Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr., Social Work Reinvestment Act

I 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 1532 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 5, 2019 Ms. LEE of California (for herself, Ms. KUSTER of New Hampshire, Ms. NOR- TON, Ms. BROWNLEY of California, Mrs. DINGELL, Mr. BISHOP of Geor- gia, Ms. PLASKETT, Mr. YARMUTH, Miss RICE of New York, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. EVANS, Mr. SOTO, and Mr. LEWIS) intro- duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Edu- cation and Labor 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- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:58 Mar 19, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1532.IH H1532 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 1532 IH SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 1 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 2 ‘‘Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr., Social 3 Work Reinvestment Act’’. 4 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 5 this Act is as follows: 6 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. 7 Congress finds the following: 8 (1) Although the United States poverty rate has 9 had a slight decline to 12.3 percent in 2017, 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 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:58 Mar 19, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1532.IH H1532 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 1532 IH and threats of foreclosure. Joblessness and economic 1 insecurity contribute to the incidence of mental ill- 2 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 dev- 9 astating costs and consequences of poverty and un- 10 employment on our society and provide direct serv- 11 ices in order to prevent and abate economic inequal- 12 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 2026, with a 16 16-percent growth rate overall and a 20-percent pro- 17 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 par- 24 ticular. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:58 Mar 19, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1532.IH H1532 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 1532 IH the median annual income for social workers in 1 2017 was $47,980. 2 (5) The report titled ‘‘2017 Statistics on Social 3 Work Education in the United States’’ by the Coun- 4 cil on Social Work Education stated that 77.7 per- 5 cent of students graduating from Master of Social 6 Work programs incurred debt to earn their graduate 7 degree. The average debt for a Master of Social 8 Work degree was approximately $44,296. 9 (6) Social workers often deal with the most vul- 10 nerable clients in emotional or traumatic situations, 11 and face possible danger as a result. The National 12 Association of Social Workers Center for Workforce 13 Studies found that 44 percent of survey respondents 14 faced personal safety issues on the job. In 2015, the 15 Occupational Safety and Health Administration re- 16 ported that 75 percent of workplace assaults that oc- 17 curred between 2011 and 2013 took place in the 18 health care and social services industries. 19 (7) The Alzheimer’s Association of America 20 states that 5.7 million Americans, or 1 in every 10 21 individuals over the age of 65, have Alzheimer’s dis- 22 ease. Social workers in gerontology settings work 23 with older adults, including those with dementia, to 24 support their physiological, psychological, and social 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:58 Mar 19, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1532.IH H1532 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 1532 IH needs through mental health therapy, caregiver and 1 family counseling, health education, program coordi- 2 nation, and case management. 3 (8) The Children’s Defense Fund states that 4 every 47 seconds a child is confirmed as abused or 5 neglected and every 51⁄2 hours a child is killed from 6 abuse or neglect. The Administration for Children 7 and Families of the Department of Health and 8 Human Services states that 437,500 children were 9 in the United States foster care system at the end 10 of fiscal year 2016. Most children placed in foster 11 care are placed due to parental abuse or neglect. Re- 12 search shows that professional social workers em- 13 ployed in child welfare agencies are more likely to 14 find permanent homes for children who have been in 15 foster care for 2 or more years. Unfortunately, less 16 than 40 percent of child welfare workers are profes- 17 sional social workers. 18 (9) The Substance Abuse and Mental Health 19 Services Administration of the Department of 20 Health and Human Services estimates that 46.6 mil- 21 lion individuals (nearly 1 in 5 or 18.9 percent) in 22 the United States age 18 or older experienced a 23 diagnosable mental illness in 2017. Additionally, at 24 least 3 million (1 in 10 or 13.3 percent) youth be- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:58 Mar 19, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1532.IH H1532 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 1532 IH tween the ages of 12 and 17 experienced at least one 1 major depressive episode in the past year. Social 2 workers provide the majority of mental health coun- 3 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 man- 7 agement, crisis interventions, mental health inter- 8 ventions, housing and financial counseling, high-risk 9 screening, and advocacy. The Department of Vet- 10 erans Affairs, which is the largest employer of social 11 workers in the Nation, employs over 12,000 social 12 workers who are available to serve an estimated 20.4 13 million veterans in the United States. A once-declin- 14 ing veteran population is now surging and is in dire 15 need of mental health treatment to address issues 16 such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, 17 drug and alcohol addiction, and suicidal tendencies. 