Enacts the "building retention and internship-to-degree graduate employment (BRIDGE) act"; provides limited work permits for students in a master of social work program; establishes policies and procedures for such work permit.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
9124
IN SENATE
February 5, 2026
___________
Introduced by Sen. SUTTON -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to enacting the "building
retention and internship-to-degree graduate employment (BRIDGE) act"
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
2 the "building retention and internship-to-degree graduate employment
3 (BRIDGE) act".
4 § 2. Subdivision 2 of section 7705 of the education law is renumbered
5 subdivision 3 and a new subdivision 2 is added to read as follows:
6 2. (a) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, an appli-
7 cant who has completed at least four hundred fifty hours of the field
8 work component in a master of social work program registered by the
9 department may apply for a limited permit in accordance with the
10 provisions of this subdivision.
11 (b) Such limited permit shall:
12 (i) be issued upon submission of an application prescribed by the
13 department;
14 (ii) require certification, on such application, by a supervisor
15 licensed and qualified under this article, attesting that the supervisor
16 agrees to oversee the permittee and authorizes the permittee to continue
17 providing care within the supervisor's practice or agency upon issuance
18 of the limited permit;
19 (iii) become effective immediately upon the applicant's graduation
20 from the master of social work program; and
21 (iv) authorize the permittee to practice only under the supervision of
22 such supervisor and only in accordance with the commissioner's regu-
23 lations.
24 (c) Limited permits issued under this subdivision shall be valid for
25 the same period as a limited permit issued in subdivision one of this
26 section.
27 § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
28 it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14302-04-6
