An Act Establishing Alternative Pathways to Social Worker
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 1298
Committee: Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services
Sponsors: TALBOT ROSS, CRAFTS
Amends: 32 MRSA §7053, 32 MRSA §7054-D

Legislative Document
No. 1298
S.P. 528
In Senate, March 25, 2025
An Act Establishing Alternative Pathways to Social Worker 
Licensing
Reference to the Committee on Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services 
suggested and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator TALBOT ROSS of Cumberland.
Cosponsored by Representative CRAFTS of Newcastle and
Senators: BAILEY of York, BALDACCI of Penobscot, BENNETT of Oxford, MOORE of 
Washington, Representatives: ARFORD of Brunswick, DHALAC of South Portland, MORRIS 
of Turner, STOVER of Boothbay.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  32 MRSA §7053, first ¶, as amended by PL 2007, c. 402, Pt. V, §7, is 
further amended to read:
To be eligible for a license to practice social work at any level, an applicant must be at 
least 18 years of age and must either satisfactorily pass any examination as the board may 
prescribe by its rules or qualify through an alternative pathway under section 7054-D. Each 
applicant must demonstrate trustworthiness and competence to engage in the practice of 
social work in such a manner as to safeguard the interests of the public.  Applications for 
licensure must be submitted to the board together with the fee as set under section 7056.
Sec. 2.  32 MRSA §7053, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2013, c. 262, §3, is further 
amended to read:
1.  Licensed clinical social worker.  To be qualified as a licensed clinical social 
worker, an applicant shall have demonstrated must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the 
board adherence to the ethics of the social work profession; shall must have either 
successfully completed the examination prescribed by the board or have qualified through 
an alternative pathway under section 7054-D; and shall must have received either:
A.  A master's or doctoral degree in social work or social welfare from an accredited 
educational institution in a clinical concentration and:
(1)  Shall Must have subsequently completed 2 years of social work experience 
with 96 hours of consultation in a clinical setting; or
(2)  Shall Must have demonstrated 2 years of full-time clinical social work 
experience or its equivalent and have completed the graduate degree prior to 
January 1, 1987 and have completed 2 years of subsequent social work experience 
with 96 hours of consultation in a private setting; or
B.  A master's or doctoral degree in social work in a nonclinical concentration from an 
accredited educational institution and:
(1)  Shall Must have subsequently completed 4 years of social work experience 
with 192 hours of consultation in a clinical setting; or
(2)  Shall Must have demonstrated 2 years of full-time clinical social work 
experience or its equivalent and have completed the graduate degree prior to 
January 1, 1987 and have completed 4 years of subsequent social work experience 
with 192 hours of consultation in a private setting.
The board may waive up to one year of the post-master of social work, clinical experience 
requirement pursuant to this subsection for those candidates who demonstrate to the 
satisfaction of the board equivalent clinical experience prior to receiving the master's 
degree in social work.
The board shall issue rules in accordance with Title 5, chapter 375 defining the clinical 
experience required for this level of licensure.
Beginning January 1, 2020, an applicant for initial licensure shall must demonstrate to the 
satisfaction of the board successful completion of a minimum of 12 hours of course work 
in family or intimate partner violence, including course work in spousal or partner abuse 
that addresses screening, referral and intervention strategies, including knowledge of 
community resources, cultural factors, evidence-based risk assessment and same-gender 
abuse dynamics.  An applicant may fulfill this requirement through course work taken in 
fulfillment of other educational requirements for licensure or through separate course work 
provided through contact hours, Internet hours or distance learning programs, as evidenced 
by certification from an accredited educational institution.  The board shall accept 
certification from the accredited educational institution from which the applicant is a 
graduate that verifies the applicant's satisfaction of this requirement within the applicant's 
completed course curriculum.  An applicant for initial licensure that is unable to 
demonstrate completion of the requirement of 12 hours of course work at the time the initial 
application is submitted shall must demonstrate to the board that this requirement has been 
fulfilled upon the applicant's first application for license renewal.
