SESSION OF 2024
SUPPLEMENTAL NOTE ON HOUSE BILL NO. 2484
As Amended by House Committee on Health
and Human Services

Brief*
HB 2484, as amended, would establish the Social Work
Licensure Compact (Compact) to facilitate interstate practice
of regulated social workers. The bill would also amend law to
add the background check procedure for the Social Work
Licensure Act and add a fee relating to the multistate licenses
under the Compact.
The Compact’s uniform provisions are detailed below.

Purpose (Section 1)
The purpose of the Compact would be to facilitate
interstate practice of regulated social workers with the goal of
improving public access to competent social work services.
The Compact would preserve the regulatory authority of
states to protect public health and safety through the current
system of state licensure.
The Compact’s objectives would include:
● Increasing public access to social work services;
● Reducing overly burdensome and duplicative
requirements associated with holding multiple
licenses;

____________________
*Supplemental notes are prepared by the Legislative Research
Department and do not express legislative intent. The supplemental
note and fiscal note for this bill may be accessed on the Internet at
http://www.kslegislature.org
 ● Enhancing the member states' ability to protect the
public's health and safety;
● Encouraging the cooperation of member states in
regulating multistate practice;
● Promoting mobility and addressing workforce
shortages by eliminating the necessity for licenses
in multiple states through the mutual recognition of
other member state licenses;
● Supporting military families;
● Facilitating the exchange of licensure and
disciplinary information among member states;
● Authorizing all member states to hold a regulated
social worker accountable for abiding by a member
state's laws, regulations, and applicable
professional standards in the member state where
the client is located at the time care is rendered;
and
● Allowing for the use of telehealth to facilitate
increased access to regulated social work services.
Definitions (Section 2)
The Compact would define various terms used
throughout the Compact, including:
● “Compact Commission” (Commission) would mean
the government agency whose membership
consists of all states that have enacted the
Compact, known as the Social Work Licensure
Compact Commission, and that operates as an
instrumentality of the member states;
● “Multistate authorization to practice” would mean a
legally authorized privilege to practice, which is
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 equivalent to a license, associated with a multistate
license permitting the practice of social work in a
remote state;
● “Multistate license” would mean a license to
practice as a regulated social worker issued by a
home state licensing authority that authorizes the
regulated social worker to practice in all member
states under multistate authorization to practice;
● “Regulated social worker” would mean any clinical,
master's or bachelor's social worker licensed by a
member state regardless of the title used by that
member state; and
● “Social Work” or “social work services” would mean
the application of social work theory, knowledge,
methods, and ethics and the professional use of
self to restore or enhance social, psychosocial, or
biopsychosocial functioning of individuals, couples,
families, groups, organizations, and communities
through the care and services provided by a
regulated social worker as set forth in the member
state's statutes and regulations in the state where
the services are being provided.
State Participation in the Compact (Section 3)
Participation in the Compact would require a state to
currently:
● License and regulate the practice of social work at
either the clinical, master's, or bachelor's category;
● Require applicants for licensure to graduate from a
program that is:
○ Operated by a college or university
recognized by the licensing authority; or

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 ○ Accredited, or in candidacy by an institution
that subsequently becomes accredited, by
either the Council for Higher Education
Accreditation, or its successor; or the United
States Department of Education; and
○ Corresponds to the licensure sought as
required by the Compact;
● Require applicants for clinical licensure to complete
a period of supervised practice; and
● Have a mechanism in place for receiving,
investigating, and adjudicating complaints about
licensees.
To maintain membership, member states participating in
the Compact would be required to:
● Require applicants for a multistate license pass a
qualifying national exam for the corresponding
category of multistate license as required by the
Compact;
● Participate fully in the Commission’s data system,
including using the Commission’s unique identifier;
● Notify the Commission of any adverse action or the
availability of investigative information regarding a
licensee;
● Implement procedures for considering the criminal
history records of applicants for a multistate
license, including the submission of fingerprints or
other biometric-based information by applicants for
the purpose of obtaining an applicant’s criminal
history record information from the Federal Bureau
of Investigation (FBI) and the agency responsible
for retaining that state’s criminal records;
● Comply with the rules of the Commission;

