By Bernsen                                             S.B. No. 447
         77R4973 MXM-F                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the qualifications for taking an examination for a
 1-3     social work associate license.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1. Section 505.353(b), Occupations Code, is amended
 1-6     to read as follows:
 1-7           (b)  An applicant may take the licensing examination
 1-8     conducted by the board under Section 505.354 for:
 1-9                 (1)  a master social worker license if the applicant
1-10     possesses a doctoral or master's degree in social work from a
1-11     graduate program accredited by the Council on Social Work
1-12     Education;
1-13                 (2)  a social worker license if the applicant possesses
1-14     a baccalaureate degree in social work from an educational program
1-15     accredited by the Council on Social Work Education; or
1-16                 (3)  a social work associate license if the applicant:
1-17                       (A)  possesses a baccalaureate degree in the
1-18     behavioral or social sciences or a related field other than social
1-19     work from an accredited educational institution; [and]
1-20                       (B)  satisfactorily completes at least 12
1-21     semester hours in social work from an educational program
1-22     accredited by the Council on Social Work Education; and
1-23                       (C)  satisfactorily completes a reasonable
1-24     specified number of years of actual and active social work
 2-1     experience approved by the board.
 2-2           SECTION 2. (a)  In accordance with Section 311.031(c),
 2-3     Government Code, which gives effect to a substantive amendment
 2-4     enacted by the same legislature that codifies the amended statute,
 2-5     the text of Section 505.353(b), Occupations Code, as set out in
 2-6     Section 1 of this Act, gives effect to changes made by Chapter
 2-7     1587, Acts of the 76th Legislature, Regular Session, 1999.
 2-8           (b)  To the extent of any conflict, this Act prevails over
 2-9     another Act of the 77th Legislature, Regular Session, 2001,
2-10     relating to nonsubstantive additions and corrections in enacted
2-11     codes.
2-12           SECTION 3. (a)  This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.
2-13           (b)  The change in law made to Section 505.353(b), as amended
2-14     by this Act, applies only to a person who files an application for
2-15     a license on or after the effective date of this Act.  A person who
2-16     filed an application for a license before the effective date of
2-17     this Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the
2-18     application was filed, and the former law is continued in effect
2-19     for that purpose.