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Senate Bill S9125

2025-2026 Legislative Session

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

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Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Higher Education Committee

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Bill Amendments

co-Sponsors

2025-S9125 - Details

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

2025-S9125 - 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-S9125 - Sponsor Memo

2025-S9125 - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   9125
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 5, 2026
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  SUTTON -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed 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-S9125A (ACTIVE) - Details

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

2025-S9125A (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-S9125A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  9125--A
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 5, 2026
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by Sens. SUTTON, CHAN, FERNANDEZ, SALAZAR, SEPULVEDA, WEBB --
   read  twice  and  ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to
   the Committee  on  Higher  Education  --  committee  discharged,  bill
   amended,  ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said commit-
   tee
 
 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. 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.
                                                            LBD14592-05-6

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