Sec. 3.  32 MRSA §7053, sub-§2-A, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 211, §2, is amended 
to read:
2-A.  Licensed master social worker.  As a licensed master social worker, an applicant 
must have received either a masters master's or doctoral degree in social work or social 
welfare from an accredited educational institution, must have demonstrated to the 
satisfaction of the board adherence to the ethics of the social work profession and must 
have either successfully completed the examination prescribed by the board or have 
qualified through an alternative pathway under section 7054-D. After meeting these 
qualifications, the applicant must receive a "licensed master social worker" license. In 
addition, any person wishing to practice social work in a clinical setting must receive a 
"licensed master social worker, conditional" license.
This subsection takes effect July 1, 2005.
Sec. 4.  32 MRSA §7053, sub-§3, ¶A, as amended by PL 2009, c. 112, Pt. A, §13, 
is further amended to read:
A.  The applicant must have received a bachelor's degree or higher 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 
either successfully completed the examination prescribed by the board or have 
qualified through an alternative pathway under section 7054-D; or
Sec. 5.  32 MRSA §7053, sub-§3, ¶B, as amended by PL 2003, c. 429, §2 and 
affected by §7, is further amended to read:
B.  The applicant must have received a conditional license as a licensed social worker 
in accordance with subsection 3‑B; completed the requirements for consultation and 
contact hours in accordance with subsection 3‑C, paragraph B and subsection 3‑D; and 
either successfully completed the examination prescribed by the board or have 
qualified through an alternative pathway under section 7054-D.
Sec. 6.  32 MRSA §7054-D is enacted to read:
§7054-D.  Alternative pathways to licensure
A person who has attempted and failed to complete the examination prescribed by the 
board may qualify for licensure through one of the following alternative pathways. 
1.  Licensed social worker.  An applicant for licensure as a licensed social worker 
must:
A.  Complete a jurisprudence examination as prescribed by the board;  
B.  Provide an expanded agreement to provide consultation form as prescribed by the 
board documenting the intent to receive 144 hours of consultation concurrent with 
4,800 hours of social work employment occurring within a period of not less than 3 
years; and
C.  Demonstrate competence in the 9 competencies established by the Council on 
Social Work Education, or successor organization, through successful completion of a 
bachelor's of social work graduate-level internship. 
2.  Licensed master social worker.  An applicant for licensure as a licensed master 
social worker must:
A.  Complete a jurisprudence examination as prescribed by the board; and
B.  Demonstrate competence in the 9 competencies established by the Council on 
Social Work Education, or successor organization, through successful completion of a 
master's of social work graduate-level internship.
3.  Licensed master social worker, conditional clinical.  An applicant for licensure 
as a licensed master social worker, conditional clinical must:
A.  Complete a jurisprudence examination as prescribed by the board;
B.  Provide an expanded agreement to provide consultation form as prescribed by the 
board documenting the intent to receive 144 hours of consultation concurrent with 
4,800 hours of social work employment occurring within a period of not less than 3 
years; and
C.  Demonstrate competence in the 9 competencies established by the Council on 
Social Work Education, or successor organization, through successful completion of a 
master's of social work graduate-level internship.
4.  Licensed clinical social worker.  An applicant for licensure as a licensed clinical 
social worker must:
A.  Complete a jurisprudence examination as prescribed by the board;
B.  Provide evidence, including documentation of clinical supervision using a form 
approved by the board, of successful completion of a clinical social work experience 
while licensed as a licensed master social worker, conditional clinical through 144 
hours of consultation concurrent with 4,800 hours of social work employment 
occurring within a period of not less than 3 years; and
C.  Provide 3 letters of recommendation from licensed clinical social workers, with at 
least 2 of the 3 letters being from licensed clinical social workers other than the 
applicant's social work practice consultant.
SUMMARY
This bill establishes a method for a person who has attempted and failed to complete a 
State Board of Social Worker Licensure examination for licensure as a licensed social 
worker; licensed master social worker; licensed master social worker, conditional clinical; 
or licensed clinical social worker to qualify for licensure through an alternative pathway.