To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for the establishment of a National Center for Social Work Research.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Center for Social Work 
Research Act of 2004''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds as follows:
            (1) Social workers focus on the improvement of individual 
        and family functioning and the creation of effective health and 
        mental health prevention and treatment interventions in order 
        for individuals to become more productive members of society.
            (2) Social workers provide front line prevention and 
        treatment services in the areas of school violence, aging, teen 
        pregnancy, child abuse, domestic violence, juvenile crime, and 
        substance abuse, particularly in rural and underserved 
        communities.
            (3) Social workers are in a unique position to provide 
        valuable research information on these complex social concerns, 
        taking into account a wide range of social, medical, economic, 
        and community influences from an interdisciplinary, family-
        centered, and community-based approach.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL CENTER FOR SOCIAL WORK RESEARCH.

    Title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 241 et seq.) 
is amended by adding at the end the following:

           ``PART R--NATIONAL CENTER FOR SOCIAL WORK RESEARCH

``SEC. 399AA. ESTABLISHMENT.

    ``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish the National 
Center for Social Work Research (in this part referred to as the 
`Center') for the purpose of conducting, supporting, and disseminating 
targeted research on social work methods and outcomes related to 
problems of significant social concern.
    ``(b) Director.--The Secretary shall appoint the Director of the 
Center.

``SEC. 399BB. SPECIFIC AUTHORITIES.

    ``(a) In General.--To carry out the purpose described in section 
399AA(a), the Director of the Center--
            ``(1) shall promote research and training designed to 
        inform social work practice, thus increasing the knowledge base 
        and promoting a healthier America;
            ``(2) shall provide policymakers with empirically-based 
        research information to enable them to better understand 
        complex social issues and make informed funding decisions about 
        service effectiveness and cost efficiency; and
            ``(3) may establish in the Center and other nonprofit 
        institutions, and make grants for, research traineeships and 
        fellowships to address problems of significant social concern, 
        especially in underserved populations and underserved 
        geographical areas, through the study and investigation of--
                    ``(A) the prevention of disease;
                    ``(B) health promotion;
                    ``(C) the association of socioeconomic status, 
                gender, ethnicity, age, and geographical location with 
                health;
                    ``(D) the social work care of individuals and 
                families affected by acute and chronic illnesses, child 
                abuse, neglect, or youth violence; and
                    ``(E) child and family care.
    ``(b) Stipends and Allowances.--The Director of the Center may 
provide individuals receiving training, instruction, traineeships, or 
fellowships under this section with such stipends and allowances 
(including amounts for travel and subsistence and dependency 
allowances) as the Director determines necessary.

``SEC. 399CC. ADVISORY COUNCIL.

