Chapter News

So, to the Illinois General Assembly, here's the NASW-Illinois Chapter's humble suggestion—raise their taxes and fund school social workers with the revenue.

NASW submitted comments to the Department of Education in response to the Reimagining and Improving Student Education Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. NASW argued that social work should be considered a professional degree for the purposes of student loan limits and that the Tiered Standard repayment plan should be eligible for PSLF.

House Bill 4826 (HB4826) would strengthen the integrity and quality of continuing education for licensed professionals in Illinois by ensuring that CE credit cannot be awarded for courses that teach practices or actions that are prohibited under Illinois law. This is an important step in protecting both practitioners and the communities we serve while reinforcing clear, ethical, and legally compliant professional standards.

The Department of Education is currently accepting comments on the rule change which would remove social work as a professional degree through March 2, 2026. We ask that all social workers submit their comments on this change through the Federal eRulemaking Portal before March 2, 2026.