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<section article="gho" article_name="Health Occupations" number="19-202" title_number="19" title_name="Social Workers" subtitle_number="2" subtitle_name="State Board of Social Work Examiners">
  <level label="a">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The Board consists of 12 members.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Of the 12 Board members:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>10 shall be licensed social workers of whom:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>Subject to paragraph (3) of this subsection, 1 is a licensed bachelor social worker;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>Subject to paragraph (3) of this subsection, 1 is a licensed master social worker at the time of appointment;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="3">
          <text>Subject to paragraph (3) of this subsection, at least 1 is:</text>
        </level>
        <level label="A">
          <text>A licensed certified social worker; or</text>
        </level>
        <level label="B">
          <text>A licensed master social worker who is approved for independent practice;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="4">
          <text>Subject to paragraph (3) of this subsection, at least 4 are licensed certified social workers–clinical;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="5">
          <text>1 is a licensed social worker employed by the Department of Human Services; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="6">
          <text>Subject to paragraph (3) of this subsection, 1 is a licensed social worker who is:</text>
        </level>
        <level label="A">
          <text>Primarily engaged in social worker education at a social work program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="B">
          <text>Nominated from a list of names submitted by the deans and directors of the Maryland Social Work Education Programs; and</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>2 shall be consumer members.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>If a licensee of the specified license category is not appointed to the Board under paragraph (2)(i) of this subsection within 3 months of a vacancy, a licensee of any license category shall be appointed immediately if that licensee is qualified to be a member of the Board under subsections (b) and (d) of this section.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>The Governor shall appoint all members of the Board with the advice of the Secretary and the advice and consent of the Senate.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="5">
      <text>The Governor shall appoint all social work members of the Board from a list of nominees containing names submitted by:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>Professional social work associations in the State;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>Any person who provides a statement of nomination signed by at least 15 social workers licensed in the State;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>The secretaries of public agencies of the State where social workers are employed; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <text>The corporate executive officers or executive directors of private organizations where social workers are employed.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>Each member of the Board shall be a resident of this State.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <text>Each consumer member of the Board:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>Shall be a member of the general public;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>May not be or ever have been a social worker or in training to become a social worker;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>May not have a household member who is a social worker or in training to become a social worker;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>May not participate or ever have participated in a commercial or professional field related to social work;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="5">
      <text>May not have a household member who participates in a commercial or professional field related to social work; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="6">
      <text>May not have had within 2 years before appointment a substantial financial interest in a person regulated by the Board or a person that employs a person regulated by the Board.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <text>Except for a licensed bachelor social worker member or a licensed master social worker member, each social worker member of the Board shall have been licensed in the State for 5 years immediately preceding the appointment and actively employed in the field of social work for at least 3 of the 5 years immediately preceding the appointment.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="e">
    <text>While a member of the Board, a consumer member may not have a substantial financial interest in a person regulated by the Board or a person that employs a person regulated by the Board.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="f">
    <text>Before taking office, each appointee to the Board shall take the oath required by Article I, § 9 of the Maryland Constitution.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="g">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The term of a member is 4 years.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The terms of members are staggered.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>At the end of a term, a member continues to serve until a successor is appointed and qualifies.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>A member who is appointed after a term has begun serves only for the rest of the term and until a successor is appointed and qualifies.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="5">
      <level label="i">
        <text>Except as provided in subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph, a member may not serve more than 2 consecutive full terms.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>A licensed social worker member who is nominated in accordance with subsection (a)(2)(i)6B of this section may not serve more than 1 full term.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="6">
      <text>To the extent practicable, the Governor shall fill any vacancy on the Board within 60 days of the date of the vacancy.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="h">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The Governor may remove a member for incompetence, misconduct, or neglect of duty.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Upon the recommendation of the Secretary, the Governor may remove a member whom the Secretary finds to have been absent from 2 successive Board meetings without adequate reason.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
</section>
