I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1289 

To establish the Social Work Reinvestment Commission to provide independent counsel to Congress and the Secretary of Health and Human 

Services on policy issues related to recruitment, retention, research, and 

reinvestment in the profession of social work, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 1, 2017 

Ms. LEE (for herself, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Ms. 

TSONGAS, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Ms. 

BORDALLO, Miss RICE of New York, Ms. NORTON, Mrs. DINGELL, and 

Mr. SOTO) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 

A BILL 

To establish the Social Work Reinvestment Commission to 

provide independent counsel to Congress and the Secretary of Health and Human Services on policy issues 

related to recruitment, retention, research, and reinvestment in the profession of social work, and for other 

purposes. 

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


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

2 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

3 ‘‘Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr., Social 

4 Work Reinvestment Act’’. 

5 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.— 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Findings. 

Sec. 3. Definitions. 

TITLE I—SOCIAL WORK REINVESTMENT COMMISSION 

Sec. 101. Establishment. 

Sec. 102. Members. 

Sec. 103. Duties. 

Sec. 104. Powers. 

Sec. 105. Compensation. 

Sec. 106. Termination. 

TITLE II—REINVESTMENT GRANT PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT 

SOCIAL WORK PROFESSION 

Sec. 201. Workplace improvement grants. 

Sec. 202. Research grants. 

Sec. 203. Education and training grants. 

Sec. 204. Community-based programs of excellence grants. 

Sec. 205. National coordinating center. 

Sec. 206. Multimedia outreach campaign. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) Although the United States poverty rate has 

9 had a slight decline to 13.5 percent in 2015, poverty 

10 remains a social issue for our Nation, especially for 

11 communities of color and women and children who 

12 continue to experience higher than average poverty 

13 rates. Homeowners and those seeking to become 

14 homeowners continue to face challenges with high 

15 mortgage delinquency, mortgage loan interest rates, 

16 and threats of foreclosure. Joblessness and economic 


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1 insecurity contribute to the incidence of mental ill2 ness, family violence, suicide, substance abuse, 

3 crime, and diminished capacity for health, family, 

4 and community functioning. 

5 (2) Social workers form society’s social safety 

6 net. Social workers provide assistance, guidance, and 

7 resources to individuals, families, and communities 

8 in poverty. Additionally, they understand the dev9 astating costs and consequences of poverty and un10 employment on our society and provide direct serv11 ices in order to prevent and abate economic inequal12 ity. 

13 (3) The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 

14 that the social work profession will grow at an 

15 above-average rate through the year 2024, with a 12 

16 percent growth rate overall and a 19 percent pro17 jected growth rate for health care social workers. 

18 This increase is faster than the 7 percent average 

19 for all occupations, demonstrating a substantial need 

20 for social workers in our Nation. 

21 (4) Social work salaries, on average, are among 

22 the lowest for all occupations in the United States 

23 and for those with master’s level education in par24 ticular. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 


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1 the median annual income for social workers in 

2 2015 was $45,900. 

3 (5) The report titled ‘‘2014 Statistics on Social 

4 Work Education in the United States’’ by the Coun5 cil on Social Work Education stated that 78.7 per6 cent of students graduating from Master of Social 

7 Work programs incurred debt to earn their graduate 

8 degree. The average debt for a Master of Social 

9 Work degree was approximately $40,616. 

10 (6) Social workers often deal with the most vul11 nerable clients in emotional or traumatic situations, 

12 and face possible danger as a result. The National 

13 Association of Social Workers Center for Workforce 

14 Studies found that 44 percent of survey respondents 

15 faced personal safety issues on the job. In 2015, the 

16 Occupational Safety and Health Administration re17 ported that 75 percent of workplace assaults that oc18 curred between 2011 and 2013 took place in the 

19 health care and social services industries. 

20 (7) The Alzheimer’s Association of America 

21 states that 5.4 million Americans, or 1 in every 9 in22 dividuals over the age of 65, have Alzheimer’s dis23 ease. Social workers in gerontology settings work 

24 with older adults, including those with dementia, to 

25 support their physiological, psychological, and social 


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1 needs through mental health therapy, caregiver and 

2 family counseling, health education, program coordi3 nation, and case management. 

