AN ACT TO establish title protection for social workers and to authorize any governmental employee whose position is derived from the office of state personnel social work series, has been certified to be SUBSTANTIALLY equivalent, or was created by a county in a human services agency to use the title "social worker."

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  G.S. 90B‑3(8) reads as rewritten:
"The following definitions apply in this Chapter:
…
(8)	Social Worker. – A person certified, licensed, or provisionally licensed by this Chapter or otherwise exempt under G.S. 90B‑10."
SECTION 2.  G.S. 90B‑10 is amended by adding the following new subsection to read:
"(c)	Notwithstanding the requirements of G.S. 90B‑16, any individual who is employed by an agency of a local or State governmental entity, and who is in a position holding the title of 'Social Worker' or any variation of the name, and whose position title is derived from the Office of State Personnel Social Work Series may use the title 'Social Worker' or any variation of the title. This includes persons in such positions in counties whose classification and compensation systems have been certified as substantially equivalent by the State Personnel Commission and persons serving in such positions in Human Services agencies created by counties pursuant to G.S. 153A‑77."
SECTION 3.  Chapter 90B of the General Statutes is amended by adding the following new section to read:
"§ 90B‑16.  Title protection.
(a)	Except as provided in G.S. 90B‑10, an individual who (i) is not certified, licensed, or provisionally licensed by this Chapter as a social worker, (ii) does not hold a bachelor's or master's degree in social work from a college or university having a social work program accredited or admitted to candidacy for accreditation by the Council of Social Work Education, or (iii) has not received a doctorate in social work shall not use the title 'Social Worker' or any variation of the title.
(b)	The Board is authorized to enforce title protection pursuant to this section in accordance with G.S. 90B‑13.
(c)	The Board shall adopt rules to implement this section."
SECTION 4.  This act is effective when it becomes law.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 2nd day of June, 2009.

	_____________________________________
		 Walter H. Dalton
	 President of the Senate

	_____________________________________
		 Joe Hackney
	 Speaker of the House of Representatives

	_____________________________________
		 Beverly E. Perdue
	 Governor

Approved __________.m. this ______________ day of ___________________, 2009