Five Social Workers Running for Office

NASW-KS PACE is so excited to endorse these five social workers running for Kansas House of Representatives. This is the first time in our Chapter's 50 year history to have 5 incredible social workers running for office. Kansas Chapter is very proud of its work each year to educate social workers at our annual Advocacy Day about the importance of social workers running and serving in office.

KS-PACE - Political Action for Candidate Election (PACE) is the political action arm of NASW-Kansas. As a political action committee, KS Chapter PACE endorses and financially contributes to social workers running for office from any party. Only candidates who support NASW’s policy agenda and Code of Ethics are endorsed by KS-PACE.

Check out each of the websites of the social workers running for office below:

Representative Heather Meyer, BSW - learn more here

Representative Susan Ruiz, LSCSW - learn more here

Dan Goodman, BSW for Kansas - Learn More Here

Suzanne Wikle, MSW for Kansas - Learn More Here

Jenna Ratzlaff, LMSW for Kansas - Learn More Here

Kansas is 7th State to Pass Compact Bill

WOOHOO! Kansas is one of the first 7 states that have enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact! The first 7 states are Missouri, South Dakota, Washington, Utah, Kentucky, Virginia, and Kansas.

With the Social Work Compact now enacted in 7 states, the next steps are to begin the work of forming the Compact Commission.

Congratulations Social Workers on all your hard work!

Governor Kelly Signed Social Work Compact Bill

Signed - Sealed - Delivered

Governor Kelly signed HB 2484. This is a historic milestone as Kansas became the seventh state to pass Social Work Interstate Licensing Compact Legislation. This means the states can now create a Compact Commission that will govern the compact and ensure coordination between the participating states.

The other states have passed the legislation are Missouri on July 7, 2023, followed by South Dakota on February 4, 2024; Utah on March 13; Washington state on March 19; Kentucky on March 28 and Virginia on April 8. The legislation has been introduced in about 19 other states.

Our neighboring states of Colorado, Nebraska and Iowa have bills that are almost to the finish line and at their Governor's desk.

Also thank you Kansas legislators for making this bill happen.

Thank you to KS Chapter NASW board members and social workers from across Kansas for your advocacy efforts! We are so proud of everyone who testified and contacted their legislators to help get this bill passed.

What a honor to meet Governor Kelly and to witness the signing and to so many social workers across Kansas for contacting your legislators in support of HB 2484.

Senate Committee Passed Out Compact Bill Favorably

Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee held a hearing on HB 2484 on Monday - March 18th. The Committee was presented with 16 pieces of written testimony in favor of the Bill and three individuals who testified orally in favor of the bill.

There was no opposition testimony in writing in or in-person. Due to time constraints the Committee was able to only hear from Representative Susan Ruiz the sponsor of the Bill, NASW-KS Chapter Executive Director Becky Fast, and BSRB Director David Fye.

BSRB championed an amendment to increase the fee on social workers to access the multi-state license. NASW-KS Chapter testified against the fee increase. The Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee denied BSRB’s request to increase fees on social workers and passed it out without their requested fee increase on March 20th.

HB 2484 is on the Senate calendar to be vote on by the full Senate on March 25th.

Representative Susan Ruiz, LSCW and HB 2484 bill sponsor testifying at Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee.

Editorial in Topeka Capital Journal

Special Article to Topeka Capital Journal

This year, Kansas social workers celebrate a historic landmark with the 50th anniversary of the state’s Social Work Practice Act. 2024 has now ushered in another landmark piece of legislation with the Social Work Licensing Compact Bill. The article below ran the Sunday before the Kansas Senate Committee on Public Health and Welfare held a hearing on HB 2484.

Social Work Compact Bill Passed the KS House

Exciting News! 🎉🥳 The Social Work Licensing Compact Bill (HB2484) that NASW Kansas Chapter has championed for the past year passed the Kansas House with a vote of 118-2. Thank you to all the social workers who let their voices be heard and contacted their state representative. Next step is to get a hearing in the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee given the end of March is the last possible time for Standing Committees to hear bills.

Housing Hearing on Social Work Compact

Compact Bill Introduced

Social Work Interstate Mobility Licensing Bill Introduced in the House

NASW-KS is excited to report that the Social Work Compact Bill HB 2484 was introduced in the Kansas House on the first day of the Kansas Session amidst a snow storm. The Bill was assigned to the Committee on Health and Human Services. Thank you to HHS Chair Brenda Landwehr and Ranking Minority Leader Representative Susan Ruiz, LSCSW for sponsoring this legislation.

