are denied promotions while paying for mandatory supervision to attempt the LCSW-C exam, and that a moratorium would pause requirements tied to culturally biased exams.

What changes does SWEAR request regarding temporary licensing for LCSW-C candidates?

SWEAR asks to reinstate a two-year temporary license option for LCSW-Cs, emphasizing that the LCSW-C exam is as biased as other exams and that qualified candidates should be able to advance without passing a biased barrier.

Sep 21, 2026

Upload by Taylor Morgan