Washington's legislative session adjourned sine die on April 23, 2023. During the session, the Chapter was active in supporting two bills (SB 5354 and HB 1021) that proposed changes to social work licensure, including reduction of experience hours. These provisions were included into HB 1724 (increasing the behavioral health workforce). This bill included provisions for not only the changes the Chapter requested, but also provisions to create a stipend program for out-of-pocket supervision expenses, a supervision directory resource hosted by the Department of Health, and more. We supported these provisions, but actively opposed the Senate amendments that added new licensing avenues for agency affiliated counselors that also expanded AAC's scope of practice to include assessment, diagnosis, and treatment. Despite our opposition and messaging, the final bill (2SHB 1724) passed both the House and Senate and awaits the Governor's signature. Our Chapter is working to make sure to disseminate updated licensing information once the bill becomes law.

Many thanks to the Legislative Action Committee (LAC) this year for organizing February's Policy Conference and setting priorities for the Chapter. The LAC continues to meet monthly and will organize debrief materials regarding bills that we supported from the 2023 legislative session. To see a list of bills the chapter supported, please check out our Voter Voice page. In 2024, we anticipate working to support passage of the Social Work Licensure Compact. The final version of the model compact legislation arrived too late in Washington's 2023 session; this will be a priority for 2024 to enhance social work licensure mobility and continue to support work to meet the behavioral health needs of Washingtonians.