II 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 789 

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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 18, 2015 

Ms. MIKULSKI introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

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

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

6 Work Reinvestment Act’’. 


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1 (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. 

2 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

3 Congress finds the following: 

4 (1) Although the poverty rate in the United 

5 States has slightly declined for the first time since 

6 2006, to 14.5 percent in 2013, poverty remains a so7 cial issue for our Nation, especially for communities 

8 of color and women and children, who continue to 

9 experience higher than average poverty rates. Home10 owners and those seeking to become homeowners 

11 continue to face challenges with high mortgage de12 linquency, mortgage loan interest rates, and threats 

13 of foreclosure. Joblessness and economic insecurity 

14 contribute to the incidence of mental illness, family 

15 violence, suicide, substance abuse, crime, and diminVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:06 Mar 24, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S789.IS S789

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1 ished capacity for health, family, and community 

2 functioning. 

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

4 net. Social workers provide assistance, guidance, and 

5 resources to individuals, families, and communities 

6 in poverty. Additionally, social workers understand 

7 the devastating costs and consequences of poverty 

8 and unemployment on our society and provide direct 

9 services in order to prevent and abate economic in10 equality. 

11 (3) The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 

12 that the social work profession will grow at an 

13 above-average rate through the year 2020, with a 

14 19-percent growth rate overall and a 27-percent pro15 jected growth rate for health care social workers. 

16 This increase is faster than the average for all occu17 pations, demonstrating a substantial need for social 

18 workers in our Nation. 

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

20 the lowest for all occupations in the United States 

21 and for those with a master’s degree in particular. 

22 According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the me23 dian annual income for social workers in 2012 was 

24 $44,200. 


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1 (5) The report titled ‘‘2013 Statistics on Social 

2 Work Education in the United States’’ by the Coun3 cil on Social Work Education stated that 80.5 per4 cent of students graduating from Master of Social 

5 Work programs incurred debt to earn their graduate 

6 degree. The average debt for a Master of Social 

7 Work degree was approximately $41,754. 

8 (6) Social workers often deal with the most vul9 nerable clients in emotional or traumatic situations, 

10 and face possible danger as a result. The National 

11 Association of Social Workers Center for Workforce 

12 Studies found that 44 percent of survey respondents 

13 faced personal safety issues on the job. The Occupa14 tional Safety and Health Administration states that 

15 48 percent of assaults occur in the health care and 

16 social services industry. 

17 (7) The Alzheimer’s Association of America 

18 states that 5,000,000 Americans, or 1 in every 9 in19 dividuals over the age of 65, have Alzheimer’s dis20 ease. Social workers in gerontology settings work 

21 with older adults, including those with dementia, to 

22 support their physiological, psychological, and social 

23 needs through mental health therapy, caregiver and 

24 family counseling, health education, program coordi25 nation, and case management. 


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

2 every 47 seconds a child is confirmed as abused or 

3 neglected and every 5 and a half hours a child is 

4 killed from abuse or neglect. The Administration for 

5 Children and Families of the Department of Health 

6 and Human Services states that 402,378 children 

7 were in the United States foster care system in 

8 2013. Most children placed in foster care are placed 

9 due to parental abuse or neglect. Research shows 

10 that professional social workers employed in child 

11 welfare agencies are more likely to find permanent 

12 homes for children who have been in foster care for 

13 2 or more years. Unfortunately, less than 40 percent 

14 of child welfare workers are professional social work15 ers. 

16 (9) The Substance Abuse and Mental Health 

17 Services Administration of the Department of 

18 Health and Human Services estimates that 

19 43,800,000 individuals (nearly 1 in 5) in the United 

20 States who are age 18 or older experienced a 

21 diagnosable mental illness in 2013. Additionally, at 

22 least 2,600,000 (1 in 10) youth between the ages of 

23 12 and 17 experienced major depressive episodes. 

24 Social workers provide the majority of mental health 

25 counseling services in the United States, and are 


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1 often the only providers of such services in rural 

2 areas. 

