I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 795 
To establish the Social Work Reinvestment Commission to advise Congress 
and the Secretary of Health and Human Services on policy issues associ-
ated with the profession of social work, to authorize the Secretary to 
make grants to support recruitment, retention, research, and reinvest-
ment in the profession, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 3, 2009 
Mr. TOWNS (for himself, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Ms. 
BORDALLO, Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. DAVIS 
of Tennessee, Mr. HARE, Mr. HINOJOSA, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. HOLT, Mr. 
KILDEE, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. MURPHY of Connecticut, Ms. NOR-
TON, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mr. CAPUANO, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. 
CARNAHAN, Ms. SCHWARTZ, Ms. KILPATRICK of Michigan, Ms. SHEA- 
PORTER, Mr. GUTIERREZ, Mr. SESTAK, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. LEE of Cali-
fornia, Mr. ISRAEL, Mrs. MALONEY, Mr. ROTHMAN of New Jersey, Mr. 
COURTNEY, Mr. KUCINICH, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, and 
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Education and Labor 
A BILL 
To establish the Social Work Reinvestment Commission to 
advise Congress and the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services on policy issues associated with the profession 
of social work, to authorize the Secretary to make grants 
to support recruitment, retention, research, and reinvest-
ment in the profession, and for other purposes. 
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Findings. 
Sec. 3. Definitions. 
TITLE I—SOCIAL WORK REINVESTMENT COMMISSION 
Sec. 101. Establishment of Commission. 
Sec. 102. Purposes and duties of Commission. 
Sec. 103. Appointment of Commission members. 
Sec. 104. Powers of the Commission. 
Sec. 105. Compensation for Commission members. 
Sec. 106. Authorization of appropriations. 
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. Multi-media outreach campaign. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that 
employment of social workers is expected to increase 
faster than average (estimated to be 22 percent dur-
ing the 2006–2016 decade), demonstrating a sub-
stantial need for social workers. The need is even 
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greater for social workers in the area of aging. The 
National Association of Social Workers Center for 
Workforce Studies estimates that nine percent of, or 
30,000, licensed social workers specialize in geron-
tology. By 2010, as more people reach the age of 65, 
the National Institute on Aging projects that 60,000 
to 70,000 social workers will be needed. 
(2) Social work salaries are among the lowest 
for professionals in general and for those with Mas-
ter’s level educations in particular. A survey con-
ducted by the John A. Hartford Foundation found 
that between 1992 and 1999 the annual rate of 
wage growth for degree-holding social workers was 
0.8 percent. According to the National Association 
of Social Workers, Center for Workforce Studies, 60 
percent of full-time social workers earn between 
$35,000 and $59,999 per year, with 25 percent 
earning between $40,000 and $49,999 per year. So-
cial workers who earn lower salaries are more likely 
to work in challenging agency environments and to 
serve more vulnerable clients. They are also more 
likely to leave the profession. 
(3) According to one study by the Council on 
Social Work Education, 68 percent of individuals 
surveyed who held a Master’s Degree in Social Work 
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graduated with an average debt of $26,777. Addi-
tionally, the United States Public Interest Research 
Group states that 37 percent of public four-year 
graduates have too much debt to manage as a start-
ing social worker. While social workers may be in 
positions that are personally fulfilling, due to their 
high loan debt and low income, many struggle finan-
cially. 
(4) Social work can be a dangerous profession. 
According to the American Federation of State, 
County, and Municipal Employees, 70 percent of 
caseworkers report that front line staff in their 
agency have been victims of violence or have received 
threats of violence. Social workers are considerably 
safer when measures such as global positioning sys-
tems, self-defense training, and conflict prevention 
are implemented. 
(5) According to a study by the University of 
Michigan, approximately one in seven adults over the 
age of 70 have some form of dementia, and 9.7 per-
cent (or 2,400,000 Americans) of those found with 
dementia were also found to 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. These professionals 
also assist the hundreds of thousands of older per-
sons who are abused, neglected, frail, and vulner-
able. Between 2000 and 2004 there was a 19.7 per-
cent increase in the total number of reports of elder 
and vulnerable adult abuse and neglect. 
