BILL NUMBER: S7894
SPONSOR: SALAZAR
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to establishing a
master of social work paid field work pilot program
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
This legislation creates a four-year pilot program to provide financial
stipends equal to $4,500 to Master of Social Work (MSW) student interns
attending Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)-accredited schools in
New York State for the first 450 hours of their internship or practicum.
The program aims to address the financial barriers faced by MSW students
during mandatory unpaid internship/practicum hours, with the goals of
increasing enrollment and retention, improving access to the profession,
diversifying the field, and reducing student debt.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 adds a new section 7.49 to Mental Hygiene Law with six subdi-
visions.
Subdivision (a) establishes that the Office of Mental Health shall
create and administer a Master of Social Work fieldwork pilot program to
provide stipends for students completing an internship or practicum at a
Council of Social Work-accredited school.
Subdivision (b) lays out the funding amount, $4,500 stipend for the
first 450 hours of a student's internship, as well as eligibility crite-
ria. Students must complete their internship in New York, and must agree
to work in New York in a social work capacity for at least one year
after graduation. For students already receiving funding for
internship/practicum hours exceeding $4,500 through grants, scholar-
ships, fellowships, or work-based placements will not be eligible for
the stipend. Students receiving less than $4,500 in such funding may
qualify for the difference between their existing funding and the
stipend amount.
Subdivision (c) requires the Office of Mental Health to provide informa-
tion about the program to eligible schools and requires the schools to
run a public awareness campaign about the stipend.
Subdivision (d) instructs the Office of Mental Health to collect data on
the program, including how the program impacted Master of Social Work
enrollment trends and demographic shifts; retention, attrition, degree
conferral, and dropout rates; student debt and post-graduate workforce
retention; and internship sites, student health, local economies, and
social work wages. They must also conduct a cost-benefit analysis of the
program and provide any policy recommendations to expand and improve the
program.
Subdivision (e) requires that the data collected be compiled into a
report submitted to the Governor, Legislature, and the public.
Subdivision (f) appropriates money for the program, which shall be
adjusted each year to provide funding to students enrolled in a qualify-
ing Master of Social Work programs.
Section 2 provides that this act shall take effect on July 1, 2025.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
To earn a Master's degree in Social Work (MSW), students are required to
complete a minimum of 900 hours of internship, which are typically
unpaid. Unpaid internships create a significant financial barrier,
resulting in a social worker shortage, a lack of diversity in the field,
and increased student debt.
Social workers are essential in addressing New York's most pressing
challenges, such as the mental health crisis, the opioid epidemic, and
homelessness. However, New York faces a critical shortage of social
workers, limiting the state's ability to effectively address these
crises and provide necessary services. For example, 48 of New York's 62
counties have moderate to severe mental health service shortages', and
95% of the New York's school districts do not meet the recommended ratio
of one school social worker for every 250 students.(2)
These shortages do not affect everyone equally - they have grave conse-
quences, especially for the state's most vulnerable populations. Fund-
ing social work interns would be an investment in the health of the
state by creating a pipeline of new social workers to help build the
workforce to meet the state's most urgent needs.
For MSW students themselves, the stipend of $4,500 for the first 450
hours of their internship/practicum will provide much-needed financial
relief, enabling them to focus on their studies and internships. MSW
student debt has been steadily rising over the past decade. This debt is
closely tied to race and gender, with students of color and women accu-
mulating significantly higher levels of debt than white and/or male
Students.(3)
States across the country including Michigan, Massachusetts and others,
are introducing or implementing programs to fund social work interns as
a means of growing and diversifying their workforce. It is time for New
York to follow suit.
 
RACIAL JUSTICE AND GENDER JUSTICE IMPACT:
Funding social work interns isn't just about increasing the number of
social workers; it is also essential to recruit social workers that
reflect the communities they serve. Unpaid internships disproportionate-
ly impact students with the strongest demonstrated financial need,
thereby contributing to a lack of representation in the field. The
majority of new social workers are white,(4) while most of the clients
they serve are people of color.
This demographic mismatch is detrimental to the communities that rely on
the services social workers provide. Having social workers that accu-
rately understand the struggles the community they are serving face
because they themselves have faced the same struggle will only improve
their ability to serve their clients well. Funding social work intern-
ships reduces the barrier of entry for students of color and working-
class students, helping to ensure that the field better represents the
communities served. Furthermore, since over 80% of social work students
identify as female,5 paying interns would represent a historic invest-
ment in the fight for gender and pay equity.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Program costs will be adjusted based on MSW enrollment trends, with a
projected initial annual cost of $12 million per year.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on July 1, 2025 and be implemented for
internships beginning in the Fall 2025 academic semester.
1. HPSA Find. (n.d.). HRSA Data Warehouse.
https://data.hrsa.gov/tools/shortage-area/hpsa-find
2. Miller, A., Kim, T., & Shulman, K. (2022, April). Oversight of Mental
Health Education in Schools. New York State Comptroller.
https://www.osc.ny.gov/files/state-agencies/audits/pdf/sga-2022-
20s63.pdf
3. Council on Social Work Education. (2023). 2022-2023 statistics on
social work education in the United States.
https://www.cswe.org/Research-Statistics/Research-BriefsandPublications/
2022-2023-Annua3-Statistics-on-Social-Work-Education
4. Council on Social Work Education. (2023). 2022-2023 statistics on
social work education in the United States.
https://www.cswe.org/Research-Statistics/Research-BriefsandPublications/
2022-2023-Annual-Statistics-on-Social-Work-Education
5. Council on Social Work Education. (2023). 2022-2023 statistics on
social work education in the United States.
https://www.cswe.org/Research-Statistics/Research-BriefsandPublications/
2022-2023-Annual-Statistics-on-Social-Work-Education