3 (10) Social workers working with veterans and 

4 their families provide services that include case man5 agement, crisis interventions, mental health inter6 ventions, housing and financial counseling, high-risk 

7 screening, and advocacy. The Department of Vet8 erans Affairs, which is the largest employer of social 

9 workers in the Nation, employs 11,000 social work10 ers who serve an estimated 21,999,000 veterans in 

11 the United States. A once-declining veteran popu12 lation is now surging and is in dire need of mental 

13 health treatment to address issues such as post-trau14 matic stress disorder, depression, drug and alcohol 

15 addiction, and suicidal tendencies. 

16 (11) The American Cancer Society estimates 

17 that there will be 1,658,370 new cases of cancer and 

18 589,430 deaths from cancer, or 1,614 deaths a day, 

19 in 2015 alone. The Centers for Disease Control and 

20 Prevention report that there are over 1,200,000 peo21 ple living with HIV/AIDS in the United States, with 

22 approximately 47,500 new cases diagnosed each 

23 year. In 2013, 1,500,000 to 1,600,000 people re24 ceived care from the Nation’s hospice providers. 

25 Health care and medical social workers practice in 


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1 areas related to all of these circumstances and pro2 vide outreach for prevention and health promotion, 

3 help individuals and their families adapt to their 

4 health conditions, connect patients and family care5 givers with community services and supports, pro6 vide grief counseling, and act as a liaison between 

7 individuals and their medical team, helping patients 

8 make informed decisions about their care. 

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

10 every 2 seconds a public school student is suspended 

11 and that every 9 seconds a high school student drops 

12 out. The National Center for Education Statistics 

13 states that in 2012 the national dropout rate for 

14 high school students was 7 percent. Some vulnerable 

15 communities have dropout rates of 50 percent or 

16 higher. Social workers in school settings help stu17 dents avoid dropping out through early identifica18 tion, prevention, intervention, counseling, and sup19 port services. 

20 (13) According to the Department of Justice, 

21 every year more than 688,000 ex-offenders are re22 leased from Federal and State prisons. Social work23 ers employed in the correctional system address dis24 proportionate minority incarceration rates, provide 

25 treatment for mental health problems and drug and 


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1 alcohol addiction, and work within, as well as out2 side of, prisons to reduce recidivism and increase 

3 positive community reentry. 

4 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

5 In this Act: 

6 (1) CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKER.—The term 

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

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

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

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

11 ‘‘community-based program’’ means an agency, or12 ganization, or other entity carrying out a program 

13 that provides direct social work services or commu14 nity development services at a neighborhood, local, 

15 or regional level, to address human service, health 

16 care, or psychosocial needs. 

17 (3) HIGH NEED AND HIGH DEMAND POPU18 LATION.— 

19 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘high need 

20 and high demand population’’ means a group of 

21 individuals that lacks sufficient resources and, 

22 as a result, has a greater probability of being 

23 harmed by specific social, environmental, or 

24 health problems than the population as a whole. 


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1 (B) GROUP.—For purposes of this para2 graph, the term ‘‘group’’ includes a population 

3 residing in a health professional shortage area, 

4 as defined in section 332 of the Public Health 

5 Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254E), that has a short6 age of primary medical care, dental, or mental 

7 health providers. 

8 (4) HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE OR UNI9 VERSITY.—The term ‘‘historically Black college or 

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

11 institution’’ in section 322(2) of the Higher Edu12 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061(2)). 

13 (5) MINORITY-SERVING INSTITUTION.—The 

14 term ‘‘minority-serving institution’’ means an insti15 tution of higher education that serves a large per16 centage of minority students, as determined by the 

17 Secretary of Education, including the following: 

18 (A) Alaska Native-serving institutions, as 

19 defined in section 317(b)(2) of the Higher Edu20 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059d(b)(2)). 

21 (B) Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, 

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

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

24 (C) Asian American and Native American 

25 Pacific Islander-serving institutions, as defined 


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

2 1059g(b)(2)). 

