Legislation addressing the social worker shortage in Oklahoma will take effect Nov. 1. 

Rep. Jeff Boatman, R-Tulsa, authored House Bill 3015 to make Oklahoma more competitive with other states in the region for social workers. 

The bill, which was signed into law Tuesday, revises the practicum requirement for licensed social workers, licensed clinical social workers and licensed social workers with administration specialty from 2 years to 3,000 hours of postgraduate experience in the related field. 

"There are too many social workers that are trained in Oklahoma but leave for other states to complete their supervision," Boatman said. "In restructuring the postgraduate experience requirements for social workers to make the process more straightforward, we can significantly help the recruitment and retention of social workers to our state. I hope this legislation helps strengthen Oklahoma's social work workforce and ensure the well-being of our communities." 

HB3015 was carried in the Senate by Sen. Jessica Garvin, R-Duncan.

“House Bill 3015 will make it easier for Oklahoma to recruit and retain qualified social workers by reducing the number of supervised work hours they must complete to obtain their license,” Garvin said. “This will eliminate some of the barriers that discourage talented professionals from pursuing these critical jobs while also bringing Oklahoma’s licensing requirements in line with the national standard.”