Subd. 1. General.

The board of social work shall:

1. (a) Adopt and enforce rules for licensure of social workers and for regulation of their professional conduct. The rules must be designed to protect the public.
2. (b) Adopt rules establishing standards and methods of determining whether applicants and licensees are qualified under sections 148B.21 to 148B.23. The rules must make provision for examinations and must establish standards for professional conduct, including adoption of a code of professional ethics and requirements for continuing education.
3. (c) Hold examinations at least twice a year to assess applicants' knowledge and skills. The examinations may be written or oral and may be administered by the board or by a body designated by the board. Examinations must test the knowledge and skills of each of the four groups of social workers qualified under section 148B.21 to practice social work. Examinations must minimize cultural bias and must be balanced in theory.
4. (d) Issue licenses to individuals qualified under sections 148B.18 to 148B.289.
5. (e) Issue copies of the rules for licensure to all applicants.
6. (f) Establish and implement procedures, including a standard disciplinary process, to ensure that individuals licensed as social workers will comply with the board's rules.
7. (g) Establish, maintain, and publish annually a register of current licensees.
8. (h) Educate the public about the existence and content of the rules for social work licensing to enable consumers to file complaints against licensees who may have violated the rules.
9. (i) Evaluate its rules in order to refine the standards for licensing social workers and to improve the methods used to enforce the board's standards.

Subd. 2.

Repealed, 1993 c 337 s 20

Subd. 3. Duties of the board.

The board shall by rule establish fees, including late fees, for licenses and renewals so that the total fees collected by the board will as closely as possible equal anticipated expenditures during the fiscal biennium, as provided in section 16A.1285. Fees must be credited to accounts in the special revenue fund.