Thank you to advocacy of social workers that last year's historic licensing reforms were passed through the Kansas Legislature. We will keep you informed on the Bill's progress.

This is amazing progress and a testament to the advocacy of social workers!

Historic Reforms

Landmark Licensing Reforms to Decrease Barriers for Social Workers

Senate Bill 131 (HB 2340) a bipartisan bill was signed into law on May 9th to expand the state’s mental health and health care workforce and improves access to care. HB 2340 was inserted into Senate Bill 131 inConference Committee.

HB 2340 streamlines the process for marriage and family therapists, professional counselors, psychologists, social workers to obtain and maintain licenses from the Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board.

The bill passed 38-2 in the Senate and 118-4 in the House.

Testimony during the legislative session indicated that Kansas has a far worse facing a shortage of clinically trained mental health responders than our neighboring states and is worsening as baby boomers retire and the demand for mental health care increases.

A report by the Kansas Health Institute last year examined the shortage of licensed specialist clinical social workers in Kansas.

There are 1,141 practicing licensed specialist clinical social workers reporting a Kansas physical address, or one for every 2,575 Kansans. There are 1,004, or 88%, located in urban areas and 137, or 12%, located in rural parts of Kansas. The population per social worker in Kansas is 2,132 to 1 for urban areas and 5,816 to 1 for rural areas.

Northeast Kansas has the most favorable ratio, with one licensed specialist clinical social worker for every 2,088 Kansans in the region, and has more than half of such workers in the state.

Key Changes for Social Workers

The bill streamlines and reduces costly obstacles for social workers to obtain and maintain licenses from the Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board.

Some of the streamlining includes:

• Reciprocity for LBSW/LMSW from 48 months to 12 months.

• A new two year temporary license to provide more time to pass the ASWB examination.

• A new expedited licensing process for an additional $100 fee. The bill also requires decisions on completed applications to be issued within 30 business days. There is no time limit currently on license processing.

• Expands practice and agency settings that will qualify for a clinical practicum and will allow more flexibility for a LMSW to pursue a LSCSW at their workplace. Kansas will now be in line with requirements of neighboring states.

• Removes the extra college coursework to pursue a LSCSW. Kansas social workers for the past 20 years have been financially burdened with taking up to 15 hours of college classes above and beyond graduating from an accredited social work program. This occurs when a LMSW can't prove graduate clinical coursework with their syllabus from their graduate degree. This requirement has been unique to Kansas licensing rules. The mandate has been incentive for KS social workers interested in pursuing a LSCSW to move or work in a neighboring state rather than acquiring the expense and time of going back to graduate college for an additional 15 hours.

• Removed the supervisor mandate to become a BSRB Board Approved Supervisor that was proposed in the bill by BSRB for a LSCSW to supervise a LMSW to become a LSCSW.

• The bill will create a new type of temporary license for certain applicants who have graduated from a social work program, including an online social work program, that is in candidacy from a national accrediting body recognized by the Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board (BSRB). 

• Last, the bill reduces the licensing fee charged to reinstate an expired license to attract retirees to practice again.

Advocacy in Action

Due to social workers and mental health advocates joining together, we were successful in advocating for several key reform measures that were added to the Bill after the hearings.

A big shout out to the bravery and courage of the social workers who testified at the hearings to amend the proposed bill.

Also big thank you to Representative Susan Ruiz (our social worker in the the legislature) who championed the bill through the process.

Representative Susan Ruiz, LSCSW and Becky Fast, NASW-KS Chapter Executive Director

Courageous Survivors Bring Forth Reforms in Child Sexual Abuse Laws

Gov. Laura Kelly signed House Bill 2127 into law, capping a multiyear effort to reform the statute of limitations, which imposes a limited time frame for survivors to seek justice.

It was a tough and long-fought battle, but thanks to the courageous survivors who came forward to share their stories, this important piece of legislation will finally become law in the state of Kansas,

Two social workers and survivors - Lesa Patterson-Kinsey and Kim Bergman were driving forces behind the proposal spending every week in the Capitol throughout the KS Legislative Session. They both are thrilled after a long road that the bill is now law and proud to have worked for years with survivors, legislators, and organizations.

NASW KS Chapter is proud to have worked with these two amazing social workers and the coalition of advocates as they brought forth justice and reforms in Kansas law.

More information here