I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1289 
To establish the Social Work Reinvestment Commission to provide inde-
pendent 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 Com-
mittee on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To establish the Social Work Reinvestment Commission to 
provide independent counsel to Congress and the Sec-
retary of Health and Human Services on policy issues 
related to recruitment, retention, research, and reinvest-
ment in the profession of social work, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr., Social 
Work Reinvestment Act’’. 
(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. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Although the United States poverty rate has 
had a slight decline to 13.5 percent in 2015, poverty 
remains a social issue for our Nation, especially for 
communities of color and women and children who 
continue to experience higher than average poverty 
rates. Homeowners and those seeking to become 
homeowners continue to face challenges with high 
mortgage delinquency, mortgage loan interest rates, 
and threats of foreclosure. Joblessness and economic 
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insecurity contribute to the incidence of mental ill-
ness, family violence, suicide, substance abuse, 
crime, and diminished capacity for health, family, 
and community functioning. 
(2) Social workers form society’s social safety 
net. Social workers provide assistance, guidance, and 
resources to individuals, families, and communities 
in poverty. Additionally, they understand the dev-
astating costs and consequences of poverty and un-
employment on our society and provide direct serv-
ices in order to prevent and abate economic inequal-
ity. 
(3) The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 
that the social work profession will grow at an 
above-average rate through the year 2024, with a 12 
percent growth rate overall and a 19 percent pro-
jected growth rate for health care social workers. 
This increase is faster than the 7 percent average 
for all occupations, demonstrating a substantial need 
for social workers in our Nation. 
(4) Social work salaries, on average, are among 
the lowest for all occupations in the United States 
and for those with master’s level education in par-
ticular. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 
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the median annual income for social workers in 
2015 was $45,900. 
(5) The report titled ‘‘2014 Statistics on Social 
Work Education in the United States’’ by the Coun-
cil on Social Work Education stated that 78.7 per-
cent of students graduating from Master of Social 
Work programs incurred debt to earn their graduate 
degree. The average debt for a Master of Social 
Work degree was approximately $40,616. 
(6) Social workers often deal with the most vul-
nerable clients in emotional or traumatic situations, 
and face possible danger as a result. The National 
Association of Social Workers Center for Workforce 
Studies found that 44 percent of survey respondents 
faced personal safety issues on the job. In 2015, the 
Occupational Safety and Health Administration re-
ported that 75 percent of workplace assaults that oc-
curred between 2011 and 2013 took place in the 
health care and social services industries. 
(7) The Alzheimer’s Association of America 
states that 5.4 million Americans, or 1 in every 9 in-
dividuals over the age of 65, have Alzheimer’s dis-
ease. Social workers in gerontology settings work 
with older adults, including those with dementia, to 
support their physiological, psychological, and social 
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needs through mental health therapy, caregiver and 
family counseling, health education, program coordi-
nation, and case management. 
(8) The Children’s Defense Fund states that 
every 47 seconds a child is confirmed as abused or 
neglected and every 51⁄2 hours a child is killed from 
abuse or neglect. The Administration for Children 
and Families of the Department of Health and 
Human Services states that 415,000 children were 
in the United States foster care system in 2014. 
Most children placed in foster care are placed due to 
parental abuse or neglect. Research shows that pro-
fessional social workers employed in child welfare 
agencies are more likely to find permanent homes 
for children who have been in foster care for 2 or 
more years. Unfortunately, less than 40 percent of 
child welfare workers are professional social workers. 
(9) The Substance Abuse and Mental Health 
Services Administration of the Department of 
Health and Human Services estimates that 43.6 mil-
lion individuals (nearly 1 in 5 or 18.1 percent) in 
the United States age 18 or older experienced a 
diagnosable mental illness in 2014. Additionally, at 
least 3 million (1 in 10 or 12.5 percent) youth be-
tween the ages of 12 and 17 experienced at least one 
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major depressive episode in the past year. Social 
workers provide the majority of mental health coun-
seling services in the United States, and are often 
the only providers of such services in rural areas. 
(10) Social workers working with veterans and 
their families provide services that include case man-
agement, crisis interventions, mental health inter-
ventions, housing and financial counseling, high-risk 
screening, and advocacy. The Department of Vet-
erans Affairs, which is the largest employer of social 
workers in the Nation, employs over 12,000 social 
workers who serve an estimated 21.8 million vet-
erans in the United States. A once-declining veteran 
population is now surging and is in dire need of 
mental health treatment to address issues such as 
post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, drug and 
alcohol addiction, and suicidal tendencies. 