3 (D) Hispanic-serving institutions, as de4 fined in section 502(a)(5) of such Act (20 

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

6 (E) Tribal colleges or universities, as de7 fined in section 316(b)(3) of such Act (20 

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

9 (F) Native American-serving, nontribal in10 stitutions, as defined in section 319(b)(2) of 

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

12 (G) Predominantly Black Institutions, as 

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

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

15 (H) Historically Black colleges or univer16 sities. 

17 (6) PROGRAM OF EXCELLENCE.—The term 

18 ‘‘program of excellence’’ means a program of distinc19 tion in a field related to human service, hosted by 

20 a public or private agency, that has received State 

21 or national recognition or another clearly defined in22 dicator appropriate to the mission of the program, 

23 has clearly defined and measurable goals and objec24 tives, regularly assesses outcomes, and can provide 


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1 evidence of a strong assessment plan that utilizes as2 sessment data to improve the program. 

3 (7) RELATED PROFESSIONAL RESEARCHER.— 

4 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘related pro5 fessional researcher’’ means a doctoral level re6 searcher or any other individual who is profes7 sionally engaged in research in a social, polit8 ical, economic, health, or mental health field 

9 other than social work. 

10 (B) RESEARCH.—In this paragraph, the 

11 term ‘‘research’’ means study of a type that is 

12 primarily conducted under the auspices of an 

13 institution of higher education, government en14 tity, research institute, community agency, or a 

15 similar entity. 

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

17 ‘‘school of social work’’ means a school that is ac18 credited by the Council on Social Work Education 

19 (the sole accrediting agency recognized by the Coun20 cil for Higher Education Accreditation for social 

21 work education in the United States) within an in22 stitution of higher education, that offers bacca23 laureate, master’s, or doctoral degrees in social 

24 work. 


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

2 the Secretary of Health and Human Services. 

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

4 means— 

5 (A) the professional activity of helping in6 dividuals, families, groups, or communities en7 hance or restore capacity for social and psycho8 social functioning and creating societal condi9 tions favorable to such enhancement or restora10 tion; 

11 (B) the professional application of values, 

12 principles, and techniques related to the activity 

13 described in subparagraph (A), including— 

14 (i) diagnosing mental and emotional 

15 disorders and treating individuals, families, 

16 or groups for such disorders; 

17 (ii) helping communities or groups 

18 provide or improve social and health serv19 ices and participating in relevant legislative 

20 processes to achieve such goals; and 

21 (iii) helping individuals, families, 

22 groups, or communities obtain tangible 

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1 tenance services in order to improve the 

2 overall well-being of individuals; and 

3 (C) a professional activity that requires 

4 knowledge of human development, the behavior 

5 of social, economic, and cultural institutions, 

6 and the interaction between such development 

7 and behavior. 

8 (11) SOCIAL WORK RESEARCHER.— 

9 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘social work 

10 researcher’’ means an individual who researches 

11 social work at an individual, family, group, 

12 community, organizational, or policy level, fo13 cusing across the human life span on preven14 tion, treatment, and aftercare of, intervention 

15 in, and rehabilitation from, acute and chronic 

16 social and psychosocial conditions, including the 

17 study of the effect of policies on social work 

18 practice. 

19 (B) RESEARCH.—In this paragraph, the 

20 term ‘‘research’’ means study of a type that is 

21 primarily conducted by faculty members of an 

22 institution of higher education, doctoral level re23 searchers, or any other individuals who are pro24 fessionally engaged in the study of social work 

25 under the auspices of an institution of higher 


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1 education, government entity, research insti2 tute, community agency, or a similar entity. 

3 (12) SOCIAL WORKER.—The term ‘‘social work4 er’’ means an individual who— 

5 (A) has a baccalaureate, master’s, or doc6 toral degree in social work from an institution 

7 of higher education; and 

8 (B) uses knowledge and skills to provide 

9 social work services for individuals, families, 

10 groups, communities, organizations, or society 

11 in general. 

12 TITLE I—SOCIAL WORK 

13 REINVESTMENT COMMISSION 

14 SEC. 101. ESTABLISHMENT. 

15 Not later than 90 days after the date of the enact16 ment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish the Social 

17 Work Reinvestment Commission (referred to in this title 

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

19 Congress and the Secretary on policy issues related to re20 cruitment, retention, research, and reinvestment in the 

21 profession of social work. 