4 (8) The Children’s Defense Fund states that 

5 every 47 seconds a child is confirmed as abused or 

neglected and every 51 6 ⁄2 hours a child is killed from 

7 abuse or neglect. The Administration for Children 

8 and Families of the Department of Health and 

9 Human Services states that 415,000 children were 

10 in the United States foster care system in 2014. 

11 Most children placed in foster care are placed due to 

12 parental abuse or neglect. Research shows that pro13 fessional social workers employed in child welfare 

14 agencies are more likely to find permanent homes 

15 for children who have been in foster care for 2 or 

16 more years. Unfortunately, less than 40 percent of 

17 child welfare workers are professional social workers. 

18 (9) The Substance Abuse and Mental Health 

19 Services Administration of the Department of 

20 Health and Human Services estimates that 43.6 mil21 lion individuals (nearly 1 in 5 or 18.1 percent) in 

22 the United States age 18 or older experienced a 

23 diagnosable mental illness in 2014. Additionally, at 

24 least 3 million (1 in 10 or 12.5 percent) youth be25 tween the ages of 12 and 17 experienced at least one 


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1 major depressive episode in the past year. Social 

2 workers provide the majority of mental health coun3 seling services in the United States, and are often 

4 the only providers of such services in rural areas. 

5 (10) Social workers working with veterans and 

6 their families provide services that include case man7 agement, crisis interventions, mental health inter8 ventions, housing and financial counseling, high-risk 

9 screening, and advocacy. The Department of Vet10 erans Affairs, which is the largest employer of social 

11 workers in the Nation, employs over 12,000 social 

12 workers who serve an estimated 21.8 million vet13 erans in the United States. A once-declining veteran 

14 population is now surging and is in dire need of 

15 mental health treatment to address issues such as 

16 post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, drug and 

17 alcohol addiction, and suicidal tendencies. 

18 (11) The American Cancer Society estimates 

19 that there will be 1,668,780 new cases of cancer and 

20 600,920 cancer deaths, or 1,646 deaths a day, in 

21 2017 alone. The Centers for Disease Control and 

22 Prevention report that there are over 1,200,000 peo23 ple living with HIV/AIDS in the United States, with 

24 approximately 39,513 new cases diagnosed in 2015. 

25 In 2013, 1,600,000 to 1,700,000 people received 


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1 care from the Nation’s hospice providers. Health 

2 care and medical social workers practice in areas re3 lated to all of these circumstances and provide out4 reach for prevention and health promotion, help in5 dividuals and their families adapt to their health 

6 conditions, connect patients and family caregivers 

7 with community services and supports, provide grief 

8 counseling, and act as a liaison between individuals 

9 and their medical team, helping patients make in10 formed decisions about their care. 

11 (12) The Children’s Defense Fund notes that 

12 every 2 seconds a public school student is suspended 

13 and that every 9 seconds a high school student drops 

14 out. The National Center for Education Statistics 

15 states that in 2014 the national dropout rate for 

16 high school students was 6.5 percent. Some vulner17 able communities have dropout rates of 50 percent 

18 or higher. Social workers in school settings help stu19 dents avoid dropping out through early identifica20 tion, prevention, intervention, counseling, and sup21 port services. 

22 (13) According to the Department of Justice, 

23 every year more than 650,000 ex-offenders are re24 leased from Federal and State prisons. Social work25 ers employed in the correctional system address disVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:04 Mar 04, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1289.IH H1289

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1 proportionate minority incarceration rates, provide 

2 treatment for mental health problems and drug and 

3 alcohol addiction, and work within, as well as out4 side of, prisons to reduce recidivism and increase 

5 positive community reentry. 

6 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 

8 (1) CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKER.—The term 

9 ‘‘clinical social worker’’ has the meaning given the 

10 term in section 1861(hh)(1) of the Social Security 

11 Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(hh)(1)). 

