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 required for licensure as a licensed master social worker or licensed clinical social worker.
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
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