Sen. Payne backs SB 485 to let MSW students sit licensure exam before graduation

Senator Payne introduced Senate Bill 485 to the Regulated Industries Committee, saying the bill would allow students in their final semester of a Master of Social Work program to sit for the social-work licensure exam prior to graduation in order to increase the number of available mental-health providers in Georgia. "This was an idea ... to allow students in their final semester of a Master of Social Work program to sit for their licensure exam before graduation," Payne said, noting similar allowances already exist for licensed professional counselors and marriage-and-family therapists.

Committee members asked for details and the sponsor said the measure mirrors existing statutory language used for other behavioral-health occupations so graduates can "hit the ground running" immediately after degree conferral. The chair also noted the bill passed the Senate overwhelmingly and that the provision is intended to expand the state’s mental-health workforce.

A committee member moved to pass the item and another member seconded; the committee voted in favor and the chair announced the ayes had it. The committee did not record a roll-call tally in the transcript but the chair declared the motion carried.

Why it matters: permitting final-semester students to test can shorten the time between degree completion and workforce entry, potentially easing provider shortages in communities that have testified to limited mental-health access.

What’s next: the committee advanced the provision at this hearing; sponsors said further committee work and votes are scheduled in the coming days.