HB5375 Summary: Social Work Licensure Compact

• Illinois ratifies the Social Work Licensure Compact to allow licensed social workers to practice across multiple member states under a single multistate license issued by their home state.

• Establishes the Social Work Licensure Compact Commission to oversee the compact, develop data systems tracking licensees, and promulgate rules governing interstate social work practice.

• Member states must meet requirements including licensing social workers at clinical, master's, or bachelor's levels, requiring passage of a national exam, and implementing criminal background check procedures for multistate license applicants.

• Home states maintain authority to take adverse action against a licensee's multistate license, while remote states can only restrict practice within their borders; all states must report disciplinary actions to a shared data system.

• Compact becomes effective when seven states enact the legislation; states may withdraw with 180 days' notice and must continue recognizing existing multistate licenses for a minimum of six months after withdrawal.