establish a criminal background check requirement for multistate licensure under the social work licensure compact.

HB 1028 requires social work license applicants seeking a multistate license under South Dakota's social work licensure compact to undergo a criminal background check. The bill mandates that applicants submit fingerprints to the South Dakota Board of Social Work Examiners, which then conducts a state and federal background check through the Division of Criminal Investigation and FBI. Applicants must sign a release and pay associated fees, and the Board cannot issue a multistate license until it receives the background check results. This directly affects social work license applicants pursuing multistate licensure under the compact.