22 SEC. 102. MEMBERS. 

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

24 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 


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1 Secretary shall appoint members to the Commission. The 

2 members shall include— 

3 (1) 2 deans of schools of social work; 

4 (2) 1 social work researcher; 

5 (3) 1 related professional researcher; 

6 (4) 1 Governor of a State; 

7 (5) 2 leaders of national social work organiza8 tions; 

9 (6) 1 senior State government employee who is 

10 not an elected official who has a baccalaureate, mas11 ter’s, or doctoral degree in social work; 

12 (7) 2 directors of community-based organiza13 tions or nonprofit organizations that provide human 

14 services; 

15 (8) 1 labor economist; 

16 (9) 1 social work consumer; and 

17 (10) 1 licensed clinical social worker. 

18 (b) APPOINTMENT BY OTHER OFFICERS.—Four ad19 ditional members shall be appointed to the Commission, 

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

21 (1) The Speaker of the House of Representa22 tives. 

23 (2) The minority leader of the House of Rep24 resentatives. 

25 (3) The majority leader of the Senate. 


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1 (4) The minority leader of the Senate. 

2 (c) ORGANIZATIONAL REPRESENTATION.—To the ex3 tent practicable, members of the Commission shall be ap4 pointed— 

5 (1) in a manner that ensures participation of 

6 individuals of different racial, ethnic, cultural, geo7 graphic, religious, linguistic, and class backgrounds 

8 and of different genders and sexual orientations; and 

9 (2) from among individuals who demonstrate 

10 knowledge and understanding of the concerns of the 

11 groups described in paragraph (1). 

12 (d) SELECTION OF CHAIRPERSON AND VICE CHAIR13 PERSON.—The Secretary shall appoint a Chairperson and 

14 Vice Chairperson for the Commission from among the 

15 members of the Commission. 

16 (e) PERIOD OF APPOINTMENT; VACANCIES.—Mem17 bers shall be appointed for the life of the Commission. Any 

18 vacancy in the Commission shall not affect the powers of 

19 the Commission and shall be filled in the same manner 

20 as the original appointment not later than 60 days after 

21 the date of vacancy. 

22 (f) SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS.—The Commission 

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

24 the date on which the final member of the Commission 


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

2 call of the Chairperson. 

3 SEC. 103. DUTIES. 

4 (a) STUDY.—The Commission shall conduct a com5 prehensive study to examine and assess— 

6 (1) the professional capacity of the social work 

7 workforce to successfully serve and respond to the 

8 increasing biopsychosocial needs of individuals, 

9 groups, and communities in areas related to— 

10 (A) aging; 

11 (B) child welfare; 

12 (C) military and veterans affairs; 

13 (D) mental and behavioral health and dis14 ability; 

15 (E) criminal justice and correctional sys16 tems; 

17 (F) health and other issues affecting 

18 women and families; and 

19 (G) other topics identified by the Commis20 sion; 

21 (2) workforce challenges facing the profession 

22 of social work, including high educational debt, lack 

23 of fair market compensation, the need to translate 

24 social work research to practice, the need to improve 

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


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1 social work licensure policies and reciprocity agree2 ments for social workers providing services across 

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

4 profession, and any other issue determined by the 

5 Secretary to be appropriate; 

6 (3) the effect of such challenges on the recruit7 ment and retention of social workers; 

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

9 worker shortages on the needs of clients served by 

10 social workers; and 

11 (5) the advisability of establishing grants to 

12 provide direct assistance to local governments to en13 courage the engagement of social workers in social 

14 service programs. 

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

16 date of the Commission’s first meeting, the Commission 

17 shall submit a report to the Secretary and to Congress 

18 containing specific findings and conclusions regarding the 

19 need to recruit and retain social workers, to conduct re20 search on the social work profession, and to reinvest in 

21 the profession. The report shall include recommendations 

22 and strategies for corrective actions to ensure a robust so23 cial work workforce capable of keeping up with the de24 mand for services. The Commission may provide to the 

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1 ommendations considered by the Commission to be impor2 tant. 