(6) The Children’s Defense Fund states that 
every 36 seconds a child is confirmed as abused or 
neglected. The Administration for Children and 
Families states that 510,000 children were in the 
United States foster care system in 2006. Most of 
the children in foster care are placed in foster care 
due to parental abuse or neglect. Research shows 
that professional social workers in child welfare 
agencies are more likely to find permanent homes 
for children who were in foster care for two or more 
years. Unfortunately, fewer than 40 percent of child 
welfare workers are professional social workers. 
(7) The Department of Health and Human 
Services estimates that 26.2 percent of Americans 
aged 18 and older (one in four adults) experiences 
a diagnosable mental disorder. Additionally, one in 
five children and adolescents experience a mental 
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health disorder. At least one in ten, or about 
6,000,000 young people, have a serious emotional 
disturbance. Social workers provide the majority of 
mental health counseling services in the United 
States, and are often the only providers of such serv-
ices in rural areas. 
(8) The Department of Veterans Affairs esti-
mates that there are 23,977,000 veterans in the 
United States. More than 1,100,000 members of the 
Armed Forces have been deployed to Iraq or Af-
ghanistan since 2001. A once declining veteran pop-
ulation is now surging and is in dire need of mental 
health treatment to address issues such as post trau-
matic stress disorder, depression, drug and alcohol 
addiction, and suicide. Veterans make up 25 percent 
of homeless people in the United States, even though 
they comprise only 11 percent of the general popu-
lation. Social workers working with veterans and 
their families provide case management, crisis inter-
vention, mental health interventions, housing and fi-
nancial counseling, high risk screening, and advo-
cacy among other services. The Department of Vet-
erans Affairs employs over 5,000 professional social 
workers and is the single largest employer of social 
workers in the country. Social workers in the De-
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partment also coordinate the Community Residential 
Care Program, the oldest and most cost-effective of 
the Department’s extended care programs. 
(9) The American Cancer Society estimates 
that there were 1,437,180 new cases of cancer and 
565,650 cancer deaths in 2008 alone. The incidence 
of cancer will increase dramatically as the population 
grows older. The Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention reports that at the end of 2003 there 
were 1,039,000 to 1,285,000 people living with HIV 
or AIDS in the United States. In 2006, 1,300,000 
people received care from hospice providers in the 
United States. Health care and medical social work-
ers practice in all of these areas and provide out-
reach for prevention, help individuals and their fami-
lies adapt to their circumstances, provide grief coun-
seling, and act as a liaison between individuals and 
their medical team, helping patients make informed 
decisions about their care. 
(10) The National Center for Education Statis-
tics states that in 2005 the national dropout rate for 
high school students totaled 9.3 percent. White stu-
dents dropped out at a rate of 5.8 percent. African- 
American students dropped out at a rate of 10.7 
percent. Hispanic students dropped out at a rate of 
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22.1 percent. Some vulnerable communities have 
drop out rates of 50 percent or higher. Social work-
ers in school settings help these students through 
early identification, prevention, intervention, coun-
seling, and support services. 
(11) 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 corrections system address dis-
proportionate minority incarceration rates, provide 
treatment for mental health problems and drug and 
alcohol addiction, and work within as well as outside 
of the prison to reduce recidivism and increase posi-
tive community reentry. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) COMMISSION.—The term ‘‘Commission’’ 
means the Social Work Reinvestment Commission. 
(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-
ity, or regional level, to address human service, 
health care, or psycho-social needs. 
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(3) HIGH
NEED
AND
HIGH
DEMAND
POPU-
LATION.—The term ‘‘high need and high demand 
population’’ means a group that lacks sufficient re-
sources and, as a result, has a greater probability of 
being harmed by specific social, environmental, or 
health problems than the population as a whole. The 
group at issue may be a group residing in an area 
defined by the Health Resources and Services Ad-
ministration as a ‘‘health professional shortage 
area,’’ which has a shortage of primary medical care, 
dental, or mental health providers. 
