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Assembly Bill A10094A

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Enacts the "licensure incentives and fee-support for testing (LIFT) act"

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Current Bill Status - In Assembly Committee

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Bill Amendments

co-Sponsors

2025-A10094 - Details

Current Committee:
Assembly Higher Education
Law Section:
Education Law
Laws Affected:
Add §7711, Ed L

2025-A10094 - Summary

Enacts the "licensure incentives and fee-support for testing (LIFT) act"; establishes the social work licensure examination voucher program to provide low-income individuals vouchers to cover the cost of the examination, regardless of the number of examination attempts, required for licensure as a licensed master social worker or licensed clinical social worker.

2025-A10094 - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   10094
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 30, 2026
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. BERGER -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Higher Education
 
 AN  ACT  to amend the education law, in relation to enacting the "licen-
   sure incentives and fee-support for testing (LIFT) act"
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section  1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "licensure
 incentives and fee-support for testing (LIFT) act".
   § 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 7711 to read
 as follows:
   § 7711. SOCIAL WORK LICENSURE  EXAMINATION  VOUCHER  PROGRAM.  1.  THE
 DEPARTMENT  SHALL  ESTABLISH  A  PROGRAM TO PROVIDE VOUCHERS TO ELIGIBLE
 LOW-INCOME INDIVIDUALS TO COVER THE COST OF THE EXAMINATION REQUIRED FOR
 LICENSURE AS A LICENSED MASTER SOCIAL WORKER OR LICENSED CLINICAL SOCIAL
 WORKER.
   2. TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR A  VOUCHER  UNDER  THIS  SECTION,  AN  APPLICANT
 SHALL:    (A) BE A RESIDENT OF THE STATE; (B) BE ELIGIBLE TO SIT FOR THE
 LICENSED MASTER SOCIAL WORKER OR LICENSED CLINICAL SOCIAL  WORKER  EXAM-
 INATION;  AND (C) DEMONSTRATE INCOME AT OR BELOW A THRESHOLD ESTABLISHED
 BY THE DEPARTMENT BY RULE OR REGULATION, BASED ON NET TAXABLE INCOME, AS
 DETERMINED PURSUANT TO SECTION SIX HUNDRED SIXTY-THREE OF THIS  CHAPTER.
 PROVIDED,  HOWEVER,  THAT FOR APPLICANTS WHO WOULD BE CONSIDERED EMANCI-
 PATED PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION THREE OF SECTION SIX  HUNDRED  SIXTY-THREE
 OF  THIS  CHAPTER,  ELIGIBILITY  SHALL  BE  DETERMINED WITHOUT REGARD TO
 PARENTAL INCOME.
   3. THE DEPARTMENT SHALL PROMULGATE RULES AND REGULATIONS NECESSARY  TO
 IMPLEMENT THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION.
   § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
 it shall have become a law.
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD14592-03-6

co-Sponsors

2025-A10094A (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:
Assembly Higher Education
Law Section:
Education Law
Laws Affected:
Add §7711, Ed L

2025-A10094A (ACTIVE) - Summary

Enacts the "licensure incentives and fee-support for testing (LIFT) act"; establishes the social work licensure examination voucher program to provide low-income individuals vouchers to cover the cost of the examination, regardless of the number of examination attempts, required for licensure as a licensed master social worker or licensed clinical social worker.

2025-A10094A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                 10094--A
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 30, 2026
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M. of A. BERGER, KASSAY -- read once and referred to the
   Committee on Higher Education -- committee discharged,  bill  amended,
   ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
 
 AN  ACT  to amend the education law, in relation to enacting the "licen-
   sure incentives and fee-support for testing (LIFT) act"

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "licensure
 incentives and fee-support for testing (LIFT) act".
   § 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 7711 to read
 as follows:
   § 7711. SOCIAL WORK LICENSURE  EXAMINATION  VOUCHER  PROGRAM.  1.  THE
 DEPARTMENT  SHALL  ESTABLISH,  WITHIN  THE AMOUNT AVAILABLE BY APPROPRI-
 ATION, A PROGRAM TO PROVIDE VOUCHERS TO ELIGIBLE LOW-INCOME  INDIVIDUALS
 TO  COVER THE COST OF THE EXAMINATION, REGARDLESS OF THE NUMBER OF EXAM-
 INATION ATTEMPTS, REQUIRED FOR LICENSURE AS  A  LICENSED  MASTER  SOCIAL
 WORKER OR LICENSED CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKER.
   2.  TO  BE  ELIGIBLE  FOR  A  VOUCHER UNDER THIS SECTION, AN APPLICANT
 SHALL:  (A) BE A RESIDENT OF THE STATE; (B) BE ELIGIBLE TO SIT  FOR  THE
 LICENSED  MASTER  SOCIAL WORKER OR LICENSED CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKER EXAM-
 INATION; AND (C) DEMONSTRATE ANNUAL INCOME AT OR BELOW TWO HUNDRED FIFTY
 PERCENT OF THE FEDERAL POVERTY LEVEL  AS  UPDATED  PERIODICALLY  IN  THE
 FEDERAL  REGISTER  BY  THE  UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN
 SERVICES PURSUANT TO  SUBSECTION  TWO  OF  SECTION  NINE  THOUSAND  NINE
 HUNDRED TWO OF TITLE FORTY-TWO OF THE UNITED STATES CODE.
   3. IF THE NUMBER OF ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS EXCEEDS THE NUMBER OF VOUCHERS
 THAT  MAY  BE FUNDED THROUGH AVAILABLE APPROPRIATIONS, VOUCHERS SHALL BE
 AWARDED IN THE ORDER IN WHICH COMPLETE APPLICATIONS ARE RECEIVED BY  THE
 DEPARTMENT.
   4.  THE DEPARTMENT SHALL PROMULGATE RULES AND REGULATIONS NECESSARY TO
 IMPLEMENT THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION.
   § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
 it shall have become a law.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD14592-06-6

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