Legislative Agenda 2025

Social Work Professional Practice

• Remove Sunset Provision of Standardized Exam for LCSWs: An Act to remove the sunset on bill (H7396) which removed the test requirement for licensure at the LCSW level. The new bill will make licensing equity permanent.
• Pay Equity for Clinical Social Workers: Increase reimbursement rates for behavioral health providers over a five-year period. The minimum increase per year would be 4%, resulting in a total increase of 23.4%.

Children and Families

• School Social Work Ratio Bill: Require all public schools in grades kindergarten through 12 to have at least one full-time licensed school social worker for every 250 students.
• Healthy School Meals for All: Requires free lunches to be provided for all elementary and secondary students attending public schools.

Economic Justice and Housing

• Payday Lending Reform: Caps interest rate on payday loans at 36%, down from 260%.
• Tenant Rights and Rental Assistance: An act that would follow the Tenant's Bill of Rights to establish a baseline of tenant protections in the rental housing market. 
• Revenue for Rhode Island: Would impose a millionaires tax on highest 1% of income earners to fund core programs like education, transportation, and state services. Similar initiative to “Millionaires Tax” that passed by ballot initiative in MA in 2022.

Health and Mental Health Care Access

• Expand Eligibility for Medicaid: This act would remove the work requirement for citizens to have access to Medicaid. It will also give non-citizens the ability to receive Medicaid services. 
  
• Decrease Monthly Premiums for Low-Income Households: An act that would decrease the monthly premium paid by low-income households for health insurance. 

For more information on the NASW-RI Legislative Agenda, please be in touch with Executive Director, Rebekah Gewirtz at rgewirtz.naswma@socialworkers.org or Leslie Scherny at intern1.naswri@socialworkers.org.