Written Testimony from Lisa Kays, LICSW, LCSW-C, LCSW regarding SB0871 and SB145 - FAVORABLE

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Levi

Written testimony by Lisa Kays, a Maryland-licensed clinical social worker and consumer of mental health services, urging delegates to support SB0871 and SB145. The testimony argues that the multi-level licensure exam in social work causes significant bias across multiple categories, harming colleagues including people of color, deaf professionals, and older clinicians. Kays also challenges claims by the Greater Washington Society for Clinical Social Work about representation, the Interstate Compact, and insurance participation, citing a response from the Maryland Insurance Agency.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages5

Reading Time13 min

AccessFree to download

Testimony Overview

Request for Support of SB0871 and SB145

Claims of Bias in the Licensure Exam

Critique of Advocacy and Factual Assertions

Written Testimony from Lisa Kays, LICSW, LCSW-C, LCSW regarding SB0871 and SB145: FAVORABLE Dear Delegates of the Health and Government Operations Committee, I am submitting this testimony as a licensed clinical social worker in the state of Maryland ( LCSW-C) since 2013 and a consumer of mental health services, particularly for my sons (age 7 and 4) in Maryland, to urge your support of SB0871 and SB145. I have served as an Adjunct Faculty member at Catholic University’s National School of Social Services, teaching the MSW course, Diversity in a Multi-cultural Society and provide Continuing Education workshops in ethics and other topics for my colleagues and multiple agencies and organizations. I am also a former decade-long member of the Greater Washington Society for Clinical Social Work (the Society) , and, briefly, its former President (2022) , and have some knowledge of how their organization functions that may be important for you to understand when considering any testimony you hear from them. Thank you for taking the time to hear testimony in relation to SB871 and SB145. These bills are critically important to me because they seek to allay the harm being done by the multi-level licensure exam in my profession, which has been demonstrated to pose significant bias across numerous categories. Prior to discussing the legislation itself, given that you will hear much about that from others’, I want to provide some information that I may be uniquely qualified to offer that relates to information you may hear from the opposition. Specifically, you may hear testimony from the Greater Washington Society for Clinical Social Work (the Society) , which claimed to represent the views of all 9,300 social workers licensed in Maryland when this legislation was before the Maryland Senate. In reality, the Society has only 700-900 members, many of whom do not hold a Maryland license or reside in Maryland ( Further, their membership, as I understand anecdotally from colleagues still in the Society, dwindles by the day due to frustration over their lack of transparency and, in some cases, their ASWB position) . I was their President, quite briefly, in 2022 , and was forced out of that role due to my attempts to educate the membership and the Board about the ASWB exam and to hold a process that would involve gathering member input before taking a stance. The Society does not function that way, with representation, and so when you take into account their testimony you should assume it “represents” the positions and preferences of 1-5 leaders (that number is vague as even as their President, their lack of transparency and their secrecy made it impossible for me to understand who exactly was making the decisions) . When Society members can find out what stances are being made publicly on “their behalf” and they confront the leadership, their concerns are routinely ignored, dismissed, or, individuals have been excluded from conversations at the decision-making table. At times, list-serve conversations turn to what I would consider bullying and character assassination tactics rather than those centered on engaged, informed debate or discussion. So, please be skeptical of their claims to represent any social workers other than the ones who are actually testifying before you. I can assure you that the Society certainly doesn’t represent me and I continue to hear from colleagues who are leaving or have left as they don’t feel represented either. I can tell you since I am familiar with their membership roster that they definitely do not represent all 9 ,300 licensed social workers in Maryland. And what is disturbing is that they know it and choose to pretend otherwise. Further, please also be skeptical of any facts they present about the Interstate Compact or insurance regulation. Leaders in the Society have stated to their members that eliminating the ASWB exam would mean that social workers couldn’t be paneled with insurance or parti

FAQs

What bills does Lisa Kays support, and what is her overall stance?

Lisa Kays submits favorable testimony supporting SB0871 and SB145 and urges delegates to support them.

What problem does she say the licensure exam creates for social workers?

She argues the multi-level licensure exam demonstrates significant bias, preventing some licensed professionals from passing despite completing required degrees.

How does she challenge the Greater Washington Society for Clinical Social Work’s claims?

She questions the Society’s ability to represent all Maryland social workers and disputes its claims that removing the exam would affect insurance paneling or participation in the Interstate Compact, citing a Maryland Insurance Agency response.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Levi