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 ● Require an applicant to obtain or retain a license in
the home state and meet the home state’s
qualifications for licensure or renewal of licensure
as well as all other applicable state laws;
● Authorize a licensee holding a multistate license in
any member state to practice in accordance with
the terms of the Compact and rules of the
Commission; and
● Designate a delegate to participate in the
Commission meetings.
The Compact would require each state to designate the
categories of social work licensure that are eligible for
issuance of a multistate license for applicants in that member
state. When a member state does not meet the requirements
for participation in the Compact at any particular category of
social work licensure, such member state may choose, but is
not obligated to, issue a multistate license to applicants that
otherwise meet the requirements of the Compact for issuance
of a multistate license in such category or categories of
licensure.
The Compact would provide for the state to charge a fee
for granting the privilege to practice.

Social Worker Participation in the Compact (Section 4)
Any Multistate License
An applicant for any multistate license under the
Compact’s terms would be required to meet the following
requirements:
● Hold or be eligible for an active, unencumbered
license in the home state;

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 ● Pay any applicable fees, including any state fee,
for the multistate license;
● Submit, in connection with an application for a
multistate license, fingerprints or other biometric
data for the purpose of obtaining criminal history
record information from the FBI and the agency
responsible for retaining that state's criminal
records;
● Notify the home state of any adverse action,
encumbrance, or restriction on any professional
license taken by any member state or nonmember
state within 30 days after the date the action is
taken;
● Meet any continuing competence requirements
established by the home state; and
● Abide by the laws, regulations, and applicable
standards in the member state where the client is
located at the time care is rendered.
Clinical Multistate License
An applicant for a clinical-category multistate license
under the Compact’s terms would be required to meet the
following requirements:
● Fulfill a competency requirement by one of the
following:
○ Passage of a clinical-category qualifying
national exam;
○ Licensure of the applicant in their home state
at the clinical category, beginning prior to the
requirement of a qualifying national exam by
the home state and accompanied by a period
of continuous social work licensure; or

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 ○ The substantial equivalency of the
competency requirements set by Commission
rule;
● Attainment of at least a master's degree in social
work from a program that meets the requirements
of the Compact; and
● Fulfill a practice requirement, by demonstrating
completion of:
○ A period of postgraduate supervised clinical
practice equal to a minimum of 3,000 hours;
○ A minimum of two years of full-time
postgraduate supervised clinical practice; or
○ The substantial equivalency of the foregoing
practice requirements as determined by the
Commission.
Master’s Multistate License
An applicant for a master's-category multistate license
under the Compact’s terms would be required to meet the
following requirements:
● Fulfill a competency requirement by completing
one of the following:
○ Passage of a master's-category qualifying
national exam;
○ Licensure of the applicant in their home state
at the master's category, beginning prior to
the requirement of a qualifying national exam
by the home state at the master's category
and accompanied by a continuous period of
social work licensure thereafter; or
○ The substantial equivalency of the
competency requirements set by the
Commission; and

