The National Association of Social Workers Maryland Chapter acknowledges the passage of Maryland House Bill 769 and Senate Bill 18 as a step toward reducing barriers to entering the social work profession. By establishing a provisional pathway to licensure, this legislation recognizes what NASW and our members have long advocated: that the current licensure system can unnecessarily delay or prevent qualified individuals from joining and strengthening the behavioral health workforce.

At the same time, NASW is clear that this measure does not fully resolve the inequities embedded in the profession’s licensing structure. Social workers, particularly those from historically marginalized communities, continue to face disproportionate obstacles in accessing and completing licensure. As the national office of NASW stated on their June 17, 2025, call to action, meaningful reform must go further to ensure that entry into the profession is fair, accessible, and aligned with workforce needs.

While NASW-MD, Delegates, Senators, and many other like-minded groups and organizations fought for a stronger version of the bill, we view this bill as a small but important step in the right direction. It creates an opportunity to expand access to care and diversify the workforce, while also testing an alternative pathway that may inform broader, national reforms.

To that end, the NASW-MD chapter urges the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners (BSWE) and the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) to collect, analyze, and publicly report comprehensive data on the social workers who utilize this provisional license. This should include those who are entering through this pathway, their demographic characteristics, any disparities in outcomes, and more. Data transparency will be essential to determining whether this policy meaningfully reduces barriers in the state of Maryland or whether additional changes are required. 

NASW-Maryland and advocates across the country will continue to push for reforms that remove unnecessary barriers, strengthen the workforce, and protect the profession while we ensure that all communities have access to high-quality social work services.