Three Maryland General Assembly bills of interest to social workers and health care practitioners are poised to become laws this year, with two helping more Marylanders access help for mental health.

Gisele Ferretto, MSW, LCSW-C, examines key bills impacting social workers that passed in the Maryland General Assembly.

University of Maryland School of Social Work Dean Judy L. Postmus, PhD, ACSW, testified in favor of House Bill 345 this session, which is the Interstate Social Work Licensure Compact. This enables licensed social workers in participating states of the compact to practice in other states without the need to be licensed in each state.

“Other advantages to participating in an interstate compact include: elimination of barriers to practice and increased access to care (especially in areas that are underserved, geographically isolated or lack specialty care); improved continuity of care when clients travel or relocate; support for spouses of relocating active duty military personnel; elimination of the necessity for licenses in multiple states; employment opportunities for interstate practice for social workers; and enhanced interstate teletherapy,” Postmus said in her submitted testimony.

Gov. Wes Moore signed the bill April 8, and the law will take effect Oct. 1.

The two other bills of interest are:

• Preserve Telehealth Access Act of 2025 (takes effect June 1)
• Health Occupations Structural Racism Training Requirement (takes effect Oct. 1)

Gisele Ferretto, MSW, LCSW-C, manager of training, Office of Field Education and director of Public Affairs at the University of Maryland School of Social Work provided analysis of those bills and more in a Q and A recapping this year’s legislative session:

Why are these bills significant to the social work practice?

Ferretto: Well, these three bills specifically are significant to social work practice because they're really responding to some dramatic changes that we have seen in behavioral health in general, especially during these last five years. For example, we've seen an increase in need for behavioral health services.

Along all populations and telehealth care has significantly grown since the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic and telehealth is here and will remain an integral part of behavioral health services.

Do these bills change how the University of Maryland School of Social Work educates and prepare future social workers?

Ferretto: Well, when you think about the primary goal of any graduate program, is to really prepare students for professional practice. And at the School of Social Work, we teach ethical evidence-based approaches that strengthen individuals and families, agencies and communities at the local, national, and global levels.

So, this education really develops this, the knowledge, the values, the skills necessary to practice. And this includes keeping current on policy changes as well as advancing policy changes to address any gaps and improve conditions impacting individuals and communities.

Now that the Legislative Session is over, what remains to be addressed for the future of social work?

Ferretto: Well, really that question is best answered by explaining a bill that did not pass this past session, which was Senate Bill 379 and House Bill 1521, the State Board of Social Work Examiners Membership and Examination. And that bill, which did not pass, proposed the removal of the requirement to pass a licensing test for entry-level social work licensure, either the licensed Bachelor of Social work or the licensed Master Social Work license.

And this bill was important because it was in response to the National Association of Social Work Board's release of national data in 2022 that revealed troubling disparities in exam pass rates among racial groups. Particularly for Black test takers, other groups, including older adults, and those for whom English is not their primary language, also face lower pass rates.

These disparities were found across the state and the country and highlighted systemic inequities in the exam. And so, even though this bill did not pass during this session, the School of Social Work is committed to continued advocacy efforts at the state and national level to address these concerns.

What is the Interstate Social Work Licensure Compact and why is it important?

Ferretto: Well, any interstate compact is a legal contract between states, territories that enable professionals to practice across state lines and each other's jurisdiction, and it gives members of that profession more licensed mobility. With the passage of Senate Bill 174, House Bill 345, Maryland is now the 25th state to join the national Social Work Licensure Interstate Compact.

And in the future, social workers will be eligible to apply for inclusion into a compact with other participating states.

How does the Interstate Social Work Licensure Compact help Maryland social workers?

Ferretto: Currently, social workers must seek a separate license in every state or territory in which they wish to practice.  Each jurisdiction has their own licensing requirements for continuing education, their own renewal fees, which are often complicated and expensive. So, an interstate compact will expand the employment opportunities for social workers who continue to reside in Maryland and are able to provide services to individuals residing in multiple states or territories.

And so the Interstate Social Work Compact also provides flexibility and support for spouses of relocating active-duty military personnel.

Who else benefits from the Interstate Social Worker Licensure Compact?

Ferretto: Well, those individuals receiving services from social workers will benefit from the flexibility offered by an interstate compact. These include an increase in access of care for individuals in need of social work services, especially in areas that are underserved, geographically isolated, or lack specialty care.

The social work interstate compact will also enhance interstate teletherapy services, in addition, the interstate compact will improve continuity of care when clients are traveling or relocate. Currently a client must be located in Maryland to receive services if the social worker is licensed in Maryland.

An easy example is a student that is attending a college out of state is unable to continue their behavioral health services with their social worker who is licensed in Maryland. And so, this change when the interstate compact is operationalized will allow for this continuity of service.

What does the Preserve Telehealth Act do? What does it mean for social workers?

Ferretto: Well, this is extremely significant, not just for social workers, but really for any health care professional providing telehealth services. So, with the passing of the Preserved Telehealth Access Act of 2025, the state laws related to the coverage and reimbursement of health care services delivered through telehealth will be permanent, and without this significant change in the law, they were set to expire on June 30th, 2025.

And so, while this bill addresses all health care services delivered through telehealth, it will benefit social work practice because it includes social work telehealth services. This legislation to preserve telehealth in Maryland is critical because it ensures continued access to health care services, particularly for vulnerable populations. There are lots of benefits of telehealth services that we learned especially during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. But some of these benefits include equitable access to care, expanded behavioral health support, crisis intervention, flexibility for families and caregivers, and keeping telehealth in place ensures that Maryland remains prepared for any future public health crisis.

Why is telehealth especially important in social work?

Ferretto: Social workers are 

often cited as the largest group of behavioral health service providers, and the popularity and availability of telehealth services has extended our reach and the availability of behavioral health services provided by social workers.

What's new about the training requirement for social workers contained in the Structural Racism Training Bill?

Ferretto: Many social workers and health care practitioners will remember in 2021 that a law required all licensed health professionals, including social workers, to complete a training in implicit bias approved by the Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities. And so, House Bill 783 amended that 2021 law by adding a new structural racism training requirement for all health professionals in addition to the implicit bias training requirement that was established in 2021.

What does structural racism mean in this context?

Ferretto: Maryland law will now define structural racism. That definition can be located in Health — General Article (Title) 20–1301 (f). And it describes structural racism as the totality of ways in which societies foster racial discrimination by mutually reinforcing systems of housing, education, employment, earnings, benefits, credit, media, health care, and criminal justice.

Why is structural racism training important for the social work profession?

Ferretto: The National Association of Social Workers guides the profession through a national Social Work Code of Ethics, and in this code of ethics, it defines social justice and service and dignity and worth of each person. And the social work community is deeply committed to these values and this training requirement will support those efforts.

And their training requirement to complete structural racism training is very much aligned with our current social work licensing requirements because in Maryland, the continuing education regulations were changed in 2023 for social workers, and they added a requirement for social workers each licensing license renewal to complete three continuing education units on the topic of anti-oppressive social work practice.

How often are social workers in Maryland required to take this training?

Ferretto: Under House Bill 783, this new requirement for structural racism training will be a requirement for all health practitioners, including social workers, and it will be required once in a professional's career. These training opportunities will be approved by the Cultural and Linguistic Health Care Professional Competency Program, the same program that approves the implicit bias training opportunities.

And so, to further clarify, they say that an applicant will attest to the completion of an implicit bias and structural racism training program only on the applicant's first license or renewal after April 1st, 2026.