[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 178 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
106th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 178
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for the establishment
of a National Center for Social Work Research.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 19, 1999
Mr. Inouye introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for the establishment
of a National Center for Social Work Research.
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 ``National Center for Social Work
Research Act''.
SEC. 2 ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL CENTER FOR SOCIAL WORK RESEARCH.
(a) In General.--Section 401(b)(2) of the Public Health Service Act
(42 U.S.C. 281(b)(2)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(F) The National Center for Social Work Research.''.
(b) Establishment.--Part E of title IV of the Public Health Service
Act (42 U.S.C. 287 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``Subpart 5--National Center for Social Work Research
``SEC. 485G. PURPOSE OF CENTER.
``The general purpose of the National Center for Social Work
Research (referred to in this subpart as the `Center') is the conduct
and support of, and dissemination of information with respect to basic,
clinical, and services social work research, training, and other
programs in patient care, including child and family care.
``SEC. 485H. SPECIFIC AUTHORITIES.
``(a) In General.--To carry out the purpose described in section
485G, the Director of the Center may provide research training and
instruction and establish, in the Center and in other nonprofit
institutions, research traineeships and fellowships in the study and
investigation of the prevention of disease, health promotion, and the
social work care of persons with and families of individuals with acute
and chronic illnesses, including child abuse and neglect and child and
family care.
``(b) Stipends and Allowances.--The Director of the Center may
provide individuals receiving training and instruction or traineeships
or fellowships under subsection (a) with such stipends and allowances
(including amounts for travel and subsistence and dependency
allowances) as the Director determines necessary.
``(c) Grants.--The Director of the Center may make grants to
nonprofit institutions to provide training and instruction and
traineeships and fellowships under subsection (a).
``SEC. 485I. ADVISORY COUNCIL.
``(a) Duties.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish an
advisory council for the Center that shall advise, assist,
consult with, and make recommendations to the Secretary and the
Director of the Center on matters related to the activities
carried out by and through the Center and the policies with
respect to such activities.
``(2) Gifts.--The advisory council for the Center may
recommend to the Secretary the acceptance, in accordance with
section 231, of conditional gifts for study, investigations,
and research and for the acquisition of grounds or
construction, equipment, or maintenance of facilities for the
Center.
``(3) Other duties and functions.--The advisory council for
the Center--
``(A)(i) may make recommendations to the Director
of the Center with respect to research to be conducted
by the Center;
``(ii) may review applications for grants and
cooperative agreements for research or training and
recommend for approval applications for projects that
demonstrate the probability of making valuable
contributions to human knowledge; and
``(iii) may review any grant, contract, or
cooperative agreement proposed to be made or entered
into by the Center;
``(B) may collect, by correspondence or by personal
investigation, information relating to studies that are
being carried out in the United States or any other
country as to the diseases, disorders, or other aspects
of human health with respect to which the Center is
concerned and, with the approval of the Director of the
Center, make such information available through
appropriate publications for the benefit of public and
private health entities and health professions
personnel and scientists and for the information of the
general public; and
``(C) may appoint subcommittees and convene
workshops and conferences.
``(b) Membership.--
``(1) In general.--The advisory council shall be composed
of the ex officio members described in paragraph (2) and not
more than 18 individuals to be appointed by the Secretary under
paragraph (3).
``(2) Ex officio members.--The ex officio members of the
advisory council shall include--
``(A) the Secretary, the Director of NIH, the
Director of the Center, the Chief Social Work Officer
of the Veterans' Administration, the Assistant
Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, the Associate
Director of Prevention Research at the National
Institute of Mental Health, and the Director of the
Division of Epidemiology and Services Research (or the
designees of such officers); and
``(B) such additional officers or employees of the
United States as the Secretary determines necessary for
the advisory council to effectively carry out its
functions.
``(3) Appointed members.--The Secretary shall appoint not
to exceed 18 individuals to the advisory council, of which--
``(A) not more than two-thirds of such individual
shall be appointed from among the leading
representatives of the health and scientific
disciplines (including public health and the behavioral
or social sciences) relevant to the activities of the
Center, and at least 7 such individuals shall be
professional social workers who are recognized experts
in the area of clinical practice, education, or
research; and
``(B) not more than one-third of such individuals
shall be appointed from the general public and shall
include leaders in fields of public policy, law, health
policy, economics, and management.
The Secretary shall make appointments to the advisory council
in such a manner as to ensure that the terms of the members do
not all expire in the same year.
``(4) Compensation.--Members of the advisory council who
are officers or employees of the United States shall not
receive any compensation for service on the advisory council.
The remaining members shall receive, for each day (including
travel time) they are engaged in the performance of the
functions of the advisory council, compensation at rates not to
exceed the daily equivalent of the annual rate in effect for an
individual at grade GS-18 of the General Schedule.
``(c) Terms.--
``(1) In general.--The term of office of an individual
appointed to the advisory council under subsection (b)(3) shall
be 4 years, except that any individual appointed to fill a
vacancy on the advisory council shall serve for the remainder
of the unexpired term. A member may serve after the expiration
of the member's term until a successor has been appointed.
``(2) Reappointments.--A member of the advisory council who
has been appointed under subsection (b)(3) for a term of 4
years may not be reappointed to the advisory council prior to
the expiration of the 2-year period beginning on the date on
which the prior term expired.
``(3) Vacancy.--If a vacancy occurs on the advisory council
among the members under subsection (b)(3), the Secretary shall
make an appointment to fill that vacancy not later than 90 days
after the date on which the vacancy occurs.
``(d) Chairperson.--The chairperson of the advisory council shall
be selected by the Secretary from among the members appointed under
subsection (b)(3), except that the Secretary may select the Director of
the Center to be the chairperson of the advisory council. The term of
office of the chairperson shall be 2 years.
``(e) Meetings.--The advisory council shall meet at the call of the
chairperson or upon the request of the Director of the Center, but not
less than 3 times each fiscal year. The location of the meetings of the
advisory council shall be subject to the approval of the Director of
the Center.
``(f) Administrative Provisions.--The Director of the Center shall
designate a member of the staff of the Center to serve as the executive
secretary of the advisory council. The Director of the Center shall
make available to the advisory council such staff, information, and
other assistance as the council may require to carry out its functions.
The Director of the Center shall provide orientation and training for
new members of the advisory council to provide such members with such
information and training as may be appropriate for their effective
participation in the functions of the advisory council.
``(g) Comments and Recommendations.--The advisory council may
prepare, for inclusion in the biennial report under section 485J--
``(1) comments with respect to the activities of the
advisory council in the fiscal years for which the report is
prepared;
``(2) comments on the progress of the Center in meeting its
objectives; and
``(3) recommendations with respect to the future direction
and program and policy emphasis of the center.
The advisory council may prepare such additional reports as it may
determine appropriate.
``SEC. 485J. BIENNIAL REPORT.
``The Director of the Center, after consultation with the advisory
council for the Center, shall prepare for inclusion in the biennial
report under section 403, a biennial report that shall consist of a
description of the activities of the Center and program policies of the
Director of the Center in the fiscal years for which the report is
prepared. The Director of the Center may prepare such additional
reports as the Director determines appropriate. The Director of the
Center shall provide the advisory council of the Center an opportunity
for the submission of the written comments described in section
485I(g).''.
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