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[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 6, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S87-S88]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. INOUYE:
  S. 114. A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for 
the establishment of a National Center for Social Work Research; to the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, I rise, again, today to reintroduce 
legislation to amend the Public Health Service Act for the 
establishment of a National Center for Social Work Research. Social 
workers provide a multitude of health care delivery services throughout 
America to our children, families, the elderly, and persons suffering 
from various forms of abuse and neglect. The purpose of this center is 
to support and disseminate information about the basic and clinical 
social work research and training, with emphasis on service to 
underserved and rural populations.
  While the Federal Government provides funding for various social work 
research activities through the National Institutes of Health and other 
Federal agencies, there presently is no coordination or direction of 
these critical activities and no overall assessment of needs and 
opportunities for empirical knowledge development. The establishment of 
a Center for Social Work Research would result in improved behavioral 
and mental health care outcomes for our Nation's children, families, 
the elderly, and others.
  In order to meet the increasing challenges of bringing cost-
effective, research-based quality health care to all Americans, we must 
recognize the important contributions of social work researchers to 
health care delivery and central role that the Center for Social Work 
can provide in facilitating their work.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                 S. 114

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

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

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds that--
       (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; and
       (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.

       (a) In General.--Section 401(a) of the Public Health 
     Service Act (42 U.S.C. 281(a)) is amended by adding at the 
     end the following:
       ``(26) The National Center for Social Work Research.''.
       (b) Establishment.--Part E of title IV of the Public Health 
     Service Act (42 U.S.C. 287 et seq.) is amended by adding at 
     the end the following:

         ``Subpart 7--National Center for Social Work Research

     ``SEC. 485I. PURPOSE OF CENTER.

       ``The general purpose of the National Center for Social 
     Work Research (referred to in this subpart as the `Center') 
     is the conduct and support of, and dissemination of targeted 
     research concerning social work methods and outcomes related 
     to problems of significant social concern. The Center shall--
       ``(1) promote research and training that is designed to 
     inform social work practices, thus increasing the knowledge 
     base which promotes a healthier America; and
       ``(2) provide policymakers with empirically-based research 
     information to enable such policymakers to better understand 
     complex social issues and make informed funding decisions 
     about service effectiveness and cost efficiency.

     ``SEC. 485J. SPECIFIC AUTHORITIES.

       ``(a) In General.--To carry out the purpose described in 
     section 485I, the Director of the Center may provide research 
     training and instruction and establish, in the Center and in 
     other nonprofit institutions, research traineeships and 
     fellowships in the study and investigation of the prevention 
     of disease, health promotion, the association of 
     socioeconomic status, gender, ethnicity, age and geographical 
     location and health, the social work care of individuals 
     with, and families of individuals with, acute and chronic 
     illnesses, child abuse, neglect, and youth violence, and 
     child and family care to address problems of significant 
     social concern especially in underserved populations and 
     underserved geographical areas.
       ``(b) Stipends and Allowances.--The Director of the Center 
     may provide individuals receiving training and instruction or 
     traineeships or fellowships under subsection (a) with such 
     stipends and allowances (including amounts for travel and 
     subsistence and dependency allowances) as the Director 
     determines necessary.
       ``(c) Grants.--The Director of the Center may make grants 
     to nonprofit institutions to provide training and instruction 
     and traineeships and fellowships under subsection (a).

     ``SEC. 485K. ADVISORY COUNCIL.

       ``(a) Duties.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish an 
     advisory council for the Center 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 for the Center 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 for 
     the Center--
       ``(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 advisory council shall be composed 
     of the ex officio members described in paragraph (2) and not 
     more than 18 individuals to be appointed by the Secretary 
     under paragraph (3).
       ``(2) Ex officio members.--The ex officio members of the 
     advisory council shall include--
       ``(A) the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the 
     Director of NIH, the Director of the Center, the Chief Social 
     Work Officer of the Veterans' Administration, the Assistant 
     Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, the Associate 
     Director of Prevention Research at the National Institute of 
     Mental Health, the Director of the Division of Epidemiology 
     and Services Research, the Assistant Secretary of Health and 
     Human Services for the Administration for Children and 
     Families, the Assistant Secretary of Education for the Office 
     of Educational Research and Improvement, the Assistant 
     Secretary of Housing and Urban Development for Community 
     Planning and Development, and the Assistant Attorney General 
     for Office of Justice Programs (or the designees of such 
     officers); and
       ``(B) such additional officers or employees of the United 
     States as the Secretary determines necessary for the advisory 
     council to effectively carry out its functions.
       ``(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 individual 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, and at least 7 such individuals 
     shall be professional social workers who are recognized 
     experts in the area of clinical practice, education, or 
     research; and
       ``(B) not more than one-third of such individuals shall be 
     appointed from the general public and shall include leaders 
     in fields of public policy, law, health policy, economics, 
     and management.

     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.
       ``(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 maximum rate payable 
     for a position at grade GS-15 of the General Schedule.
       ``(c) Terms.--

[[Page S88]]

       ``(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.
       ``(d) Chairperson.--The chairperson of the advisory council 
     shall be selected by the Secretary from among the members 
     appointed under subsection (b)(3), except that the Secretary 
     may select the Director of the Center to be the chairperson 
     of the advisory council. The term of office of the 
     chairperson shall be 2 years.
       ``(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 
     may prepare, for inclusion in the biennial report under 
     section 485L--
       ``(1) comments with respect to the activities of the 
     advisory council in the fiscal years for which the report is 
     prepared;
       ``(2) comments on the progress of the Center in meeting its 
     objectives; and
       ``(3) recommendations with respect to the future direction 
     and program and policy emphasis of the center.
     The advisory council may prepare such additional reports as 
     it may determine appropriate.

     ``SEC. 485L. BIENNIAL REPORT.

       ``The Director of the Center, after consultation with the 
     advisory council for the Center, shall prepare for inclusion 
     in the biennial report under section 403, a biennial report 
     that shall consist of a description of the activities of the 
     Center and program policies of the Director of the Center in 
     the fiscal years for which the report is prepared. The 
     Director of the Center may prepare such additional reports as 
     the Director determines appropriate. The Director of the 
     Center shall provide the advisory council of the Center an 
     opportunity for the submission of the written comments 
     described in section 485K(g).

     ``SEC. 485M. QUARTERLY REPORT.

       ``The Director of the Center shall prepare and submit to 
     Congress a quarterly report that contains a summary of 
     findings and policy implications derived from research 
     conducted or supported through the Center.''.
                                 ______
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