1.This Act may be cited as the &short-title1; of 2004
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2.The Congress finds as follows:
(1)Social workers focus on the improvement of individual and family functioning and the creation of effective health and mental health prevention and treatment interventions in order for individuals to become more productive members of society.
(2)Social workers provide front line prevention and treatment services in the areas of school violence, aging, teen pregnancy, child abuse, domestic violence, juvenile crime, and substance abuse, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
(3)Social workers are in a unique position to provide valuable research information on these complex social concerns, taking into account a wide range of social, medical, economic, and community influences from an interdisciplinary, family-centered, and community-based approach.
3.Establishment of National Center for Social Work ResearchTitle III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 241 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
RNational Center for Social Work Research
399AA.
(a)The Secretary shall establish the National Center for Social Work Research (in this part referred to as the Center
) for the purpose of conducting, supporting, and disseminating targeted research on social work methods and outcomes related to problems of significant social concern.
(b)The Secretary shall appoint the Director of the Center.
399BB.
(a)To carry out the purpose described in section 399AA(a), the Director of the Center—
(1)shall promote research and training designed to inform social work practice, thus increasing the knowledge base and promoting a healthier America;
(2)shall provide policymakers with empirically-based research information to enable them to better understand complex social issues and make informed funding decisions about service effectiveness and cost efficiency; and
(3)may establish in the Center and other nonprofit institutions, and make grants for, research traineeships and fellowships to address problems of significant social concern, especially in underserved populations and underserved geographical areas, through the study and investigation of—
(A)the prevention of disease;
(B)health promotion;
(C)the association of socioeconomic status, gender, ethnicity, age, and geographical location with health;
(D)the social work care of individuals and families affected by acute and chronic illnesses, child abuse, neglect, or youth violence; and
(E)child and family care.
(b)The Director of the Center may provide individuals receiving training, instruction, traineeships, or fellowships under this section with such stipends and allowances (including amounts for travel and subsistence and dependency allowances) as the Director determines necessary.
399CC.
(a)
(1)The Secretary shall establish an advisory council for the Center (in this part referred to as the advisory council
) 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)The advisory council 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 functionsThe advisory council—
(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 and, with the approval of the Director of the Center, make such information available through appropriate publications; and
(C)may appoint subcommittees and convene workshops and conferences.
(b)
(1)The voting members of the advisory council shall be the ex officio members described in paragraph (2) and not more than 18 individuals appointed by the Secretary under paragraph (3).
(2)The ex officio members of the advisory council shall consist of the following officers and employees (or their designees):
(A)The Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Director of the Center, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences, the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs, the Director of the National Institutes of Health, the Associate Director for Prevention of the National Institute of Mental Health, and the Associate Director for Prevention of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
(B)An official of the Department of Health and Human Services with principal responsibility for health programs relating to children and families, designated by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
(C)An official of the Department of Defense with principal responsibility for health affairs, designated by the Secretary of Defense.
(D)An official of the National Institute of Mental Health with principal responsibility for services research and clinical epidemiology, designated by the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health.
(E)An official of the Department of Housing and Urban Development with principal responsibility for community planning and development, designated by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
(F)An official of the Veterans Health Administration with principal responsibility for social work programs, designated by the Under Secretary for Health of the Veterans Health Administration.
(G)Any other officer or employee of the United States who, at the request of the Secretary, agrees to serve on the advisory council.
(3)The Secretary shall appoint not to exceed 18 individuals to the advisory council, of which—
(A)not more than two-thirds of such 18 individuals 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, of which at least 7 individuals shall be professional social workers who are recognized experts in the area of clinical practice, education, policy, or research; and
(B)not more than one-third of such 18 individuals shall be appointed from the general public and shall include leaders in fields of public policy, law, health policy, economics, and management.
(4)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)
(1)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)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)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.
(4)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.
(d)
(1)The Secretary shall select the chairperson of the advisory council from among the members appointed under subsection (b)(3) and the Director of the Center.
(2)The term of office of the chairperson shall be 2 years, except that such term shall not apply if the chairperson is the Director of the Center.
(e)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 provisionsThe 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 recommendationsThe advisory council—
(1)may prepare for inclusion in the biennial report under section 399DD—
(A)comments with respect to the activities of the advisory council in the fiscal years for which the report is prepared;
(B)comments on the progress of the Center in meeting its objectives; and
(C)recommendations with respect to the future direction and program and policy emphasis of the Center; and
(2)such additional reports as the advisory council determines to be appropriate.
399DD.
(a)The Secretary shall transmit to the President and to the Congress a biennial report which shall be prepared by the Director of the Center, after consultation with the advisory council, and which shall consist of—
(1)a description of the activities of the Center and the program policies of the Director of the Center in the fiscal years for which the report is prepared; and
(2)such additional information as the Director determines appropriate.
(b)Comments by advisory councilThe Director of the Center shall provide the advisory council an opportunity to submit written comments described in section 399CC(g).
400.Authorization of appropriationsFor the purpose of carrying out this part, there is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2005 through 2009..