Senate BillIntroduced
S 5604: Allows for reasonable accommodations for the examination portion of licensure requirements to become a social worker for individuals for whom English is not their primary language and a test in their primary language is not available.
What S 5604 does, verified January 9, 2026
The bill aims to allow reasonable accommodations for individuals who are not fluent in English during the examination portion of the licensure requirements to become a social worker. This means that organizations authorized to administer the licensing examination can provide accommodations such as using a test in the individual's primary language or other arrangements to ensure equal access to the examination. The bill takes effect immediately, allowing social workers to receive licensure without having to take a test in a language they are not fluent in.
Bill journey
1IntroducedCurrent
2In CommitteePending
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: REFERRED TO HIGHER EDUCATION (2026-01-07)Alert me
Quick answers about S 5604
- What is the current status of S 5604?
- As of January 9, 2026, S 5604 is recorded as "Introduced": it has been introduced and is waiting for its first committee hearing or floor vote. The last recorded action, on January 7, 2026, was "REFERRED TO HIGHER EDUCATION".
- Did S 5604 pass?
- Not yet. S 5604 has been introduced and has not passed either house.
- Who wrote S 5604, and where is it now?
- S 5604 was authored by Sen. Nathalia Fernandez. Its committee of record is Senate Higher Education.
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions2 total · showing 2
| Jan. 07, 2026 | REFERRED TO HIGHER EDUCATION |
| Feb. 25, 2025 | REFERRED TO HIGHER EDUCATION |
Latest bill textIntroduced version, February 25, 2025 · 218 words
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 5604 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN SENATE February 25, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. FERNANDEZ -- 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 allowing for reason- able accommodations for the examination portion of licensure require- ments to become a social worker for individuals for whom English is not their primary language The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Paragraph (d) of subdivision 1 of section 7704 of the 2 education law, as added by chapter 420 of the laws of 2002, is amended 3 to read as follows: 4 (d) Examination: pass an examination satisfactory to the board and in 5 accordance with the commissioner's regulations. Any organization permit- 6 ted by the department to offer the licensing examination shall allow 7 reasonable accommodations for applicants for whom English is not their 8 primary language and a test in their primary language is not available; 9 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD08531-01-5
Text of S 5604 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions