PRINTER'S NO. 1491
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
1349
Session of
2023
INTRODUCED BY HOWARD, SAPPEY, SANCHEZ, SCHLOSSBERG, FREEMAN,
MADDEN, HILL-EVANS, HANBIDGE, KINSEY, NEILSON, YOUNG, CIRESI,
CERRATO, CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, KINKEAD, FLEMING, KHAN AND OTTEN,
JUNE 7, 2023
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES, JUNE 7, 2023
AN ACT
Establishing the Social Worker Educational Enrollment and
Training Program; and providing for authorization of
internship positions, for award of internship positions and
for funding of program; and making an appropriation.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Short title.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the Social Worker
Educational Enrollment and Training Program Act.
Section 2. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Board." The State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and
Family Therapists and Professional Counselors.
"Commitment stipend." Money provided under the program to a
qualified applicant who enters into a contract with the
department under section 3(c)(1).
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
"Department." The Department of Health of the Commonwealth.
"Internship position." An internship position authorized by
the department for the program under section 4.
"Mental health professional shortage area or facility." Any
of the following:
(1) An area in this Commonwealth that has been certified
by the department as having a shortage of mental health
professionals based on any of the following:
(i) The designation of the area's geographic
location by the Bureau of Health Workforce under the
United States Health Resources and Services
Administration as having a shortage of mental health
professionals.
(ii) The department's determination that the area
has a critical shortage of clinical social workers.
(2) A facility in this Commonwealth that has been
certified by the department as having a shortage of mental
health professionals based on any of the following:
(i) The designation of the facility by the Bureau of
Health Workforce under the United States Health Resources
and Services Administration as having a shortage of
mental health professionals.
(ii) The department's determination that the
facility has a critical shortage of clinical social
workers.
"Program." The Social Worker Educational Enrollment and
Training Program established under section 3(a).
"Qualified applicant." An individual who meets all of the
criteria under section 3(b).
"Recipient." A qualified applicant who receives a commitment
20230HB1349PN1491 - 2 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
stipend.
Section 3. Social Worker Educational Enrollment and Training
Program.
(a) Establishment.--The Social Worker Educational Enrollment
and Training Program is established within the department. The
department shall administer the program to provide commitment
stipends to qualified applicants who continue to practice
clinical social work in mental health professional shortage
areas. The department may consult with the Department of Human
Services to administer the program.
(b) Qualifications.--To qualify for the program, an
individual shall meet all of the following criteria:
(1) The individual is a resident of this Commonwealth.
(2) The individual holds a master's degree in social
work or social welfare or a doctoral degree in social work
from an accredited school of social work as recognized by the
board and has passed a clinical social work examination
acceptable to the board.
(3) The individual may not have previously completed the
equivalent of 12 months or 1,500 hours of a doctoral
internship program or position accredited by the board.
(4) The individual shall submit an application to the
department on a form and in a manner specified by the
department.
(c) Stipends.--
(1) A qualified applicant shall be eligible to receive a
commitment stipend if the qualified applicant enters into a
contract with the department to continue serving in a mental
health professional shortage area upon the completion of an
internship position under section 4.
20230HB1349PN1491 - 3 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
(2) A recipient shall be provided with a commitment
stipend of $30,000 for the duration of the internship
position. The amount shall be adjusted annually for inflation
in accordance with the Consumer Price Index for All Urban
Consumers (CPI-U) for the United States for all items as
published by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of
Labor Statistics, for the previous 12-month period.
Section 4. Authorization of internship positions.
Subject to the availability of money for the program, the
department shall authorize internship positions located within
mental health professional shortage areas to participate in the
program in accordance with the following:
(1) The department shall ensure that the authorized
internship positions are equally distributed across rural and
urban areas of this Commonwealth.
(2) The department shall ensure that internship
positions provide qualified applicants with comprehensive
clinical training, supervision and instructional experiences
that prepare qualified applicants with the necessary
competencies to enter into the health care workforce.
(3) The department shall prioritize authorizing
internship positions in facilities that provide Medicaid-
covered mental health services and are accredited by the
National Association for Behavioral Healthcare, the National
Association of Social Workers, the Association of Social Work
Boards, the Clinical Social Work Association, the American
Board of Clinical Social Work or another national accrediting
agency for social work.
(4) The department shall ensure that internship
positions satisfy the requirements for supervised experience
20230HB1349PN1491 - 4 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
necessary to obtain licensure to practice clinical social
work in accordance with the act of July 9, 1987 (P.L.220,
No.39), known as the Social Workers, Marriage and Family
Therapists and Professional Counselors Act.
Section 5. Award of internship positions.
(a) Applications.--The department shall establish a process
for a qualified applicant to apply for and receive an internship
position in accordance with this act.
(b) Obligations of recipient.--A qualified applicant shall
enter into a contract with the department that requires the
recipient, upon the successful completion of an internship
position, to be employed as a clinical social worker in a
designated mental health professional shortage area for a period
of not less than 12 months. The recipient shall have the
following duties:
(1) The recipient shall permit the department to
determine compliance with the employment requirements and all
other terms of the contract.
(2) The recipient shall apply for licensure to practice
clinical social work in accordance with the act of July 9,
1987 (P.L.220, No.39), known as the Social Workers, Marriage
and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors Act, at the
first opportunity after completion of the internship
position.
(3) Within six months after receiving licensure to
practice clinical social work under the Social Workers,
Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors
Act, the recipient shall be employed as a clinical social
worker serving in a mental health professional shortage area.
The department may exempt a recipient from the employment
20230HB1349PN1491 - 5 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
deadline under this paragraph in accordance with the policies
and procedures adopted by the department as necessary to
implement the program under section 8.
(c) Failure to comply.--A recipient who fails to comply with
the requirements under subsection (b) shall reimburse the
department for the amount of the commitment stipend. Money
collected by the department from reimbursements under this
subsection shall be used exclusively to fund the program and
shall not be used for any other purpose.
Section 6. Funding of program.
The department shall award commitment stipends to recipients
to the extent that money is available to cover the
administration of the program.
Section 7. Appropriation.
The sum of $10,000,000 is appropriated on an annual basis
from the General Fund to the department for the purpose of
administering the program. The amount shall be adjusted annually
for inflation in accordance with the Consumer Price Index for
All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the United States for all items
as published by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of
Labor Statistics, for the previous 12-month period.
Section 8. Regulations.
The department shall promulgate regulations, adopt policies
and procedures and establish forms as necessary to implement
this act.
Section 9. Effective date.
This act shall take effect in 90 days.
20230HB1349PN1491 - 6 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27