(4) HISTORICALLY
BLACK
COLLEGE
OR
UNI-
VERSITY.—The term ‘‘historically black college or 
university’’ means the institutions that are within 
the definition given the term ‘‘part B institution’’ in 
section 322(2) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 1061(2)). 
(5) MINORITY
SERVING
INSTITUTION.—The 
term ‘‘minority serving institution’’ means an edu-
cational institution that serves a large percentage of 
minority students, including Alaska/Native Hawaiian 
Institutions, Asian-Serving Institutions, Black-Serv-
ing Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and 
Universities, 
Hispanic-Serving 
Institutions, 
and 
Tribal Colleges and Universities. Minority serving 
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institutions are classified based on either legislation 
or the percentage of minority student enrollment. 
(6) RELATED
PROFESSIONAL
RESEARCHER.— 
The term ‘‘related professional researcher’’ means a 
person who is professionally engaged in research in 
a social, political, economic, health, or mental health 
field. The research referenced to in this paragraph 
is primarily conducted by doctoral level researchers 
under university, government, research institute, or 
community agency auspices. 
(7) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Health and Human Services. 
(8) 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 psycho-social 
functioning and creating societal conditions fa-
vorable to that enhancement or restoration; 
(B) an activity, the practice of which con-
sists of the professional application of values, 
principles, and techniques related to the profes-
sional activity described in subparagraph (A), 
including— 
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(i) diagnosis and treatment of mental 
and emotional disorders with individuals, 
families, and groups; 
(ii) helping communities or groups 
provide or improve social and health serv-
ices and participating in relevant legislative 
processes; and 
(iii) helping people obtain tangible 
services; and 
(C) an activity, the practice of which re-
quires knowledge of— 
(i) human development; 
(ii) behavior of social, economic, and 
cultural institutions; and 
(iii) the interaction of the factors de-
scribed in clauses (i) and (ii). 
(9) SOCIAL
WORK
RESEARCHER.—The term 
‘‘social work researcher’’ means a person who stud-
ies social work at the individual, family, group, com-
munity, policy, or organizational level, focusing 
across the human life span on prevention of, inter-
vention in, treatment of, aftercare of, and rehabilita-
tion from acute and chronic social and psycho-social 
conditions, and includes a person examining the ef-
fect of policies on social work practice. The study re-
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ferred to in this paragraph is primarily conducted by 
researchers with doctoral degrees who are social 
workers or faculty under university, government, re-
search institute, or community agency auspices. 
(10) SOCIAL WORKER.—The term ‘‘social work-
er’’ means a graduate of a school of social work with 
a baccalaureate, master’s, or doctoral degree, who 
uses knowledge and skills to provide social work 
services for clients who may be individuals, families, 
groups, communities, organizations, or society in 
general. 
TITLE I—SOCIAL WORK 
REINVESTMENT COMMISSION 
SEC. 101. ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMISSION. 
Not later than three months after the date of enact-
ment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services shall establish the Social Work Reinvestment 
Commission to provide independent counsel to Congress 
and the Secretary on policy issues associated with the re-
cruitment, retention, research, and reinvestment in the 
profession of social work. 
SEC. 102. PURPOSES AND DUTIES OF COMMISSION. 
(a) STUDY.—The Commission shall conduct a com-
prehensive study to examine and assess— 
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(1) the professional capacity of the social work 
workforce to successfully serve and respond to the 
increasing biopsychosocial needs of individuals, 
groups, and communities in the areas of— 
(A) aging; 
(B) child welfare; 
(C) military and veterans affairs; 
(D) mental and behavioral health and dis-
ability; 
(E) criminal justice and correctional sys-
tems; 
(F) health and issues affecting women and 
families; and 
(G) other areas as identified by the Com-
mission; 
(2) the workforce challenges facing the profes-
sion of social work, such as high social work edu-
cational debt, fair market compensation, social work 
workforce trends, translating social work research to 
practice, social work safety, State-level social work 
licensure policies and reciprocity agreements for pro-
viding services across State lines, the lack of diver-
sity in the social work profession, or any other area 
determined by the Secretary, and the effect that 
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such challenges have on the recruitment and reten-
tion of professional social workers; 
(3) current workforce challenges and shortages 
relevant to the needs of clients served by profes-
sional social workers; 
(4) the social work workforce challenges de-
scribed in paragraph (2) and the effects that they 
will have on the areas described in paragraph (1); 
and 
(5) the advisability of establishing a social work 
enhancement account intended to provide direct 
grant assistance to local governments to encourage 
the engagement of professional social workers in so-
cial service programs. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after the 
date of its first meeting, the Commission shall submit a 
report to the Secretary and Congress containing specific 
findings and conclusions regarding the need for recruit-
ment, retention, research, and reinvestment in the profes-
sion of social work. The report shall include recommenda-
tions and strategies for corrective actions to ensure a ro-
bust social work workforce capable of keeping up with the 
demand for needed services. The Commission may provide 
to Congress any additional findings or recommendations 
considered by the Commission to be important. 
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SEC. 103. APPOINTMENT OF COMMISSION MEMBERS. 
(a) APPOINTMENT BY THE SECRETARY.—The Sec-
retary shall appoint members to the Commission. The 
members shall reflect representation by social workers and 
other members, including: 
(1) Two deans of schools of social work. 
(2) One social work researcher. 
(3) One related professional researcher. 
(4) One governor. 
(5) Two leaders of national social work organi-
zations. 
(6) One senior social work State official. 
(7) One senior related State official. 
(8) Two directors of community-based organiza-
tions or nonprofit organizations. 
(9) One labor economist. 
(10) One social work consumer. 
(11) One licensed clinical social worker. 
(b) APPOINTMENT BY OTHER OFFICIALS.—Four ad-
ditional members shall be appointed to the Commission, 
one member chosen by: 
(1) The Speaker of the House of Representa-
tives. 
(2) The minority leader of the House of Rep-
resentatives. 
(3) The majority leader of the Senate. 
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(4) The minority leader of the Senate. 
(c) APPOINTMENT
OF CHAIRPERSON
AND VICE- 
CHAIRPERSON.—The Secretary shall select a chairperson 
and vice-chairperson for the Commission from among the 
members of the Commission. 
(d) PERIOD OF APPOINTMENT; VACANCIES.—Mem-
bers shall be appointed for the life of the Commission, and 
any vacancy in the Commission shall not affect the powers 
of the Commission. Vacancies shall be filled in the same 
manner as the original appointment. 
(e) ORGANIZATIONAL REPRESENTATION.—Members 
of the Commission should be appointed so as to dem-
onstrate knowledge, understanding, and participation of 
individuals and groups from different racial, ethnic, cul-
tural, gender, geographic, religious, sexual orientation, lin-
guistic, and class backgrounds. 
(f) SCHEDULE
OF MEETINGS.—The Commission 
shall hold its first meeting not later than six weeks after 
the date on which the final member of the Commission 
is appointed, and subsequent meetings at the call of the 
chair. 
SEC. 104. POWERS OF THE COMMISSION. 
(a) POWERS.—The Commission shall have the power 
to— 
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(1) hold hearings and sit and act at such times 
and places take testimony, receive evidence, and ad-
minister oaths; 
(2) delegate the Commission powers described 
in paragraph (1) to any Commission subcommittee 
or member thereof for the purpose of carrying out 
this Act; 
(3) enter into contracts to enable the Commis-
sion to perform its work under this Act; and 
(4) consult, to the extent that it determines 
necessary or useful, with other agencies and organi-
zations, including— 
(A) agencies within the Department of 
Health and Human Services, including the Ad-
ministration for Children and Families, the Ad-
ministration 
on 
Aging, 
the 
Agency 
for 
Healthcare Research and Quality, the Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention, the Centers 
for Medicaid and Medicare Services, the Health 
Resources and Service Administration, the In-
dian Health Service, the National Institutes of 
Health, the Substance Abuse and Mental 
Health Services Administration; 
(B) the Social Security Administration; 
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(C) the Departments of Agriculture, De-
fense, Education, Homeland Security, Labor, 
Justice, State, and Veterans Affairs; and 
(D) any other agency as determined by the 
Commission. 