(11) The American Cancer Society estimates 
that there will be 1,668,780 new cases of cancer and 
600,920 cancer deaths, or 1,646 deaths a day, in 
2017 alone. The Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention report that there are over 1,200,000 peo-
ple living with HIV/AIDS in the United States, with 
approximately 39,513 new cases diagnosed in 2015. 
In 2013, 1,600,000 to 1,700,000 people received 
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care from the Nation’s hospice providers. Health 
care and medical social workers practice in areas re-
lated to all of these circumstances and provide out-
reach for prevention and health promotion, help in-
dividuals and their families adapt to their health 
conditions, connect patients and family caregivers 
with community services and supports, provide grief 
counseling, and act as a liaison between individuals 
and their medical team, helping patients make in-
formed decisions about their care. 
(12) The Children’s Defense Fund notes that 
every 2 seconds a public school student is suspended 
and that every 9 seconds a high school student drops 
out. The National Center for Education Statistics 
states that in 2014 the national dropout rate for 
high school students was 6.5 percent. Some vulner-
able communities have dropout rates of 50 percent 
or higher. Social workers in school settings help stu-
dents avoid dropping out through early identifica-
tion, prevention, intervention, counseling, and sup-
port services. 
(13) According to the Department of Justice, 
every year more than 650,000 ex-offenders are re-
leased from Federal and State prisons. Social work-
ers employed in the correctional system address dis-
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proportionate minority incarceration rates, provide 
treatment for mental health problems and drug and 
alcohol addiction, and work within, as well as out-
side of, prisons to reduce recidivism and increase 
positive community reentry. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) CLINICAL
SOCIAL
WORKER.—The term 
‘‘clinical social worker’’ has the meaning given the 
term in section 1861(hh)(1) of the Social Security 
Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(hh)(1)). 
(2) COMMUNITY-BASED
PROGRAM.—The term 
‘‘community-based program’’ means an agency, or-
ganization, or other entity carrying out a program 
that provides direct social work services or commu-
nity development services at a neighborhood, local, 
or regional level, to address human service, health 
care, or psychosocial needs. 
(3) HIGH
NEED
AND
HIGH
DEMAND
POPU-
LATION.—The term ‘‘high need and high demand 
population’’ means a group of individuals that lacks 
sufficient resources and, as a result, has a greater 
probability of being harmed by specific social, envi-
ronmental, or health problems than the population 
as a whole. Such term includes a group of individ-
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uals residing in an area designated by the Health 
Resources and Services Administration as a ‘‘health 
professional shortage area’’ due to a shortage of pri-
mary medical care, dental, or mental health pro-
viders. 
(4) HISTORICALLY
BLACK
COLLEGE
OR
UNI-
VERSITY.—The term ‘‘historically black college or 
university’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘part B 
institution’’ in section 322(2) of the Higher Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061(2)). 
(5) 
MINORITY-SERVING
INSTITUTION.—The 
term ‘‘minority-serving institution’’ means an insti-
tution of higher education that serves a large per-
centage of minority students, as determined by the 
Secretary of Education, including the following: 
(A) Alaska Native-serving institutions, as 
defined in section 317(b)(2) of the Higher Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059d(b)(2)). 
(B) Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, 
as defined in section 317(b)(4) of such Act (20 
U.S.C. 1059d(b)(4)). 
(C) Asian American and Native American 
Pacific Islander-serving institutions, as defined 
in section 320(b)(2) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 
1059g(b)(2)). 
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(D) Hispanic-serving institutions, as de-
fined in section 502(a)(5) of such Act (20 
U.S.C. 1101(a)(5)). 
(E) Tribal Colleges and Universities, as de-
fined in section 316(b)(3) of such Act (20 
U.S.C. 1059c(b)(3)). 
(F) Native American-serving, nontribal in-
stitutions, as defined in section 319(b)(2) of 
such Act (20 U.S.C. 1059f(b)(2)). 
(G) Predominantly Black Institutions, as 
defined in section 318(b)(6) of such Act (20 
U.S.C. 1059e(b)(6)). 
