SB 18 Maryland Senate · 2026 Regular Session

State Board of Social Work Examiners - Provisional License to Practice Social Work - Established

SB 18 creates a temporary "conditional license" for social work applicants in Maryland when exam delays prevent testing. It allows individuals who meet education and experience requirements to practice under supervision for up to 24 months (non-renewable) while waiting for the licensing exam. To earn a full license, holders must either pass the exam or complete 1,500 supervised practice hours verified by a Board-approved supervisor. The bill requires annual reporting to legislative committees on conditional license usage and workforce impacts. This directly affects new social workers facing scheduling barriers in Maryland’s licensing process.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Oct 2025

Committee Review

Apr 2026

Senate Passage

Apr 2026

House of Delegates Passage

Apr 2026

Signed into Law

Apr 2026

Introduced Oct 10, 2025 Signed Apr 28, 2026

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What changed between versions

Third - State Board of Social Work Examiners - Provisional License to Practice Social Work - Established → Enrolled - State Board of Social Work Examiners - Provisional License to Practice Social Work - Established · 3 edits · Apr 28, 2026

MINOR

The bill was finalized and enrolled for the Governor's signature, changing its status from an emergency draft to an official enrolled bill. The substantive legal text regarding the provisional social work license remained unchanged, preserving the requirement for applicants to practice under supervision for 12 to 24 months before obtaining full licensure.

Scope change

The bill's scope and applicability remain unchanged; the text defines the same provisional license requirements and reporting duties as the previous version.

TECHNICAL

The document status was updated from 'Emergency Bill' to 'Enrolled Bill,' indicating the legislation has passed both chambers and is ready for the Governor's approval.

Header information was updated to include proofreader signatures and the date of presentation to the Governor, which are standard procedural steps for enrolled bills.

Minor formatting adjustments were made to the explanatory notes regarding how to read the bill's amendments (e.g., adding italics to indicate opposite chamber changes).

First - State Board of Social Work Examiners - Conditional License to Practice Social Work - Revisions → Third - State Board of Social Work Examiners - Provisional License to Practice Social Work - Established · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill amends the Maryland Social Work Licensing Act to introduce a new 'Provisional License' category. While the original 'Conditional License' was designed for applicants unable to take the exam due to administrative delays, the new 'Provisional License' expands eligibility to include any applicant who meets education and experience requirements but has not yet passed the required examination, regardless of the reason for the delay. The bill also clarifies that supervised hours gained under a provisional license count toward independent practice but not toward clinical licensure.

Scope change

The scope of the bill expanded from addressing only exam unavailability to covering all applicants who meet education/experience requirements but have not passed the exam. The bill also adds a new definition for 'Provisional License' and modifies the reporting requirements to track provisional licenses separately.

DEFINITION

Added a new definition for 'Provisional License' to distinguish it from the existing 'Conditional License'.

ELIGIBILITY

Changed eligibility criteria to allow provisional licenses for any applicant meeting education/experience requirements who has not passed the exam, rather than only those affected by exam unavailability.

REQUIREMENT

Added a specific requirement that supervised hours completed under a provisional license cannot be used to qualify for a Certified Social Worker-Clinical license.

TIMELINE

Updated the effective date for reporting requirements to begin in 2026 and changed the reporting committee from 'House Health and Government Operations' to 'House Health'.

TECHNICAL

Added a new subsection (H) to the reporting requirements to specifically track the number of provisional licenses issued and holders who obtained full licensure.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 25, 2026 · House of Delegates Mar 30, 2026

How they voted

35–14

Passed

Total votes 49

Mar 25, 2026

D Democratic36

35 Yea 1 Nay

97% Yea

R Republican13

13 Nay

100% Nay

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Apr 28, 2026

Signed into law

Approved by the Governor - Chapter 226

executive

Apr 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

Passed Enrolled

upper

Apr 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

Third Reading Passed

upper

Apr 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

Conference Committee Report {

upper

Apr 7, 2026

Upper · Passed

House Conference Committee Appointed (Delegates Cullison, White Holland and Reilly)

upper

Apr 6, 2026

Lower · Passed

House Conference Committee Appointed (Delegates Cullison, White Holland and Reilly)

lower

Apr 6, 2026

Lower · Passed

Senate Conference Committee Appointed (Senators Hayes, Ready and Lam)

lower

Apr 6, 2026

Introduced

Senate Refuses Concur House Amendments

lower

Apr 3, 2026

Upper · Passed

Senate Conference Committee Appointed (Senators Hayes, Ready and Lam)

upper

Apr 3, 2026

Introduced

Senate Refuses Concur House Amendments

upper

Apr 2, 2026

Lower · Passed

Third Reading Passed

lower

Apr 1, 2026

Lower · Passed

Favorable with Amendments {

lower

Apr 1, 2026

Lower · Passed

Favorable with Amendments Report by Health

lower

Mar 30, 2026

House Of Delegates · Passed

House of Delegates Vote: pass (106-29-7)

house of delegates

Mar 25, 2026

Senate · Passed

Senate Vote: pass (35-14)

senate

Mar 6, 2026

Committee

Referred Health

lower

Mar 5, 2026

Upper · Passed

Third Reading Passed

upper

Mar 3, 2026

Upper · Passed

Favorable with Amendments {

upper

Mar 2, 2026

Upper · Passed

Favorable with Amendments Report by Finance

upper

Jan 14, 2026

Committee

First Reading Education, Energy, and the Environment

upper

Oct 10, 2025

Introduced

Pre-filed

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors