| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to social worker identification; amending |
| 3 | ss. 39.01 and 491.003, F.S.; providing definitions for |
| 4 | "social worker"; creating s. 491.016, F.S.; providing |
| 5 | requirements for using the title "social worker"; |
| 6 | providing a penalty; providing exemptions; requiring the |
| 7 | Department of Health to adopt certain implementing and |
| 8 | enforcing rules; providing an effective date. |
| 9 |
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| 10 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 11 |
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| 12 | Section 1. Subsections (70), (71), (72), (73), and (74) of |
| 13 | section 39.01, Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections |
| 14 | (71), (72), (73), (74), and (75), respectively, and a new |
| 15 | subsection (70) is added to that section to read: |
| 16 | 39.01 Definitions.--When used in this chapter, unless the |
| 17 | context otherwise requires: |
| 18 | (70) "Social worker" means any person who has a |
| 19 | bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree in social work. |
| 20 | Section 2. Subsection (17) is added to section 491.003, |
| 21 | Florida Statutes, to read: |
| 22 | 491.003 Definitions.--As used in this chapter: |
| 23 | (17) "Social worker" means a person who has a bachelor's, |
| 24 | master's, or doctoral degree in social work. |
| 25 | Section 3. Section 491.016, Florida Statutes, is created |
| 26 | to read: |
| 27 | 491.016 Social work; use of title.-- |
| 28 | (1) A social worker is not authorized to conduct clinical |
| 29 | social work without obtaining and possessing a license or |
| 30 | certification issued pursuant to this chapter. |
| 31 | (2) It shall be a misdemeanor of the first degree, |
| 32 | punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083, for a |
| 33 | person, for or without compensation, to hold himself or herself |
| 34 | out to the public as a social worker either directly or through |
| 35 | a governmental or private organization, entity, or agency unless |
| 36 | that person: |
| 37 | (a) Possesses at least a bachelor's or master's degree in |
| 38 | social work from a social work program accredited by or from an |
| 39 | institution that is an active candidate for accreditation as a |
| 40 | social work program by the Council on Social Work Education; or |
| 41 | (b) Completes, at a university or college outside the |
| 42 | United States or Canada, a social work program determined by the |
| 43 | Foreign Equivalency Determination Service of the Council on |
| 44 | Social Work Education to be equivalent to a bachelor's or |
| 45 | master's degree in social work. |
| 46 | (3) This section does not apply to: |
| 47 | (a) A person who, prior to July 1, 2008, used the title |
| 48 | "social worker" in his or her employment. |
| 49 | (b) Employees providing social work services under |
| 50 | administrative supervision in long-term care facilities licensed |
| 51 | by the Agency for Health Care Administration. |
| 52 | (4) The department shall adopt rules pursuant to ss. |
| 53 | 120.536(1) and 120.54 to implement and enforce this section. |
| 54 | Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2008. |