Authorizes the commissioner of mental health to establish up to three, three-year pilot programs in community behavioral health organizations for the purposes of creating social worker pilot programs to support the ongoing retention and recruitment of licensed clinical social workers.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
1727
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 13, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sens. BROUK, RIVERA -- read twice and ordered printed, and
when printed to be committed to the Committee on Mental Health
AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to establishing a
social worker pilot program; and providing for the repeal of such
provisions upon expiration thereof
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The mental hygiene law is amended by adding a new section
2 7.49 to read as follows:
3 § 7.49 Social worker pilot program.
4 (a) Subject to appropriation, the commissioner shall establish up to
5 three, three-year pilot programs in community behavioral health organ-
6 izations, as defined in article thirty-one of this chapter, for the
7 purposes of providing supervised post-graduate clinical social work
8 experience as required for licensure as a licensed clinical social work-
9 er under section seventy-seven hundred four of the education law at no
10 cost to participants.
11 (b) The commissioner shall establish and develop standards applicable
12 to the program.
13 (c) The commissioner shall develop evaluation criteria for the pilot
14 programs, which shall include, but not be limited to:
15 (1) any improved ability for the community behavioral health organiza-
16 tion to recruit newly licensed clinical social workers as part of the
17 pilot program;
18 (2) the utilization of evidence based models with track records of
19 clinical success;
20 (3) the provision of continuing education opportunities, at least one
21 day per week, for participating licensed master social workers and
22 licensed clinical social workers;
23 (4) the percentage of the pilot program participants who become
24 licensed as a licensed clinical social worker; and
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03589-01-5
S. 1727 2
1 (5) the average length of employment for licensed clinical social
2 workers employed with the community behavioral health organization.
3 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be
4 deemed repealed six years after such date.