3 SEC. 104. POWERS. 

4 (a) POWERS.—In carrying out the duties of the Com5 mission, the Commission shall have the power to— 

6 (1) hold hearings, take testimony, receive evi7 dence, administer oaths, and sit and act at such 

8 times and places as the Commission considers advis9 able; 

10 (2) enter into contracts; and 

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

12 determines that such consultation is necessary or 

13 useful, with Federal agencies that include— 

14 (A) agencies within the Department of 

15 Health and Human Services, including the Ad16 ministration for Children and Families, the Ad17 ministration on Aging, the Agency for 

18 Healthcare Research and Quality, the Centers 

19 for Disease Control and Prevention, the Centers 

20 for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Health 

21 Resources and Services Administration, the In22 dian Health Service, the National Institutes of 

23 Health, and the Substance Abuse and Mental 

24 Health Services Administration; 


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1 (B) the Social Security Administration; 

2 and 

3 (C) the Departments of Agriculture, De4 fense, Education, Homeland Security, Labor, 

5 Justice, State, and Veterans Affairs. 

6 (b) COOPERATION WITH THE COMMISSION.—The 

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

8 with, and provide counsel to, the Commission to the great9 est extent practicable. 

10 SEC. 105. COMPENSATION. 

11 (a) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—The members of the Com12 mission shall not receive compensation for the perform13 ance of services for the Commission, but shall be provided 

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

15 at rates authorized for employees of Federal agencies 

16 under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States 

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

18 business in the performance of services for the Commis19 sion. 

20 (b) VOLUNTARY AND UNCOMPENSATED SERVICES.— 

21 Notwithstanding section 1342 of title 31, United States 

22 Code, the Secretary may accept the voluntary and uncom23 pensated services of members of the Commission. 

24 (c) DETAIL OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES.—Any 

25 Federal Government employee may be detailed to the 


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1 Commission without reimbursement, and such detail shall 

2 be without interruption or loss of civil service status or 

3 privilege. 

4 SEC. 106. TERMINATION. 

5 The Commission shall terminate 30 days after the 

6 date on which the Commission submits the report under 

7 section 103(b). 

8 TITLE II—REINVESTMENT 

9 GRANT PROGRAMS TO SUP10 PORT SOCIAL WORK PROFES11 SION 

12 SEC. 201. WORKPLACE IMPROVEMENT GRANTS. 

13 (a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary shall 

14 award grants to 4 eligible entities described in subsection 

15 (d) to assist the entities in carrying out a workplace im16 provement program to address concerns for the social 

17 work profession, including caseloads, compensation, social 

18 worker safety, supervision, and working conditions. 

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

20 each of the 4 grant recipients under this section 

21 $1,000,000 per fiscal year for 4 consecutive fiscal years, 

22 beginning with the first fiscal year that begins after the 

23 date of the enactment of this Act. 


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

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

3 be agencies of State or local governments. 

4 (d) ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.—An entity eligible 

5 for a grant under this section shall— 

6 (1) work in a social work capacity; 

7 (2) demonstrate that the entity needs to im8 prove in 1 or more of the workplace concern areas 

9 described in subsection (a); 

10 (3) provide services to individuals of different 

11 racial, ethnic, cultural, geographic, religious, lin12 guistic, and class backgrounds, and different genders 

13 and sexual orientations; 

14 (4) demonstrate knowledge and understanding 

15 of the concerns of the groups described in paragraph 

16 (3); and 

17 (5) employ individuals who represent themselves 

18 as competent to provide social work services only 

19 within the boundaries of such individuals’ education, 

20 training, licenses, certification, professional case con21 sultation, supervised experience, or other relevant 

22 professional experience. 

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

24 this section, the Secretary shall give priority to eligible en25 tities that— 


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1 (1) have proven to be fiscally responsible, ad2 ministratively capable, and otherwise equipped to 

3 oversee and monitor a workplace improvement pro4 gram under this section; 

5 (2) are knowledgeable about relevant social 

6 work workforce trends; and 

7 (3) have not less than 2 years of experience car8 rying out workplace improvement activities. 

9 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

10 are authorized to be appropriated $16,000,000 for each 

11 of fiscal years 2016 through 2019 to carry out this sec12 tion. 

13 SEC. 202. RESEARCH GRANTS. 

14 (a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary shall 

15 award grants to 25 social workers who hold a doctoral de16 gree in social work for postdoctoral research in social 

17 work— 

18 (1) to further the knowledge base about effec19 tive social work interventions; and 

20 (2) to promote usable strategies to translate re21 search into practice across diverse community set22 tings and service systems. 

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

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

25 per fiscal year for 4 consecutive fiscal years, beginning 


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1 with the first fiscal year that begins after the date of the 

2 enactment of this Act. 

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

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

5 (1) demonstrate knowledge and understanding 

6 of the concerns of individuals from different racial, 

7 ethnic, cultural, geographic, religious, linguistic, and 

8 class backgrounds, and different genders and sexual 

9 orientations; 

10 (2) represent themselves as competent to pro11 vide social work services only within the boundaries 

12 of their education, training, licenses, certification, 

13 professional case consultation, supervised experience, 

14 or other relevant professional experience; and 

15 (3) hold a doctoral degree in social work. 

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

17 of the grant recipients under this section shall be employed 

18 by a historically Black college or university or minority19 serving institution. 

20 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

21 are authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 for each of 

22 fiscal years 2016 through 2019 to the Secretary to carry 

23 out this section. 


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1 SEC. 203. EDUCATION AND TRAINING GRANTS. 

2 (a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary shall 

3 award grants to 20 eligible institutions of higher education 

4 to support the recruitment and education of social work 

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

6 programs and the professional development of social work 

7 faculty. 

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

9 each of the 20 grant recipients under this section 

10 $200,000 per fiscal year for 4 consecutive fiscal years, be11 ginning with the first fiscal year that begins after the date 

12 of the enactment of this Act. 

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

14 a grant under this section, an institution shall dem15 onstrate that— 

16 (1) the institution enrolls social work students 

17 from different racial, ethnic, cultural, geographic, re18 ligious, linguistic, and class backgrounds, and dif19 ferent genders and sexual orientations; and 

20 (2) the institution has knowledge and under21 standing of the concerns of the groups described in 

22 paragraph (1). 

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

24 of the grant recipients under this section shall be histori25 cally Black colleges or universities or other minority-serv26 ing institutions. 


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

2 this section, the Secretary shall give priority to institutions 

3 of higher education that— 

4 (1) are accredited by the Council on Social 

5 Work Education; 

6 (2) have a graduation rate of not less than 80 

7 percent for social work students; and 

8 (3) exhibit an ability to recruit social workers 

9 from, and place social workers in, areas with a high 

10 need and high demand population. 

11 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

12 are authorized to be appropriated $16,000,000 for each 

13 of fiscal years 2016 through 2019 to carry out this sec14 tion. 

15 SEC. 204. COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAMS OF EXCELLENCE 

16 GRANTS. 

17 (a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary shall 

18 award grants to 6 eligible covered entities to test and rep19 licate effective social work interventions. 

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

21 the term ‘‘covered entity’’ means— 

22 (1) a State or local government or a depart23 ment, agency, special-purpose district, or other in24 strumentality of a State or local government, that is 


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1 carrying out a community-based program of excel2 lence; or 

3 (2) a nonprofit organization that is carrying out 

4 a program of excellence. 

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

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

7 per fiscal year for 3 consecutive fiscal years, beginning 

8 with the first fiscal year that begins after the date of the 

9 enactment of this Act. 

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

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

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

13 child welfare, military and veterans issues, mental 

14 and behavioral health and disability, criminal justice 

15 and correction systems, or health and other issues 

16 affecting women and families; 

17 (2) provide services to individuals of different 

18 racial, ethnic, cultural, geographic, religious, lin19 guistic, and class backgrounds, and different genders 

20 and sexual orientations; 

21 (3) demonstrate knowledge and understanding 

22 of the concerns of the groups described in paragraph 

23 (2); 

24 (4) demonstrate a record of active participation 

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


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1 (5) employ individuals who represent themselves 

2 as competent to provide social work services only 

3 within the boundaries of their education, training, li4 censes, certification, professional case consultation, 

5 supervised experience, or other relevant professional 

6 experience. 

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

8 under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to eligi9 ble covered entities that— 

10 (1) have demonstrated successful and measur11 able outcomes that the Secretary considers worthy of 

12 replication; 

13 (2) have been in operation for at least 2 years; 

14 and 

15 (3) work with high need and high demand pop16 ulations. 

17 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

18 are authorized to be appropriated $9,000,000 for each of 

19 fiscal years 2016 through 2019 to carry out this section. 

20 SEC. 205. NATIONAL COORDINATING CENTER. 

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

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

23 National Association of Social Workers or the Council on 

24 Social Work Education. Such national social work entity 

25 shall— 


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1 (1) have experience in coordinating the transfer 

2 of information and ideas among entities engaged in 

3 social work research, practice, education, and policy4 making; and 

5 (2) maintain relationships with Federal entities, 

6 social work degree-granting institutions of higher 

7 education, departments of social work within such 

8 institutions, and organizations and agencies that em9 ploy social workers. 

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

11 Secretary enters into a contract under subsection (a) (re12 ferred to in this section as the ‘‘coordinating center’’) 

13 shall— 

14 (1) organize, collect, and report to the Sec15 retary and to Congress data and information related 

16 to the social work profession; 

17 (2) serve as a clearinghouse; and 

18 (3) coordinate activities with the entities, insti19 tutions, departments, organizations, and agencies 

20 described in subsection (a)(2). 

21 (c) COLLABORATION.—The coordinating center shall 

22 work with institutions of higher education, research enti23 ties, and organizations with social work practice settings, 

24 including government entities, military departments, ele25 mentary and secondary schools, social services agencies, 


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1 private practices, inpatient and outpatient mental health 

2 service providers, child welfare agencies, correctional fa3 cilities, and nursing homes, to identify key research areas, 

4 establish research fellowships, and organize appropriate 

5 mentorship and professional development efforts. 

6 (d) SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES OF THE COORDINATING

7 CENTER.—The coordinating center shall— 

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

9 of the National Association of Social Workers Na10 tional Center for Workforce Studies; 

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

12 data and information on best practices and findings 

13 regarding the activities funded by grants awarded 

14 under sections 201 through 204; 

15 (3) prepare and submit to the Secretary a re16 port that includes recommendations regarding the 

17 need to recruit new social workers, retain current so18 cial workers, conduct social work research, and rein19 vest in the profession of social work; 

20 (4) demonstrate cultural competency and pro21 mote the participation of diverse groups; and 

22 (5) in collaboration with the Secretary, select 

23 research topics to further the goals of this section, 

24 establish new research fellowships to conduct such 

25 research, and identify and appoint qualified individVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:06 Mar 24, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00030 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S789.IS S789

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1 uals to such fellowship positions from among individ2 uals who hold master’s or doctoral degrees in social 

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

4 programs at schools of social work. 

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

6 conduct and authorize such other activities as the Sec7 retary considers appropriate to carry out this section. 

8 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

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

10 this section for each of fiscal years 2016 through 2020. 

11 SEC. 206. MULTIMEDIA OUTREACH CAMPAIGN. 

12 (a) DEVELOPMENT AND ISSUANCE OF PUBLIC SERV13 ICE ANNOUNCEMENTS.—The Secretary shall develop and 

14 issue public service announcements that advertise and pro15 mote the social work profession, highlight the advantages 

16 and rewards of social work, and encourage individuals to 

17 enter the social work profession. 

18 (b) METHOD.—The public service announcements de19 scribed in subsection (a) shall be broadcast through appro20 priate media outlets, including television or radio, in a 

21 manner intended to reach as wide and diverse of an audi22 ence as possible. 

23 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

24 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 


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

2 2016 through 2019. 

Æ 


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