    ``(a) Duties.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish an 
        advisory council for the Center (in this part referred to as 
        the `advisory council') that shall advise, assist, consult 
        with, and make recommendations to the Secretary and the 
        Director of the Center on matters related to the activities 
        carried out by and through the Center and the policies with 
        respect to such activities.
            ``(2) Gifts.--The advisory council may recommend to the 
        Secretary the acceptance, in accordance with section 231, of 
        conditional gifts for study, investigations, and research and 
        for the acquisition of grounds or construction, equipment, or 
        maintenance of facilities for the Center.
            ``(3) Other duties and functions.--The advisory council--
                    ``(A)(i) may make recommendations to the Director 
                of the Center with respect to research to be conducted 
                by the Center;
                    ``(ii) may review applications for grants and 
                cooperative agreements for research or training and 
                recommend for approval applications for projects that 
                demonstrate the probability of making valuable 
                contributions to human knowledge; and
                    ``(iii) may review any grant, contract, or 
                cooperative agreement proposed to be made or entered 
                into by the Center;
                    ``(B) may collect, by correspondence or by personal 
                investigation, information relating to studies that are 
                being carried out in the United States or any other 
                country and, with the approval of the Director of the 
                Center, make such information available through 
                appropriate publications; and
                    ``(C) may appoint subcommittees and convene 
                workshops and conferences.
    ``(b) Membership.--
            ``(1) In general.--The voting members of the advisory 
        council shall be the ex officio members described in paragraph 
        (2) and not more than 18 individuals appointed by the Secretary 
        under paragraph (3).
            ``(2) Ex officio members.--The ex officio members of the 
        advisory council shall consist of the following officers and 
        employees (or their designees):
                    ``(A) The Secretary of Health and Human Services, 
                the Director of the Center, the Director of the Centers 
                for Disease Control and Prevention, the Director of the 
                Institute of Education Sciences, the Assistant Attorney 
                General for the Office of Justice Programs, the 
                Director of the National Institutes of Health, the 
                Associate Director for Prevention of the National 
                Institute of Mental Health, and the Associate Director 
                for Prevention of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
                    ``(B) An official of the Department of Health and 
                Human Services with principal responsibility for health 
                programs relating to children and families, designated 
                by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
                    ``(C) An official of the Department of Defense with 
                principal responsibility for health affairs, designated 
                by the Secretary of Defense.
                    ``(D) An official of the National Institute of 
                Mental Health with principal responsibility for 
                services research and clinical epidemiology, designated 
                by the Director of the National Institute of Mental 
                Health.
                    ``(E) An official of the Department of Housing and 
                Urban Development with principal responsibility for 
                community planning and development, designated by the 
                Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
                    ``(F) An official of the Veterans Health 
                Administration with principal responsibility for social 
                work programs, designated by the Under Secretary for 
                Health of the Veterans Health Administration.
                    ``(G) Any other officer or employee of the United 
                States who, at the request of the Secretary, agrees to 
                serve on the advisory council.
            ``(3) Appointed members.--The Secretary shall appoint not 
        to exceed 18 individuals to the advisory council, of which--
                    ``(A) not more than two-thirds of such 18 
                individuals shall be appointed from among the leading 
                representatives of the health and scientific 
                disciplines (including public health and the behavioral 
                or social sciences) relevant to the activities of the 
                Center, of which at least 7 individuals shall be 
                professional social workers who are recognized experts 
                in the area of clinical practice, education, policy, or 
                research; and
                    ``(B) not more than one-third of such 18 
                individuals shall be appointed from the general public 
                and shall include leaders in fields of public policy, 
                law, health policy, economics, and management.
            ``(4) Compensation.--Members of the advisory council who 
        are officers or employees of the United States shall not 
        receive any compensation for service on the advisory council. 
        The remaining members shall receive, for each day (including 
        travel time) they are engaged in the performance of the 
        functions of the advisory council, compensation at rates not to 
        exceed the daily equivalent of the annual rate in effect for an 
        individual at grade GS-18 of the General Schedule.
    ``(c) Terms.--
            ``(1) In general.--The term of office of an individual 
        appointed to the advisory council under subsection (b)(3) shall 
        be 4 years, except that any individual appointed to fill a 
        vacancy on the advisory council shall serve for the remainder 
        of the unexpired term. A member may serve after the expiration 
        of the member's term until a successor has been appointed.
            ``(2) Reappointments.--A member of the advisory council who 
        has been appointed under subsection (b)(3) for a term of 4 
        years may not be reappointed to the advisory council prior to 
        the expiration of the 2-year period beginning on the date on 
        which the prior term expired.
            ``(3) Vacancy.--If a vacancy occurs on the advisory council 
        among the members under subsection (b)(3), the Secretary shall 
        make an appointment to fill that vacancy not later than 90 days 
        after the date on which the vacancy occurs.
            ``(4) Expiration of terms.--The Secretary shall make 
        appointments to the advisory council in such a manner as to 
        ensure that the terms of the members do not all expire in the 
        same year.
    ``(d) Chairperson.--
            ``(1) Selection.--The Secretary shall select the 
        chairperson of the advisory council from among the members 
        appointed under subsection (b)(3) and the Director of the 
        Center.
            ``(2) Term.--The term of office of the chairperson shall be 
        2 years, except that such term shall not apply if the 
        chairperson is the Director of the Center.
    ``(e) Meetings.--The advisory council shall meet at the call of the 
chairperson or upon the request of the Director of the Center, but not 
less than 3 times each fiscal year. The location of the meetings of the 
advisory council shall be subject to the approval of the Director of 
the Center.
    ``(f) Administrative Provisions.--The Director of the Center shall 
designate a member of the staff of the Center to serve as the executive 
secretary of the advisory council. The Director of the Center shall 
make available to the advisory council such staff, information, and 
other assistance as the council may require to carry out its functions. 
The Director of the Center shall provide orientation and training for 
new members of the advisory council to provide such members with such 
information and training as may be appropriate for their effective 
participation in the functions of the advisory council.
    ``(g) Comments and Recommendations.--The advisory council--
            ``(1) may prepare for inclusion in the biennial report 
        under section 399DD--
                    ``(A) comments with respect to the activities of 
                the advisory council in the fiscal years for which the 
                report is prepared;
                    ``(B) comments on the progress of the Center in 
                meeting its objectives; and
                    ``(C) recommendations with respect to the future 
                direction and program and policy emphasis of the 
                Center; and
            ``(2) such additional reports as the advisory council 
        determines to be appropriate.

``SEC. 399DD. BIENNIAL REPORTS.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall transmit to the President 
and to the Congress a biennial report which shall be prepared by the 
Director of the Center, after consultation with the advisory council, 
and which shall consist of--
            ``(1) a description of the activities of the Center and the 
        program policies of the Director of the Center in the fiscal 
        years for which the report is prepared; and
            ``(2) such additional information as the Director 
        determines appropriate.
    ``(b) Comments by Advisory Council.--The Director of the Center 
shall provide the advisory council an opportunity to submit written 
comments described in section 399CC(g).

``SEC. 400. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``For the purpose of carrying out this part, there is authorized to 
be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal 
years 2005 through 2009.''.

Summary: National Center for Social Work Research Act of 2004 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish the National Center for Social Work Research to conduct, support, and disseminate targeted research on social work methods and outcomes related to problems of significant social concern. Requires the Secretary to appoint a Director of the Center to: (1) promote research and training designed to inform social work practice, (2) provide policy makers with empirically-based research information. And (3) establish research traineeships to address problems of significant social concern. Establishes an advisory council for the Center.