HB 1136

bill offering social workers a route around the licensing exam

Filed

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review

Rep. Charlene Ward JohnsonDHouse 139

Initial review · graded Nov 12, 2026 · How we grade

Caption

relating to the licensing of certain social workers; imposing a fee.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

Failed the exam two or more times? Pay a fee, try another route.

The bill orders the state's behavioral health licensing council to create ways other than a test to judge whether a would-be social worker is competent. It applies to people seeking a baccalaureate or master social worker license who have failed the licensing exam two or more times, and it requires the council to charge a fee for the alternative assessment and to set up a work group of social work professionals to advise on it. Rules must be adopted by January 1, 2028, so applicants who keep failing the exam get another route to a license.

Labels

Labels: BACK FROM THE DEAD. Same text as a bill filed before that died: 89R HB 4261 (Died in committee). Filed in 2 sessions, counting this one. Checked against 88R and 89R only.TRY NO. 2. Filed in 2 sessions: 89R and 90R. Checked against 88R and 89R only.FEE INCLUDED. The caption of the graded version (introduced) reads: “relating to the licensing of certain social workers; imposing a fee.”

Receipt

The receipt

90R-HB1136 · 2026-11-12

SOLD BY

Rep. Charlene Ward JohnsonDHouse 139

ITEM

relating to the licensing of certain social workers; imposing a fee.

WHAT IT DOES

Failed the exam two or more times? Pay a fee, try another route.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No fiscal note in the loaded record.

HISTORY

2026-11-12 Filed (per the TLO filing feed)

ALSO NOTED · NOT CHARGED (1)

NEW FEE, FUND, BOARD OR APPOINTEES · analysis confidence 40%

THE TEXT

“The executive council shall establish a work group to”…

Bill text, introduced version (I)

The bill creates a new advisory work group and a new fee for the alternative assessment. Both are minor, and the fee is named in the caption, so this is a trivial instance.

FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Charlene Ward Johnson

Donors

Texas Sands PAC$33K Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$33K Legacy 44$25K

Not tied to this bill.

Sources

The author's campaign account only. Own money and internal transfers are separate on the member page.

Derived itemized flow · Jul 5, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Texas Sands PAC$33,000.00

Texas Sands PAC

$33,000.00

Cash: $33,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $33,000.00

Also funds 121 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 3, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Oct 1, 2024 to Jan 28, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100981582, 101039497.

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$32,500.00

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$32,500.00

Cash: $32,500.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $32,500.00

Also funds 137 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 24, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Jun 23, 2025 to Sep 1, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101008678, 101031228, 101035430, 101039497, 101068178.

Legacy 44$25,343.19

Legacy 44

$25,343.19

Cash: $4,500.00
Paid by others: $20,843.19
Total: $25,343.19

Other filed descriptions $10,000.00mailer $9,036.44digital $1,806.75

Also funds 33 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Oct 21, 2024 to Oct 20, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Oct 21, 2024 to Oct 9, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100981582, 101031228, 101039497, 101073019.

Money

Missing data does not establish zero giving. Display amounts are rounded.

Texas Sands PAC

$33,000.00

Cash: $33,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $33,000.00

Also funds 121 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 3, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Oct 1, 2024 to Jan 28, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100981582, 101039497.

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$32,500.00

Cash: $32,500.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $32,500.00

Also funds 137 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 24, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Jun 23, 2025 to Sep 1, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101008678, 101031228, 101035430, 101039497, 101068178.

Legacy 44

$25,343.19

Cash: $4,500.00
Paid by others: $20,843.19
Total: $25,343.19

Other filed descriptions $10,000.00mailer $9,036.44digital $1,806.75

Also funds 33 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Oct 21, 2024 to Oct 20, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Oct 21, 2024 to Oct 9, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100981582, 101031228, 101039497, 101073019.

Votes

No floor vote loaded for this bill.

Fiscal

No fiscal note in the loaded record.

How this was graded

Analysis of text version I by a super-expensive superintelligence, Nov 12, 2026, against the published rubric.

FILED BEFORE

Filed 2 times: 89R and now. Checked against 88R and 89R only.

89R HB 4261

by Rep. Ward Johnson, same lead author · Died in committee · same text

Introduced text

Last action, Apr 1, 2025: Referred to Human Services

Relating to the licensing of certain social workers; imposing a fee.

Caption, 89R bill history

Sources

Texas House · Filed Nov 12, 2026

2026-11-12 Filed (per the TLO filing feed)

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced text: HTML · PDF

Data snapshot Nov 12, 2026 at 5:09 PM CST. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

Text

The text as introduced · 217 words

90R4463 RAL-F

By: Ward Johnson
H.B. No. 1136

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the licensing of certain social workers; imposing a

fee.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Subchapter G, Chapter 505, Occupations Code, is

amended by adding Section 505.355 to read as follows:

Sec. 505.355. ALTERNATIVES TO EXAMINATION. (a) The

executive council by rule shall establish alternative methods,

other than an examination, of assessing the competency of an

applicant for a baccalaureate or master social worker license who

has failed the applicable examination two or more times. The rules

adopted under this subsection must set a fee for the administration

of the alternative method of assessing competency. In adopting the

rules, the executive council shall consider the recommendations of

the work group established under Subsection (b).

(b) The executive council shall establish a work group to

solicit input from stakeholders and make recommendations on the

development and implementation of alternative methods under

Subsection (a). The work group must consist of persons with a

background in social work.

SECTION 2. Not later than January 1, 2028, the Texas

Behavioral Health Executive Council shall adopt the rules required

by Section 505.355, Occupations Code, as added by this Act.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2027.