[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 64 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 64

  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.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 4, 2007

 Mr. Reid (for himself and 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 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 2007''.

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 2008 through 2010.
            ``(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,''.
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