12 (2) COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAM.—The term 

13 ‘‘community-based program’’ means an agency, or14 ganization, or other entity carrying out a program 

15 that provides direct social work services or commu16 nity development services at a neighborhood, local, 

17 or regional level, to address human service, health 

18 care, or psychosocial needs. 

19 (3) HIGH NEED AND HIGH DEMAND POPU20 LATION.—The term ‘‘high need and high demand 

21 population’’ means a group of individuals that lacks 

22 sufficient resources and, as a result, has a greater 

23 probability of being harmed by specific social, envi24 ronmental, or health problems than the population 

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1 uals residing in an area designated by the Health 

2 Resources and Services Administration as a ‘‘health 

3 professional shortage area’’ due to a shortage of pri4 mary medical care, dental, or mental health pro5 viders. 

6 (4) HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE OR UNI7 VERSITY.—The term ‘‘historically black college or 

8 university’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘part B 

9 institution’’ in section 322(2) of the Higher Edu10 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061(2)). 

11 (5) MINORITY-SERVING INSTITUTION.—The 

12 term ‘‘minority-serving institution’’ means an insti13 tution of higher education that serves a large per14 centage of minority students, as determined by the 

15 Secretary of Education, including the following: 

16 (A) Alaska Native-serving institutions, as 

17 defined in section 317(b)(2) of the Higher Edu18 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059d(b)(2)). 

19 (B) Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, 

20 as defined in section 317(b)(4) of such Act (20 

21 U.S.C. 1059d(b)(4)). 

22 (C) Asian American and Native American 

23 Pacific Islander-serving institutions, as defined 

24 in section 320(b)(2) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 

25 1059g(b)(2)). 


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1 (D) Hispanic-serving institutions, as de2 fined in section 502(a)(5) of such Act (20 

3 U.S.C. 1101(a)(5)). 

4 (E) Tribal Colleges and Universities, as de5 fined in section 316(b)(3) of such Act (20 

6 U.S.C. 1059c(b)(3)). 

7 (F) Native American-serving, nontribal in8 stitutions, as defined in section 319(b)(2) of 

9 such Act (20 U.S.C. 1059f(b)(2)). 

10 (G) Predominantly Black Institutions, as 

11 defined in section 318(b)(6) of such Act (20 

12 U.S.C. 1059e(b)(6)). 

13 (H) Historically black colleges or univer14 sities. 

15 (6) PROGRAM OF EXCELLENCE.—The term 

16 ‘‘program of excellence’’ means a program of distinc17 tion in a field related to human service, hosted by 

18 a public or private agency, that has received State 

19 or national recognition or another clearly defined in20 dicator appropriate to the mission of the program, 

21 has clearly defined and measurable goals and objec22 tives, regularly assesses outcomes, and can provide 

23 evidence of a strong assessment plan that utilizes as24 sessment data to improve the program. 


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1 (7) RELATED PROFESSIONAL RESEARCHER.— 

2 The term ‘‘related professional researcher’’ means a 

3 doctoral level researcher or any other individual who 

4 is professionally engaged in research in a social, po5 litical, economic, health, or mental health field other 

6 than social work for an entity such as a university, 

7 government entity, research institute, or community 

8 agency. 

9 (8) SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK.—The term 

10 ‘‘school of social work’’ means a school that is ac11 credited by the Council on Social Work Education 

12 (the sole accrediting agency recognized by the Coun13 cil for Higher Education Accreditation for social 

14 work education in the United States) within an in15 stitution of higher education, that offers bacca16 laureate, master’s, or doctoral degrees in social 

17 work. 

18 (9) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

19 the Secretary of Health and Human Services. 

20 (10) SOCIAL WORK.—The term ‘‘social work’’ 

21 means— 

22 (A) the professional activity of helping in23 dividuals, groups, or communities enhance or 

24 restore capacity for social and psychosocial 


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1 functioning and creating societal conditions fa2 vorable to such enhancement or restoration; 

3 (B) the professional application of values, 

4 principles, and techniques related to the activity 

5 described in subparagraph (A), including— 

6 (i) diagnosing mental and emotional 

7 disorders and treating individuals, families, 

8 or groups for such disorders; 

9 (ii) helping communities or groups 

10 provide or improve social and health serv11 ices and participating in relevant legislative 

12 processes to achieve such goals; and 

13 (iii) helping individuals, families, or 

14 groups obtain tangible services, including 

15 personal, protective, informational, advi16 sory, community, or maintenance services 

17 in order to improve the overall well-being 

18 of individuals; and 

19 (C) a professional activity that requires 

20 knowledge of human development, the behavior 

21 of social, economic, and cultural institutions, 

22 and the interaction between such development 

23 and behavior. 

24 (11) SOCIAL WORK RESEARCHER.—The term 

25 ‘‘social work researcher’’ means a faculty member of 


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1 an institution of higher education, doctoral level re2 searcher, or any other individual who is profes3 sionally engaged in the study of social work for an 

4 entity such as a university, government entity, re5 search institute, or community agency at an indi6 vidual, family, group, community, organizational, or 

7 policy level, focusing across the human life span on 

8 prevention, treatment, and aftercare of, intervention 

9 in, and rehabilitation from, acute and chronic social 

10 and psychosocial conditions, including the study of 

11 the effect of policies on social work practice. 

12 (12) SOCIAL WORKER.—The term ‘‘social work13 er’’ means an individual with a baccalaureate, mas14 ter’s, or doctoral degree in social work from an insti15 tution of higher education who uses knowledge and 

16 skills to provide social work services for individuals, 

17 families, groups, communities, organizations, or soci18 ety in general. 

19 TITLE I—SOCIAL WORK 

20 REINVESTMENT COMMISSION 

21 SEC. 101. ESTABLISHMENT. 

22 Not later than 90 days after the date of the enact23 ment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish the Social 

24 Work Reinvestment Commission (referred to in this title 

25 as the ‘‘Commission’’) to provide independent counsel to 


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1 Congress and the Secretary on policy issues related to re2 cruitment, retention, research, and reinvestment in the 

3 profession of social work. 

4 SEC. 102. MEMBERS. 

5 (a) APPOINTMENT BY SECRETARY.—Not later than 

6 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

7 Secretary shall appoint members to the Commission. The 

8 members shall include— 

9 (1) 2 deans of schools of social work; 

10 (2) 1 social work researcher; 

11 (3) 1 related professional researcher; 

12 (4) 1 Governor of a State; 

13 (5) 2 leaders of national social work organiza14 tions; 

15 (6) 1 senior State government employee who is 

16 not an elected official who has a baccalaureate, mas17 ter’s, or doctoral degree in social work; 

18 (7) 1 related senior State government employee 

19 who is not an elected official; 

20 (8) 2 directors of community-based organiza21 tions or nonprofit organizations that provide human 

22 services; 

23 (9) 1 labor economist; 

24 (10) 1 social work consumer; and 

25 (11) 1 licensed clinical social worker. 


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1 (b) APPOINTMENT BY OTHER OFFICERS.—Four ad2 ditional members shall be appointed to the Commission, 

3 with 1 member appointed by each of the following officers: 

4 (1) The Speaker of the House of Representa5 tives. 

6 (2) The minority leader of the House of Rep7 resentatives. 

8 (3) The majority leader of the Senate. 

9 (4) The minority leader of the Senate. 

10 (c) ORGANIZATIONAL REPRESENTATION.—To the ex11 tent practicable, members of the Commission shall be ap12 pointed— 

13 (1) in a manner that ensures participation of 

14 individuals of different racial, ethnic, cultural, geo15 graphic, religious, linguistic, and class backgrounds 

16 and of different genders and sexual orientations; and 

17 (2) from among individuals who demonstrate 

18 knowledge and understanding of the concerns of the 

19 groups described in paragraph (1). 

20 (d) SELECTION OF CHAIRPERSON AND VICE CHAIR21 PERSON.—The Secretary shall appoint a Chairperson and 

22 Vice Chairperson for the Commission from among the 

23 members of the Commission. 

24 (e) PERIOD OF APPOINTMENT; VACANCIES.—Mem25 bers shall be appointed for the life of the Commission. Any 


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1 vacancy in the Commission shall not affect the powers of 

2 the Commission and shall be filled in the same manner 

3 as the original appointment not later than 60 days after 

4 the date of vacancy. 

5 (f) SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS.—The Commission 

6 shall hold its first meeting not later than 6 weeks after 

7 the date on which the final member of the Commission 

8 is appointed, and subsequent meetings shall be held at the 

9 call of the Chairperson. 

10 SEC. 103. DUTIES. 

11 (a) STUDY.—The Commission shall conduct a com12 prehensive study to examine and assess— 

13 (1) the professional capacity of the social work 

14 workforce to successfully serve and respond to the 

15 increasing biopsychosocial needs of individuals, 

16 groups, and communities in areas related to— 

17 (A) aging; 

18 (B) child welfare; 

19 (C) military and veterans affairs; 

20 (D) mental and behavioral health and dis21 ability; 

22 (E) criminal justice and correctional sys23 tems; 

24 (F) health and other issues affecting 

25 women and families; and 


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1 (G) other topics identified by the Commis2 sion; 

3 (2) workforce challenges facing the profession 

4 of social work, including high educational debt, lack 

5 of fair market compensation, the need to translate 

6 social work research to practice, the need to improve 

7 social worker safety, the need to develop State-level 

8 social work licensure policies and reciprocity agree9 ments for social workers providing services across 

10 State lines, the lack of diversity in the social work 

11 profession, and any other issue determined by the 

12 Secretary to be appropriate; 

13 (3) the effect of such challenges on the recruit14 ment and retention of social workers; 

15 (4) the effect of such challenges and of social 

16 worker shortages on the needs of clients served by 

17 social workers; and 

18 (5) the advisability of establishing in the Treas19 ury a social work enhancement account to provide 

20 direct grant assistance to local governments to en21 courage the engagement of social workers in social 

22 service programs. 

23 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after the 

24 date of its first meeting, the Commission shall submit a 

25 report to the Secretary and to Congress containing specific 


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1 findings and conclusions regarding the need to recruit and 

2 retain social workers, to conduct research on the social 

3 work profession, and to reinvest in the profession. The re4 port shall include recommendations and strategies for cor5 rective actions to ensure a robust social work workforce 

6 capable of keeping up with the demand for services. The 

7 Commission may provide to the Secretary and to Congress 

8 any additional findings or recommendations considered by 

9 the Commission to be important. 

10 SEC. 104. POWERS. 

11 (a) POWERS.—In carrying out the duties of the Com12 mission, the Commission shall have the power to— 

13 (1) hold hearings, take testimony, receive evi14 dence, administer oaths, and sit and act at such 

15 times and places as the Commission considers advis16 able; 

17 (2) enter into contracts; and 

18 (3) consult, to the extent that the Commission 

19 determines that such consultation is necessary or 

20 useful, with Federal agencies that include— 

21 (A) agencies within the Department of 

22 Health and Human Services, including the Ad23 ministration for Children and Families, the Ad24 ministration on Aging, the Agency for 

25 Healthcare Research and Quality, the Centers 


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1 for Disease Control and Prevention, the Centers 

2 for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Health 

3 Resources and Service Administration, the In4 dian Health Service, the National Institutes of 

5 Health, and the Substance Abuse and Mental 

6 Health Services Administration; 

7 (B) the Social Security Administration; 

8 and 

9 (C) the Departments of Agriculture, De10 fense, Education, Homeland Security, Labor, 

11 Justice, State, and Veterans Affairs. 

12 (b) COOPERATION WITH THE COMMISSION.—The 

13 agencies described in subsection (a)(3) shall cooperate 

14 with, and provide counsel to, the Commission to the great15 est extent practicable. 

16 SEC. 105. COMPENSATION. 

17 (a) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—The members of the Com18 mission shall not receive compensation for the perform19 ance of services for the Commission, but shall be provided 

20 travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, 

21 at rates authorized for employees of Federal agencies 

22 under subchapter 1 of chapter 57 of title 5, United States 

23 Code, while away from their homes or regular places of 

24 business in the performance of services for the Commis25 sion. 


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1 (b) VOLUNTARY AND UNCOMPENSATED SERVICES.— 

2 Notwithstanding section 1342 of title 31, United States 

3 Code, the Secretary may accept the voluntary and uncom4 pensated services of members of the Commission. 

5 (c) DETAIL OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES.—Any 

6 Federal Government employee may be detailed to the 

7 Commission without reimbursement, and such detail shall 

8 be without interruption or loss of civil service status or 

9 privilege. 

10 SEC. 106. TERMINATION. 

11 The Commission shall terminate 30 days after the 

12 date on which the Commission submits the report under 

13 section 103(b). 

14 TITLE II—REINVESTMENT 

15 GRANT PROGRAMS TO SUP16 PORT SOCIAL WORK PROFES17 SION 

18 SEC. 201. WORKPLACE IMPROVEMENT GRANTS. 

19 (a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary shall 

20 award grants to 4 eligible entities described in subsection 

21 (d) to assist the entities in carrying out a workplace im22 provement program to address concerns for the social 

23 work profession, including caseloads, compensation, social 

24 worker safety, supervision, and working conditions. 


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1 (b) EQUAL AMOUNTS.—The Secretary shall award to 

2 each of the 4 grant recipients under this section 

3 $1,000,000 per fiscal year for 4 consecutive fiscal years 

4 beginning with the first fiscal year that begins after the 

5 date of the enactment of this Act. 

6 (c) GRANTS TO STATE OR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS.— 

7 At least 2 of the grant recipients under this section shall 

8 be agencies of State or local governments. 

9 (d) ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.—An entity eligible 

10 for a grant under this section shall— 

11 (1) work in a social work capacity; 

12 (2) demonstrate that the entity needs to im13 prove in one or more of the workplace concern areas 

14 described in subsection (a); 

15 (3) provide services to individuals of different 

16 racial, ethnic, cultural, geographic, religious, lin17 guistic, and class backgrounds, and different genders 

18 and sexual orientations; 

19 (4) demonstrate knowledge and understanding 

20 of the concerns of the groups described in paragraph 

21 (3); and 

22 (5) employ individuals who represent themselves 

23 as competent to provide social work services only 

24 within the boundaries of their education, training, li25 censes, certification, professional case consultation, 


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1 supervised experience, or other relevant professional 

2 experience. 

3 (e) PRIORITY.—In selecting grant recipients under 

4 this section, the Secretary shall give priority to eligible en5 tities— 

6 (1) that have proven to be fiscally responsible, 

7 administratively capable, and otherwise equipped to 

8 oversee and monitor a workplace improvement pro9 gram under this section, including through a labor10 management partnership; 

11 (2) that are knowledgeable about relevant social 

12 work workforce trends; and 

13 (3) that have not less than 2 years of experi14 ence relevant to the workplace improvement pro15 gram. 

16 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

17 are authorized to be appropriated $16,000,000 to the Sec18 retary to award grants under this section. 

19 SEC. 202. RESEARCH GRANTS. 

20 (a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary shall 

21 award grants to 25 social workers who hold a doctoral de22 gree in social work for postdoctoral research in social 

23 work— 

24 (1) to further the knowledge base about effec25 tive social work interventions; and 


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1 (2) to promote usable strategies to translate re2 search into practice across diverse community set3 tings and service systems. 

4 (b) EQUAL AMOUNTS.—The Secretary shall award to 

5 each of the 25 grant recipients under this section $50,000 

6 per fiscal year for 4 consecutive fiscal years beginning with 

7 the first fiscal year that begins after the date of the enact8 ment of this Act. 

9 (c) ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.—To be eligible for 

10 a grant under this section, a social worker shall— 

11 (1) demonstrate knowledge and understanding 

12 of the concerns of individuals from different racial, 

13 ethnic, cultural, geographic, religious, linguistic, and 

14 class backgrounds, and different genders and sexual 

15 orientations; and 

16 (2) represent themselves as competent to pro17 vide social work services only within the boundaries 

18 of their education, training, licenses, certification, 

19 professional case consultation, supervised experience, 

20 or other relevant professional experience. 

21 (d) MINORITY REPRESENTATION.—Not less than 10 

22 of the grant recipients under this section shall be employed 

23 by a historically black college or university or minority24 serving institution. 


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1 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

2 are authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 to the Sec3 retary to award grants under this section. 

4 SEC. 203. EDUCATION AND TRAINING GRANTS. 

5 (a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary shall 

6 award grants to 20 eligible institutions of higher education 

7 to support the recruitment and education of social work 

8 students in baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral degree 

9 programs and the professional development of social work 

10 faculty. 

11 (b) EQUAL AMOUNTS.—The Secretary shall award to 

12 each of the 20 grant recipients under this section 

13 $200,000 per fiscal year for 4 consecutive fiscal years be14 ginning with the first fiscal year that begins after the date 

15 of the enactment of this Act. 

16 (c) ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.—To be eligible for 

17 a grant under this section, an institution shall dem18 onstrate that— 

19 (1) the institution enrolls social work students 

20 from different racial, ethnic, cultural, geographic, re21 ligious, linguistic, and class backgrounds, and dif22 ferent genders and sexual orientations; and 

23 (2) the institution has knowledge and under24 standing of the concerns of the groups described in 

25 paragraph (1). 


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1 (d) INSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENT.—Not less than 4 

2 of the grant recipients under this section shall be histori3 cally black colleges or universities or other minority-serv4 ing institutions. 

5 (e) PRIORITY.—In selecting grant recipients under 

6 this section, the Secretary shall give priority to institutions 

7 of higher education— 

8 (1) that are accredited by the Council on Social 

9 Work Education; 

10 (2) that have a graduation rate of not less than 

11 80 percent for social work students; and 

12 (3) that exhibit an ability to recruit social work13 ers from, and place social workers in, areas with a 

14 high need and high demand population. 

15 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

16 are authorized to be appropriated $16,000,000 to the Sec17 retary to award grants under this section. 

18 SEC. 204. COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAMS OF EXCELLENCE 

19 GRANTS. 

20 (a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary shall 

21 award grants to 6 eligible covered entities to test and rep22 licate effective social work interventions. 

23 (b) COVERED ENTITY.—For purposes of this section, 

24 the term ‘‘covered entity’’ means— 


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1 (1) a State or local government or a depart2 ment, agency, special-purpose district, or other in3 strumentality of a State or local government, that is 

4 carrying out a community-based program of excel5 lence; or 

6 (2) a nonprofit organization that is carrying out 

7 a program of excellence. 

8 (c) EQUAL AMOUNTS.—The Secretary shall award to 

9 each of the 6 grant recipients under this section $500,000 

10 per fiscal year for 3 consecutive fiscal years beginning with 

11 the first fiscal year that begins after the date of the enact12 ment of this Act. 

13 (d) ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.—To be eligible for 

14 a grant under this section, a covered entity shall— 

15 (1) carry out programs in the areas of aging, 

16 child welfare, military and veterans issues, mental 

17 and behavioral health and disability, criminal justice 

18 and correction systems, and health and other issues 

19 affecting women and families; 

20 (2) provide services to individuals of different 

21 racial, ethnic, cultural, geographic, religious, lin22 guistic, and class backgrounds, and different genders 

23 and sexual orientations; 


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1 (3) demonstrate knowledge and understanding 

2 of the concerns of the groups described in paragraph 

3 (2); 

4 (4) demonstrate a record of active participation 

5 of social workers in the programs of the entity; and 

6 (5) employ individuals who represent themselves 

7 as competent to provide social work services only 

8 within the boundaries of their education, training, li9 censes, certification, professional case consultation, 

10 supervised experience, or other relevant professional 

11 experience. 

12 (e) PRIORITY.—In selecting the grant recipients 

13 under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to eligi14 ble covered entities— 

15 (1) that have demonstrated successful and 

16 measurable outcomes that the Secretary considers 

17 worthy of replication, including labor-management 

18 partnerships that have improved retention of social 

19 workers; 

20 (2) that have been in operation for at least 2 

21 years; and 

22 (3) that work with high need and high demand 

23 populations. 


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1 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

2 are authorized to be appropriated $9,000,000 to the Sec3 retary to award grants under this section. 

4 SEC. 205. NATIONAL COORDINATING CENTER. 

5 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall enter into 

6 a contract with a national social work entity such as the 

7 National Association of Social Workers or the Council on 

8 Social Work Education. Such entity shall— 

9 (1) have experience in coordinating the transfer 

10 of information and ideas among entities engaged in 

11 social work research, practice, education, and policy12 making; and 

13 (2) maintain relationships with Federal entities, 

14 social work degree-granting institutions of higher 

15 education, departments of social work within such 

16 institutions, and organizations and agencies that em17 ploy social workers. 

18 (b) GENERAL DUTIES.—The entity with which the 

19 Secretary enters into a contract under subsection (a) (re20 ferred to in this section as the ‘‘coordinating center’’) shall 

21 organize, collect, and report to the Secretary and to Con22 gress data and information related to the social work pro23 fession, serve as a clearinghouse, and coordinate activities 

24 with the entities, institutions, departments, organizations, 

25 and agencies described in subsection (a)(2). 


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1 (c) COLLABORATION.—The coordinating center shall 

2 work with institutions of higher education, research enti3 ties, and organizations with social work practice settings, 

4 including government entities, military departments, ele5 mentary and secondary schools, social services agencies, 

6 private practices, inpatient and outpatient mental health 

7 service providers, child welfare agencies, correctional fa8 cilities, and nursing homes, to identify key research areas, 

9 establish research fellowships, and organize appropriate 

10 mentorship and professional development efforts. 

11 (d) SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES OF THE COORDINATING

12 CENTER.—The coordinating center shall— 

13 (1) engage in activities to build on the efforts 

14 of the National Association of Social Workers Na15 tional Center for Workforce Studies; 

16 (2) collect, coordinate, monitor, and distribute 

17 data and information on best practices and findings 

18 regarding the activities funded by grants awarded 

19 under sections 201 through 204; 

20 (3) prepare and submit to the Secretary a re21 port that includes recommendations regarding the 

22 need to recruit new social workers, retain current so23 cial workers, conduct social work research, and rein24 vest in the profession of social work; 


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1 (4) demonstrate cultural competency and pro2 mote the participation of diverse groups; and 

3 (5) in collaboration with the Secretary, select 

4 research topics to further the goals of this section, 

5 establish new research fellowships to conduct such 

6 research, and identify and appoint qualified individ7 uals to such fellowship positions from among individ8 uals who hold master’s or doctoral degrees in social 

9 work or are enrolled in master’s or doctoral degree 

10 programs at schools of social work. 

11 (e) POWERS OF SECRETARY.—The Secretary may 

12 conduct and authorize such other activities as the Sec13 retary considers appropriate to carry out this section. 

14 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

15 are authorized to be appropriated $1,000,000 to carry out 

16 this section for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2022. 

17 SEC. 206. MULTIMEDIA OUTREACH CAMPAIGN. 

18 (a) DEVELOPMENT AND ISSUANCE OF PUBLIC SERV19 ICE ANNOUNCEMENTS.—The Secretary shall develop and 

20 issue public service announcements that advertise and pro21 mote the social work profession, highlight the advantages 

22 and rewards of social work, and encourage individuals to 

23 enter the social work profession. 

24 (b) METHOD.—The public service announcements de25 scribed in subsection (a) shall be broadcast through approVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:04 Mar 04, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00030 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1289.IH H1289

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1 priate media outlets, including television or radio, in a 

2 manner intended to reach as wide and diverse of an audi3 ence as possible. 

4 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

5 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

6 necessary to carry out this section for each of fiscal years 

7 2018 through 2022. 

Æ 


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