(H) Historically black colleges or univer-
sities. 
(6) PROGRAM
OF
EXCELLENCE.—The term 
‘‘program of excellence’’ means a program of distinc-
tion in a field related to human service, hosted by 
a public or private agency, that has received State 
or national recognition or another clearly defined in-
dicator appropriate to the mission of the program, 
has clearly defined and measurable goals and objec-
tives, regularly assesses outcomes, and can provide 
evidence of a strong assessment plan that utilizes as-
sessment data to improve the program. 
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(7) RELATED
PROFESSIONAL
RESEARCHER.— 
The term ‘‘related professional researcher’’ means a 
doctoral level researcher or any other individual who 
is professionally engaged in research in a social, po-
litical, economic, health, or mental health field other 
than social work for an entity such as a university, 
government entity, research institute, or community 
agency. 
(8) SCHOOL
OF
SOCIAL
WORK.—The term 
‘‘school of social work’’ means a school that is ac-
credited by the Council on Social Work Education 
(the sole accrediting agency recognized by the Coun-
cil for Higher Education Accreditation for social 
work education in the United States) within an in-
stitution of higher education, that offers bacca-
laureate, master’s, or doctoral degrees in social 
work. 
(9) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Health and Human Services. 
(10) SOCIAL WORK.—The term ‘‘social work’’ 
means— 
(A) the professional activity of helping in-
dividuals, groups, or communities enhance or 
restore capacity for social and psychosocial 
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functioning and creating societal conditions fa-
vorable to such enhancement or restoration; 
(B) the professional application of values, 
principles, and techniques related to the activity 
described in subparagraph (A), including— 
(i) diagnosing mental and emotional 
disorders and treating individuals, families, 
or groups for such disorders; 
(ii) helping communities or groups 
provide or improve social and health serv-
ices and participating in relevant legislative 
processes to achieve such goals; and 
(iii) helping individuals, families, or 
groups obtain tangible services, including 
personal, protective, informational, advi-
sory, community, or maintenance services 
in order to improve the overall well-being 
of individuals; and 
(C) a professional activity that requires 
knowledge of human development, the behavior 
of social, economic, and cultural institutions, 
and the interaction between such development 
and behavior. 
(11) SOCIAL
WORK
RESEARCHER.—The term 
‘‘social work researcher’’ means a faculty member of 
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an institution of higher education, doctoral level re-
searcher, or any other individual who is profes-
sionally engaged in the study of social work for an 
entity such as a university, government entity, re-
search institute, or community agency at an indi-
vidual, family, group, community, organizational, or 
policy level, focusing across the human life span on 
prevention, treatment, and aftercare of, intervention 
in, and rehabilitation from, acute and chronic social 
and psychosocial conditions, including the study of 
the effect of policies on social work practice. 
(12) SOCIAL WORKER.—The term ‘‘social work-
er’’ means an individual with a baccalaureate, mas-
ter’s, or doctoral degree in social work from an insti-
tution of higher education who uses knowledge and 
skills to provide social work services for individuals, 
families, groups, communities, organizations, or soci-
ety in general. 
TITLE I—SOCIAL WORK 
REINVESTMENT COMMISSION 
SEC. 101. ESTABLISHMENT. 
Not later than 90 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish the Social 
Work Reinvestment Commission (referred to in this title 
as the ‘‘Commission’’) to provide independent counsel to 
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Congress and the Secretary on policy issues related to re-
cruitment, retention, research, and reinvestment in the 
profession of social work. 
SEC. 102. MEMBERS. 
(a) APPOINTMENT BY SECRETARY.—Not later than 
90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary shall appoint members to the Commission. The 
members shall include— 
(1) 2 deans of schools of social work; 
(2) 1 social work researcher; 
(3) 1 related professional researcher; 
(4) 1 Governor of a State; 
(5) 2 leaders of national social work organiza-
tions; 
(6) 1 senior State government employee who is 
not an elected official who has a baccalaureate, mas-
ter’s, or doctoral degree in social work; 
(7) 1 related senior State government employee 
who is not an elected official; 
(8) 2 directors of community-based organiza-
tions or nonprofit organizations that provide human 
services; 
(9) 1 labor economist; 
(10) 1 social work consumer; and 
(11) 1 licensed clinical social worker. 
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