An Act To Change Certain Educational Requirements and Make Title Changes for Licensed Social Workers
Maine Legislature, Session 121, LD 1589
Committee: Business, Research and Economic Development
Sponsors: O'BRIEN, BRENNAN, DUPREY, MILLS, RECTOR, HATCH, SHOREY
Amends: 32 MRSA §7001-A, 32 MRSA §7053, 32 MRSA §7053-A, 32 MRSA §7060

Legislative Document 
No. 1589 
H.P.1162 
House of Representatives, April 29, 2003 
An Act To Change Certain Educational Requirements and Make 
Title Changes for Licensed Social Workers 
Submitted by the Department of Human Services pursuant to Joint Rule 204. 
Reference to the Committee on Business, Research and Economic Development suggested 
and ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative O'BRIEN of Lewiston. 
Cosponsored by Senator BRENNAN of Cumberland and 
!7l~ /h. 7l!tl£~ 
MllLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representatives: DUPREY of Medway, MILLS of Cornville, RECTOR of Thomaston, 
Senators: HATCH of Somerset, SHOREY of Washington. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 32 MRSA §7001-A, sub-§8, as amended by PL 2001, c. 
316, §l, is further amended to read: 
8. 
Licensed social worker. 
A "licensed social worker" is a 
person who has received a license as a licensed social worker 
from the board. 
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Sec. 2. 32 MRSA §7053, sub-§3, as amended by PL 2001, c. 542, 
§l, is further amended to read: 
3. 
Requirements to be a licensed social worker. 
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EsiS-SQBSeeEieB To be qualified to be licensed as a social worker 
an applicant must meet one of the following requirements: 
A. 
The applicant must have received a bachelor's degree in 
social work or social welfare from an accredited educational 
institution; demonstrated to the satisfaction of the board 
adherence to the ethics of the social worker profession; and 
successfully completed the examination prescribed by the 
board; or 
B. 
The applicant must have received a bachelor's degree in 
a related field from an institution that, at the time the 
degree was received, did not have a program accredited by 
the 
Council 
on 
Social 
Work 
Education 
but 
subsequently 
offered such a program; demonstrated to the satisfaction of 
the board adherence to the ethics of the social worker 
profession; 
and 
successfully 
completed 
the 
examination 
prescribed by the board. 
The 
board shall 
issue 
rules, 
in 
accordance 
with 
the 
Maine 
Administrative Procedure Act, Title 5, chapter 375, by which an 
individual who has a bachelor's degree that does not qualify 
under paragraph A or B may be eligible for a license. 
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Page l-LR1944(1) 
Sec. 3. 32 MRSA §7053, sub-§3-A, as amended by PL 2001, c. 
542, §2, is repealed. 
Sec. 4. 32 MRSA §7053-A, sub-§4, 4fiE, as amended by PL 2001, c. 
316, §4, is further amended to read: 
E. 
Participate in training and education of social work 
students from an accredited insti tution 
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supervise other licensed social workers. 
Sec. 5. 32 MRSA §7060, last ,1, as enacted by PL 2001, c. 316, 
§5, is repealed. 
Sec. 6. 
Retroactivity. 
This 
Act 
applies 
retroactively 
to 
September 21, 2001. 
SUMMARY 
This bill reverses changes made by Public Law 2001, chapter 
316, 
which created the position of licensed bachelor social 
worker and establish standards and educational requirements for 
the position. 
The bill also has a retroactivity provision to 
reverse those changes to their effective date of September 21, 
2001.