North Carolina HB 231: UNC & Comm. Coll. Pay/Retiree Bonus.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025

SESSION LAW 2025-7
HOUSE BILL 231

*H231-v-4*
AN ACT TO ESTABLISH AND ENTER INTO AN INTERSTATE COMPACT FOR THE
PRACTICE OF SOCIAL WORK.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.(a) Chapter 90B of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new
Article 1 to be titled the "Social Worker Certification and Licensure Act." The following statutes
constitute the new Article 1: G.S. 90B-1, 90B-2, 90B-3, 90B-4, 90B-5, 90B-6, 90B-6.1, 90B-6.2,
90B-7, 90B-8, 90B-9, 90B-9.1, 90B-10, 90B-11, 90B-12, 90B-13, 90B-14, 90B-15, and 90B-16.
SECTION 1.(b) Chapter 90B of the General Statutes is retitled as "Social Worker
Certification and Licensure."
SECTION 1.(c) G.S. 90B-1 reads as rewritten:
"§ 90B-1. Short title.
This Chapter Article shall be known as the "Social Worker Certification and Licensure Act.""
SECTION 2. Chapter 90B of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new
Article to read:
"Article 2.
"Social Work Licensure Compact.
"§ 90B-20. Purpose.
The purpose of this Compact is to facilitate interstate practice of regulated social workers by
improving public access to social work services. The Compact preserves the regulatory authority
of states to protect public health and safety through the current system of state licensure. This
Compact is designed to achieve the following objectives:
(1) Increase public access to social work services.
(2) Reduce overly burdensome and duplicative requirements associated with
holding multiple licenses.
(3) Enhance the member states' ability to protect the public's health and safety.
(4) Encourage the cooperation of member states in regulating multistate practice.
(5) Promote mobility and address workforce shortages by eliminating the
necessity for licenses in multiple states by providing for the mutual
recognition of other member state licenses.
(6) Support military families.
(7) Facilitate the exchange of licensure and disciplinary information among
member states.
(8) Authorize all member states to hold a regulated social worker accountable for
abiding by the member state's laws, regulations, and applicable professional
standards in the member state in which the client is located at the time care is
rendered.
(9) Allow for the use of telehealth to facilitate increased access to social work
services.
"§ 90B-21. Definitions.

Page 2 Session Law 2025-7 House Bill 231
As used in this Compact, and except as otherwise provided, the following definitions shall
apply:
(1) Active military member. – Any individual in full-time duty status in the active
Armed Forces of the United States, including members of the National Guard
and Reserve.
(2) Adverse action. – Any administrative, civil, equitable, or criminal action
permitted by a state's laws which is imposed by a licensing authority or other
authority against a regulated social worker, including actions against an
individual's license or multistate authorization to practice such as revocation,
suspension, probation, monitoring of the licensee, limitation on the licensee's
practice, or any other encumbrance on licensure affecting a regulated social
worker's authorization to practice, including issuance of a cease and desist
action.
(3) Alternative program. – A nondisciplinary monitoring process or practice
remediation process approved by a licensing authority to address practitioners
with an impairment.
(4) Charter member states. – Member states who have enacted legislation to adopt
this Compact where such legislation predates the effective date of this
Compact, as defined in this Article.
(5) Compact Commission or Commission. – The government agency whose
membership consists of all states that have enacted this Compact which is
known as the Social Work Licensure Compact Commission, as defined in this
Article, and which shall operate as an instrumentality of the member states.
(6) Current significant investigative information. – Investigative information that
(i) a licensing authority, after a preliminary inquiry that includes notification
and an opportunity for the regulated social worker to respond has reason to
believe is not groundless and, if proved true, would indicate more than a minor
infraction, as may be defined by the Commission, or (ii) indicates that the
regulated social worker represents an immediate threat to public health and
safety, as may be defined by the Commission, regardless of whether the
regulated social worker has been notified and has had an opportunity to
respond.
(7) Data system. – A repository of information about licensees, including, but not
limited to, continuing education, examination, licensure, current significant
investigative information, disqualifying events, multistate license or licenses,
and adverse action information or other information as required by the
Commission.
(8) Domicile. – The jurisdiction in which the licensee resides and intends to
remain indefinitely.
(9) Disqualifying event. – Any adverse action or incident which re