(b) COOPERATION WITH THE COMMISSION.—The en-
tities and agencies described in subsection (a)(3) shall co-
operate with and provide counsel to the Commission to 
the greatest extent practicable. 
SEC. 105. COMPENSATION FOR COMMISSION MEMBERS. 
(a) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—The members of the Com-
mission shall not receive compensation for the perform-
ance of services for the Commission, but shall be allowed 
travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, 
at rates authorized for employees of agencies under sub-
chapter 1 of chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code, 
while away from their homes or regular places of business 
in the performance of services for the Commission. Not-
withstanding section 1342 of title 31, United States Code, 
the Secretary may accept the voluntary and uncompen-
sated services of members of the Commission. 
(b) DETAIL
OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES.—Any 
Federal Government employee may be detailed to the 
Commission without reimbursement, and such detail shall 
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be without interruption or loss of civil service status or 
privilege. 
SEC. 106. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec-
retary such sums as may be necessary to carry out the 
activities of the Commission. 
TITLE 
II—REINVESTMENT 
GRANT PROGRAMS TO SUP-
PORT SOCIAL WORK PROFES-
SION 
SEC. 201. WORKPLACE IMPROVEMENT GRANTS. 
(a) GRANTS
AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary may 
award grants to four eligible entities described in sub-
section (c) to address workplace concerns for the social 
work profession, including caseloads, compensation, social 
work safety, supervision, and working conditions. 
(b) LOCAL OR STATE GOVERNMENT ENTITIES RE-
QUIREMENT.—At least two of the grant recipients must 
be local or State government agencies. 
(c) GRANTEE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.—To be 
eligible for a grant under this section, an entity must— 
(1) work in a social work capacity that dem-
onstrates a need in a workplace concern area de-
scribed in subsection (a); 
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(2) demonstrate knowledge, understanding, and 
participation in the entities’ programs of individuals 
and groups from different racial, ethnic, cultural, 
gender, geographic, religious, sexual orientation, lin-
guistic, and class backgrounds; 
(3) demonstrate a record of active participation 
of professionally trained social workers in the enti-
ties’ programs; and 
(4) provide services and represent the individ-
uals employed by the entities as competent only 
within the boundaries of their education, training, li-
censes, certification, consultation received, super-
vised experience, or other relevant professional expe-
rience. 
(d) EQUAL AMOUNTS.—The Secretary shall dis-
tribute the grant funds annually to the four grant recipi-
ents over a four-year period in equal amounts. 
(e) PRIORITY.—In selecting the grant recipients 
under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to eligi-
ble entities that— 
(1) are equipped with the capacity to oversee 
and monitor the grant-funded workplace improve-
ment program carried out under this section, includ-
ing proven fiscal responsibility and administrative 
capability; and 
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(2) are knowledgeable about relevant workforce 
trends and have at least two years of experience rel-
evant to the grant-funded workplace improvement 
program. 
(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated $16,000,000 to the Sec-
retary to provide grants under this section. 
SEC. 202. RESEARCH GRANTS. 
(a) GRANTS
AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary may 
award grants to not less than 25 social workers who hold 
a doctoral degree in social work for post-doctoral research 
in social work— 
(1) to further the knowledge base about effec-
tive social work interventions; and 
(2) to promote usable strategies to translate re-
search into practice across diverse community set-
tings and service systems. 
(b) GRANTEE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.—To be 
eligible for a grant under this section, a social worker 
must— 
(1) demonstrate knowledge and understanding 
of individuals and groups from different racial, eth-
nic, cultural, gender, geographic, religious, sexual 
orientation, linguistic, and class backgrounds; and 
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H795
rfrederick on PROD1PC67 with BILLS