New Mexico Code § 11-22-2

Definitions
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As used in the Social Work Interstate Licensure Compact [Social Work Licensure
Interstate Compact]:
A. "active military member" means any person with full-time duty status in the active
armed forces of the United States, including members of the national guard and
reserve;
B. "adverse action" means any administrative, civil, equitable or criminal action
permitted by a state's laws that is imposed by a licensing authority or other authority
against a regulated social worker, including an action against a person's license or
multistate authorization to practice, such as revocation, suspension, probation,
monitoring of the licensee, limitation on the licensee's practice, issuance of a cease and
desist action or any other encumbrance on licensure affecting a regulated social
worker's authorization to practice;
C. "alternative program" means a non-disciplinary monitoring or practice
remediation process approved by a licensing authority to address practitioners with an
impairment;
D. "charter member states" means member states who have enacted legislation to
adopt this compact before the effective date of this compact as described in Section 14
[11-22-14 NMSA 1978] of the Social Work Interstate Licensure Compact [Social Work
Licensure Interstate Compact];
E. "compact" means the Social Work Interstate Licensure Compact [Social Work
Licensure Interstate Compact];
F. "compact commission" or "commission" means the joint government agency
whose membership consists of all states that have enacted this compact, which is
known as the social work licensure compact commission, as described in Section 10
[11-22-10 NMSA 1978] of this compact, and which shall operate as an instrumentality of
the member states;
G. "current significant investigative information" means:
(1) investigative information that a licensing authority, after a preliminary
inquiry that includes notification and an opportunity for the regulated social worker to
respond, has reason to believe is not groundless and, if proved true, would indicate
more than a minor infraction as may be defined by the commission; or
(2) investigative information that indicates that the regulated social worker
represents an immediate threat to public health and safety, as may be defined by the
commission, regardless of whether the regulated social worker has been notified and
has had an opportunity to respond;
H. "data system" means a repository of information about licensees, including
continuing education, examination, licensure, current significant investigative
information, disqualifying events, multistate licenses, adverse action information or other
information as required by the commission;
I. "disqualifying event" means any adverse action or incident that results in an
encumbrance that disqualifies or makes the licensee ineligible to either obtain, retain or
renew a multistate license;
J. "domicile" means the jurisdiction in which the licensee resides and intends to
remain indefinitely;
K. "encumbrance" means a revocation or suspension of, or any limitation on, the full
and unrestricted practice of social work licensed and regulated by a licensing authority;
L. "executive committee" means a group of delegates elected or appointed to act on
behalf of and within the powers granted to them by the compact and commission;
M. "home state" means the member state that is the licensee's primary domicile;
N. "impairment" means a condition that may impair a practitioner's ability to engage
in full and unrestricted practice as a regulated social worker without some type of
intervention and may include alcohol and drug dependence, mental health impairment
and neurological or physical impairments;
O. "licensee" means a person who currently holds a license from a member state to
practice as a regulated social worker;
P. "licensing authority" means the board or agency of a member state, or
equivalent, that is responsible for the licensing and regulation of regulated social
workers;
Q. "member state" means a state, commonwealth, district or territory of the United
States that has enacted this compact;
R. "multistate authorization to practice" means a legally authorized privilege to
practice, which is equivalent to a license, associated with a multistate license permitting
the practice of social work in a remote state;
S. "multistate license" means a license to practice as a regulated social worker
issued by a home state licensing authority that authorizes the regulated social worker to
practice in all member states under multistate authorization to practice;
T. "qualifying national exam" means a national licensing examination approved by
the commission;
U. "regulated social worker" means any clinical, master's or bachelor's social worker
licensed by a member state regardless of the title used by the member state;
V. "remote state" means a member state other than the licensee's home state;
W. "rule" or "rule of the commission" means a regulation or regulations duly
promulgated by the commission, as authorized by this compact;
X. "single state license" means a social work license issued by any state that
authorizes practice only within the issuing state and does not include multistate
authorization to practice in any member state;
Y. "social work" or "social work services" means the application of social work
theory, knowledge, methods and ethics and the professional use of self to restore or
enhance social, psychosocial or biopsychosocial functioning of persons, couples,
families, groups, organizations or communities through the care and services provided
by a regulated social worker as set forth in the member state's statutes and regulations
in the state where the services are being provided;
Z. "state" means any state, commonwealth, district or territory of the United States
that regulates the practice of social work; and
AA. "unencumbered license" means a license that authorizes a regulated social
worker to engage in the full and unrestricted practice of social work.
History: Laws 2026, ch. 6, § 2.

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