18 (11) The American Cancer Society estimated 19 that there would be 1,735,350 new cases of cancer 20 and 609,640 cancer deaths, or 1,670 deaths a day, 21 in 2018 alone. The Centers for Disease Control and 22 Prevention report that there are over 1,100,000 peo- 23 ple living with HIV in the United States, with ap- 24 proximately 38,500 new cases diagnosed in 2015. In 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:58 Mar 19, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1532.IH H1532 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 1532 IH 2017, 1,430,000 to 1,700,000 people received care 1 from the Nation’s hospice providers. Health care 2 and medical social workers practice in areas related 3 to all of these circumstances and provide outreach 4 for prevention and health promotion, help individ- 5 uals and their families adapt to their health condi- 6 tions, connect patients and family caregivers with 7 community services and supports, provide grief 8 counseling, and act as a liaison between individuals 9 and their medical team, helping patients make in- 10 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 2016 the national dropout rate for 16 high school students was 6.1 percent. Some vulner- 17 able communities have dropout rates of 50 percent 18 or higher. Social workers in school settings help stu- 19 dents avoid dropping out through early identifica- 20 tion, prevention, intervention, counseling, and sup- 21 port services. 22 (13) According to the Department of Justice, 23 every year more than 650,000 ex-offenders are re- 24 leased from Federal and State prisons. Social work- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:58 Mar 19, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1532.IH H1532 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 1532 IH ers employed in the correctional system address dis- 1 proportionate minority incarceration rates, provide 2 treatment for mental health problems and drug and 3 alcohol addiction, and work within, as well as out- 4 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, or- 14 ganization, or other entity carrying out a program 15 that provides direct social work services or commu- 16 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 POPU- 20 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, envi- 24 ronmental, or health problems than the population 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:58 Mar 19, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1532.IH H1532 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 1532 IH as a whole. Such term includes a group of individ- 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 pri- 4 mary medical care, dental, or mental health pro- 5 viders. 6 (4) HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE OR UNI- 7 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 Edu- 10 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061(2)). 11 (5) MINORITY-SERVING INSTITUTION.—The 12 term ‘‘minority-serving institution’’ means an insti- 13 tution of higher education that serves a large per- 14 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 Edu- 18 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 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:58 Mar 19, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1532.IH H1532 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 1532 IH in section 320(b)(2) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1 1059g(b)(2)). 2 (D) Hispanic-serving institutions, as de- 3 fined in section 502(a)(5) of such Act (20 4 U.S.C. 1101(a)(5)). 5 (E) Tribal Colleges and Universities, as de- 6 fined in section 316(b)(3) of such Act (20 7 U.S.C. 1059c(b)(3)). 8 (F) Native American-serving, nontribal in- 9 stitutions, as defined in section 319(b)(2) of 10 such Act (20 U.S.C. 1059f(b)(2)). 11 (G) Predominantly Black Institutions, as 12 defined in section 318(b)(6) of such Act (20 13 U.S.C. 1059e(b)(6)). 14 (H) Historically black colleges or univer- 15 sities. 16 (6) PROGRAM OF EXCELLENCE.—The term 17 ‘‘program of excellence’’ means a program of distinc- 18 tion in a field related to human service, hosted by 19 a public or private agency, that has received State 20 or national recognition or another clearly defined in- 21 dicator appropriate to the mission of the program, 22 has clearly defined and measurable goals and objec- 23 tives, regularly assesses outcomes, and can provide 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:58 Mar 19, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1532.IH H1532 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 1532 IH evidence of a strong assessment plan that utilizes as- 1 sessment data to improve the program. 2 (7) RELATED PROFESSIONAL RESEARCHER.— 3 The term ‘‘related professional researcher’’ means a 4 doctoral level researcher or any other individual who 5 is professionally engaged in research in a social, po- 6 litical, economic, health, or mental health field other 7 than social work for an entity such as a university, 8 government entity, research institute, or community 9 agency. 10 (8) SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK.—The term 11 ‘‘school of social work’’ means a school that is ac- 12 credited by the Council on Social Work Education 13 (the sole accrediting agency recognized by the Coun- 14 cil for Higher Education Accreditation for social 15 work education in the United States) within an in- 16 stitution of higher education, that offers bacca- 17 laureate, master’s, or doctoral degrees in social 18 work. 19 (9) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘ [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]