To amend title VII of the Public Health Service Act to ensure that social work students or social work schools are eligible for support under certain programs to assist individuals in pursuing health careers and programs of grants for training projects in geriatrics, and to establish a social work training program.

January 24, 2005

Mr. INOUYE introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

To amend title VII of the Public Health Service Act to ensure that social work students or social work schools are eligible for support under certain programs to assist individuals in pursuing health careers and programs of grants for training projects in geriatrics, and to establish a social work training program.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Strengthen Social Work Training Act of 2005'.

SEC. 2. SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS.

(a) Health Professions Schools- Section 736(g)(1)(A) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 293(g)(1)(A)) is amended by striking `graduate program in behavioral or mental health' and inserting `graduate program in behavioral or mental health, including a school offering graduate programs in clinical social work, or programs in social work'.

(b) Scholarships- Section 737(d)(1)(A) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 293a(d)(1)(A)) is amended by striking `mental health practice' and inserting `mental health practice (including graduate programs in clinical psychology, graduate programs in clinical social work, or programs in social work)'.

(c) Faculty Positions- Section 738(a)(3) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 293b(a)(3)) is amended by striking `offering graduate programs in behavioral and mental health' and inserting `offering graduate programs in behavioral and mental health, including graduate programs in clinical psychology, graduate programs in clinical social work, or programs in social work'.

SEC. 3. GERIATRICS TRAINING PROJECTS.

Section 753(b)(1) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 294c(b)(1)) is amended by inserting `schools offering degrees in social work,' after `teaching hospitals,'.

SEC. 4. SOCIAL WORK TRAINING PROGRAM.

Subpart 2 of part E of title VII of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 295 et seq.) is amended--

(1) by redesignating section 770 as section 770A;

(2) by inserting after section 769, the following:

`SEC. 770. SOCIAL WORK TRAINING PROGRAM.

`(a) Training Generally- The Secretary may make grants to, or enter into contracts with, any public or nonprofit private hospital, any school offering programs in social work, or to or with a public or private nonprofit entity that the Secretary has determined is capable of carrying out such grant or contract--

`(1) to plan, develop, and operate, or participate in, an approved social work training program (including an approved residency or internship program) for students, interns, residents, or practicing physicians;

`(2) to provide financial assistance (in the form of traineeships and fellowships) to students, interns, residents, practicing physicians, or other individuals, who--

`(A) are in need of such assistance;

`(B) are participants in any such program; and

`(C) plan to specialize or work in the practice of social work;

`(3) to plan, develop, and operate a program for the training of individuals who plan to teach in social work training programs; and

`(4) to provide financial assistance (in the form of traineeships and fellowships) to individuals who are participants in any such program and who plan to teach in a social work training program.

`(b) Academic Administrative Units-

`(1) IN GENERAL- The Secretary may make grants to or enter into contracts with schools offering programs in social work to meet the costs of projects to establish, maintain, or improve academic administrative units (which may be departments, divisions, or other units) to provide clinical instruction in social work.

`(2) PREFERENCE IN MAKING AWARDS- In making awards of grants and contracts under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give preference to any qualified applicant for such an award that agrees to expend the award for the purpose of--

`(A) establishing an academic administrative unit for programs in social work; or

`(B) substantially expanding the programs of such a unit.

`(c) Duration of Award- The period during which payments are made to an entity from an award of a grant or contract under subsection (a) may not exceed 5 years. The provision of such payments shall be subject to annual approval by the Secretary and subject to the availability of appropriations for the fiscal year involved to make the payments.

`(d) Funding-

`(1) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $10,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2006 through 2008.

`(2) ALLOCATION- Of the amounts appropriated under paragraph (1) for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall make available not less than 20 percent for awards of grants and contracts under subsection (b).'; and

(3) in section 770A (as redesignated by paragraph (1)) by inserting `other than section 770,' after `carrying out this subpart,'.

SEC. 5. CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKER SERVICES.

Section 1302 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300e-1) is amended--

(1) in paragraphs (1) and (2), by inserting `clinical social worker,' after `psychologist,' each place the term appears;

(2) in paragraph (4)(A), by striking `and psychologists' and inserting `psychologists, and clinical social workers'; and

(3) in paragraph (5), by inserting `clinical social work,' after `psychology,'.

END