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 ● Attainment of at least a master's degree in social
work from a program that meets the requirements
of the Compact.
Bachelor’s Multistate License
An applicant for a bachelor's-category multistate license
under the Compact’s terms would be required to meet the
following requirements:
● Fulfill a competency requirement by completing
one of the following:
○ Passage of a bachelor's-category qualifying
national exam;
○ Licensure of the applicant in their home state
at the bachelor's category, beginning prior to
the requirement of a qualifying national exam
by the home state and accompanied by a
period of continuous social work licensure
thereafter, or
○ Substantial equivalency of the competency
requirements set by the Commission; and
● Attainment of at least a bachelor's degree in social
work from a program that meets the requirements
of the Compact.
License Renewal
Under the Compact, a licensee providing social work
under the privilege to practice would be required to adhere to
the license renewal requirements of the home state as well as
the Compact’s requirements for the license.
Adherence to Remote State Laws and Regulations
Under the Compact, a licensee providing social work
under the privilege to practice would be required to adhere to
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the laws and regulations of the remote state and be subject to
that state’s regulatory authority. In accordance with due
process and the state’s laws, the remote state would be able
to remove a licensee’s privilege to practice in the remote
state for a specific period of time, impose fines, or take other
necessary actions to protect the health and safety of its
citizens.
Multistate License Encumbrance
If a licensee’s multistate license is encumbered, the
Compact would require the licensee to lose their privilege to
practice in any remote state until the multistate license is no
longer encumbered. If a licensee’s multistate license is
encumbered in a remote state, the Compact states the
licensee’s authorization to practice could be deactivated in
the remote state until the multistate license is no longer
encumbered.

Issuance of a Multistate License (Section 5)
The Compact would provide for the home state to
determine the applicant’s eligibility for a multistate license. If
the home state determines the applicant is eligible for a
multistate license, the home state would issue the multistate
license and designate the category of license (bachelor’s,
master’s, or clinical).
The Compact would require member states to recognize
the license to practice social work in their state at the
category designated on the license by home state.

Authority of Interstate Compact Commission and
Member State Licensing Authorities (Section 6)
The Compact would clarify neither the Compact nor any
rule of the Commission related to the Compact would be able
to:
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 ● Be construed to limit, restrict, or in any way reduce
the ability of a member state to enact and enforce
laws, regulations, or other rules related to the
practice of social work in that state, where those
laws, regulations, or other rules are not
inconsistent with the provisions of this Compact;
● Affect the requirements established by a member
state for the issuance of a single-state license;
● Be construed to limit, restrict, or in any way reduce
the ability of a member state to take adverse action
against a licensee's single-state license to practice
social work in that state;
● Be construed to limit, restrict, or in any way reduce
the ability of a remote state to take adverse action
against a licensee's multistate authorization to
practice in that state; or
● Be construed to limit, restrict, or in any way reduce
the ability of a licensee's home state to take
adverse action against a licensee's multistate
license based upon information provided by a
remote state.
Reissuance of a Multistate License by a New Home State
(Section 7)
The Compact would provide for a regulated social
worker to hold a home state license in only one member state
at a time. If the licensee changes primary state of residence
by moving between two member states, the licensee would
be required to file an application for obtaining a new home
state license based on a privilege to practice, pay all
applicable fees, and notify the current home state in
accordance with applicable rules adopted by the
Commission.

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 Upon receiving an application for a new home state
license, the new home state would be required to verify that
the current multistate license is active, unencumbered, and is
eligible for reissuance under the terms of the Compact and
rules of the Commission. The multistate license issued by the
former home state would be deactivated and all member
states would be notified.
The Compact would require the new home state, prior to
reissuing, to conduct the procedures regarding consideration
of the criminal history records for the licensee, which may
include the submission of fingerprints or other biometric-
based information by the applicant.
The Compact would permit the new home state to
require completion of jurisprudence requirements if they are
required for initial licensure in the new home state.
If the licensee cannot meet the criteria of reissuance of a
multistate license, the new home state would be allowed to
apply its requirements for issuing a new single-state license.
The Compact would also provide that for a regulated
social worker who changes primary state of residence by
moving from a member state to a non-member state or from a
non-member state to a member state, the state requirements
would apply issuance of a single-state license in the new
state.
The Compact would not interfere with a licensee’s ability
to hold a single-state license in multiple states. For the
purposes of the Compact, a licensee could only hold one
home state license and only one multistate license.
The Compact would not affect the requirements
established by a member state for the issuance of a single-
state license.


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Military Families (Section 8)
The Compact would require an active dut