House committee clears bill to let Pennsylvania join Social Work Interstate Compact

The House Professional Licensure Committee on an unanimous voice vote reported House Bill 554 as amended, a measure that would allow Pennsylvania to join the Social Work Interstate Compact and make it easier for licensed social workers to practice across state lines.

Representative Abney, sponsor of the bill, told the committee he holds a master’s degree in social work and framed the bill as both a workforce and continuity-of-care measure. “This is an opportunity for licensure portability for social workers who may be moving from one state to another,” he said, adding it would help attract practitioners to the Commonwealth and maintain ongoing care for clients who move.

Committee staff explained the amendment adopted during the meeting extends the bill’s effective date to 18 months. The chair then asked whether the committee would report the bill; hearing no negative votes, the committee reported House Bill 554 as amended.

Supporters, including Abney, emphasized practical benefits: allowing a social worker licensed in another member state to continue serving a client who relocates and easing administrative barriers to hiring practitioners from other states. Abney also said the compact would align Pennsylvania with other states; he stated it would join roughly 26 other states currently in the compact.

The committee took no separate policy direction beyond reporting the measure as amended. No formal amendments beyond the effective-date change were adopted, and no dissenting votes were recorded during the committee report.

The bill will move forward to the full House with the committee’s recommendation that it be reported as amended.