Senate BillIntroduced
S 4279: Allows a person with a master's of social work degree who meets certain requirements to file to be licensed within one year after the effective date of this act.
What S 4279 does, verified January 8, 2026
The bill aims to expand the scope of licensed social workers in New York State. Currently, social workers with a master's degree and five years of post-graduate experience can apply for a license, but they must also pass an examination. The bill would allow these qualified social workers to obtain a license without having to pass the examination, as long as they file with the department within one year of the bill's effective date. The license would be called a "Licensed Master Social Worker" and would be effective immediately upon the bill's passage.
Bill journey
1IntroducedCurrent
2In CommitteePending
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: REFERRED TO EDUCATION (2026-01-07)Alert me
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions2 total · showing 2
| Jan. 07, 2026 | REFERRED TO EDUCATION |
| Feb. 03, 2025 | REFERRED TO EDUCATION |
Latest bill textIntroduced version, February 3, 2025 · 224 words
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 4279 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN SENATE February 3, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sens. PARKER, BAILEY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Education AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to the practice of licensed social workers The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 7707 of the education law, as 2 amended by chapter 230 of the laws of 2004, is amended to read as 3 follows: 4 2. Any person who possesses a master's of social work degree on the 5 effective date of this section, who has five years of post-graduate 6 social work employment and meets the requirements for a license pursuant 7 to this article, except for examination, and who files with the depart- 8 ment within one year [of] after the effective date of [this section] the 9 chapter of the laws of two thousand twenty-five which amended this 10 subdivision, shall be licensed as a licensed master social worker. 11 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD08026-01-5
Text of S 4279 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions