I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1490 

To establish a grant program to assist in the provision of safety measures 

to protect social workers and other professionals who work with atrisk populations. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 12, 2009 

Mr. MOORE of Kansas (for himself, Ms. DELAURO, Ms. CORRINE BROWN of 

Florida, Mr. HOLT, Ms. SHEA-PORTER, Mr. CHANDLER, Ms. BALDWIN, 

Mr. OLVER, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. HINCHEY, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Ms. 

SCHWARTZ, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Mr. KENNEDY, Ms. KILPATRICK

of Michigan, Mr. MEEKS of New York, Mr. KUCINICH, Mr. CONYERS, 

Mr. SABLAN, Mr. PAYNE, and Mr. CARNAHAN) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor 

A BILL 

To establish a grant program to assist in the provision of 

safety measures to protect social workers and other professionals who work with at-risk populations. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Teri Zenner Social 

5 Worker Safety Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

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1 (1) According to the Occupational Safety and 

2 Health Administration, some 2 million American 

3 workers are victims of job-related violence each year. 

4 (2) On August 17, 2004, Teri Zenner, a social 

5 worker and case manager with Johnson County 

6 Mental Health Center, was stabbed and killed dur7 ing a routine, in-home visit with a client. 

8 (3) Based on OSHA’s most recently published 

9 ‘‘Guidelines for Preventing Workplace Violence for 

10 Health Care & Social Service Workers’’, 48 percent 

11 of all non-fatal injuries from occupational assaults 

12 and violent acts occurred in the fields of health care 

13 and social services. 

14 (4) A major study by the American Federation 

15 of State, County, and Municipal Employees, found 

16 that 70 percent of front-line child welfare workers 

17 had been victims of violence or threats in the line of 

18 duty. A review of the 585 exit interviews found that 

19 90 percent of former child welfare workers experi20 enced verbal threats, 30 percent experienced physical 

21 attacks, and 13 percent had been threatened with 

22 weapons. 

23 (5) Based on 2000 Bureau of Labor Statistics 

24 findings, social service workers in the public sector, 

25 including social workers and case workers, are apmstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

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1 proximately 7 times more likely to be the victims of 

2 violent assaults while at work than are workers in 

3 the private sector. 

4 (6) States such as California, New Jersey, and 

5 Washington, and the National Association of Social 

6 Workers, have all developed various safety programs 

7 with safety guidelines for social workers and case 

8 workers to follow while in the course of their employ9 ment. 

10 (7) Social workers and case workers elevate 

11 service to others above self-interest, and draw on 

12 their knowledge, values and skills to help people in 

13 need and to address social problems. Job-related vio14 lence against social workers and case workers affects 

15 these hard-working and dedicated individuals, their 

16 families, their clients, and their communities 

17 throughout the United States. 

18 (8) There is a need to increase public awareness 

19 and understanding of job-related violence in the field 

20 of social services and to meet the needs of social 

21 workers and case workers in preventing such vio22 lence. Although not every incident of job-related vio23 lence can be prevented, many can, and the severity 

24 of injuries sustained by social workers and case 

25 workers can be reduced. 

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1 SEC. 3. SOCIAL WORKER SAFETY GRANT PROGRAM. 

2 (a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary of Health 

3 and Human Services (the ‘‘Secretary’’), through the Sub4 stance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 

5 is authorized to award grants to States to provide safety 

6 measures to social workers and other professionals work7 ing with violent, drug-using, or other at-risk populations. 

8 (b) USE OF FUNDS.—Grants awarded pursuant to 

9 subsection (a) may be used to provide or support the fol10 lowing safety measures: 

11 (1) The procurement and installation of safety 

12 equipment, including communications systems, such 

13 as GPS tracking devices and GPS cell telephones to 

14 assist agencies in locating staff, and any technical 

15 assistance and training for safety communications. 

16 (2) Training exercises for self-defense and crisis 

17 management. 

18 (3) Facility safety improvements. 

19 (4) The provision of pepper spray for self-de20 fense. 

21 (5) Training in cultural competency, including 

22 linguistic training, and training on strategies for de23 escalating a situation that could turn volatile. 

24 (6) Training to help workers who work with 

25 mentally ill community or that have behavioral prob26 lems and need help coping. 

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1 (7) Educational resources and materials to 

2 train staff on safety and awareness measures. 

3 (8) Other activities determined by the Secretary 

4 to be safety training. 

5 (c) APPLICATION.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—A State seeking a grant 

7 under subsection (a) shall submit an application to 

8 the Secretary, at such time, in such manner, and ac9 companied by such additional information as the 

10 Secretary may require. 

11 (2) CONTENTS.—Each application submitted 

12 pursuant to paragraph (1) shall— 

13 (A) describe the type of agencies that will 

14 be receiving funding from the grant and type of 

15 work done by such agencies; 

16 (B) describe the specific activities for 

17 which assistance under this section is sought 

18 and include a program budget; and 

19 (C) contain an assurance that the appli20 cant will evaluate the effectiveness of the safety 

21 measure provided with funds received under the 

22 grant. 

23 (d) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under subsection 

24 (a), the Secretary shall give priority to those applicants 

25 that— 

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1 (1) demonstrate the greatest need based on 

2 documented incidents; and 

3 (2) seek to provide assistance to multiple agen4 cies. 

5 (e) QUALITY ASSURANCE AND COST-EFFECTIVE6 NESS.—The Secretary shall establish guidelines for assur7 ing the cost-effectiveness and quality of the safety meas8 ures funded under this section. 

9 (f) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary may 

10 provide technical assistance to grant recipients with re11 spect to planning, developing, and implementing safety 

12 measures under the grant. 

13 (g) REPORT REQUIREMENT.—States receiving grants 

14 shall file with the Secretary, not later than 2 years after 

15 the receipt of the grant, information that includes— 

16 (1) an assessment of the activities funded in 

17 whole or in part with such grant; 

18 (2) the range and scope of training opportuni19 ties, including numbers and percentage of social 

20 workers engaged in the training programs funded in 

21 whole or in part by such grant; and 

22 (3) the incidence of threats to social workers, if 

23 any, and the strategies used to address their safety. 

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1 (h) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—For any State receiving 

2 a grant under this section, the non-Federal share of any 

3 program to provide safety measures shall be 50 percent. 

4 (i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

5 authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Health 

6 and Human Services $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

7 2010 through 2014 to carry out this Act. 

Æ 

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