[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1490 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1490

   To establish a grant program to assist in the provision of safety 
  measures to protect social workers and other professionals who work 
                       with at-risk populations.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 12, 2009

  Mr. Moore of Kansas (for himself, Ms. DeLauro, Ms. Corrine Brown of 
  Florida, Mr. Holt, Ms. Shea-Porter, Mr. Chandler, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. 
Olver, Ms. Kaptur, Mr. Hinchey, Mrs. Davis of California, Ms. Schwartz, 
 Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, Mr. Kennedy, Ms. Kilpatrick of Michigan, Mr. 
 Meeks of New York, Mr. Kucinich, Mr. Conyers, Mr. Sablan, Mr. Payne, 
and Mr. Carnahan) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
                  the Committee on Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To establish a grant program to assist in the provision of safety 
  measures to protect social workers and other professionals who work 
                       with at-risk populations.

    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 ``Teri Zenner Social Worker Safety 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) According to the Occupational Safety and Health 
        Administration, some 2 million American workers are victims of 
        job-related violence each year.
            (2) On August 17, 2004, Teri Zenner, a social worker and 
        case manager with Johnson County Mental Health Center, was 
        stabbed and killed during a routine, in-home visit with a 
        client.
            (3) Based on OSHA's most recently published ``Guidelines 
        for Preventing Workplace Violence for Health Care & Social 
        Service Workers'', 48 percent of all non-fatal injuries from 
        occupational assaults and violent acts occurred in the fields 
        of health care and social services.
            (4) A major study by the American Federation of State, 
        County, and Municipal Employees, found that 70 percent of 
        front-line child welfare workers had been victims of violence 
        or threats in the line of duty. A review of the 585 exit 
        interviews found that 90 percent of former child welfare 
        workers experienced verbal threats, 30 percent experienced 
        physical attacks, and 13 percent had been threatened with 
        weapons.
            (5) Based on 2000 Bureau of Labor Statistics findings, 
        social service workers in the public sector, including social 
        workers and case workers, are approximately 7 times more likely 
        to be the victims of violent assaults while at work than are 
        workers in the private sector.
            (6) States such as California, New Jersey, and Washington, 
        and the National Association of Social Workers, have all 
        developed various safety programs with safety guidelines for 
        social workers and case workers to follow while in the course 
        of their employment.
            (7) Social workers and case workers elevate service to 
        others above self-interest, and draw on their knowledge, values 
        and skills to help people in need and to address social 
        problems. Job-related violence against social workers and case 
        workers affects these hard-working and dedicated individuals, 
        their families, their clients, and their communities throughout 
        the United States.
            (8) There is a need to increase public awareness and 
        understanding of job-related violence in the field of social 
        services and to meet the needs of social workers and case 
        workers in preventing such violence. Although not every 
        incident of job-related violence can be prevented, many can, 
        and the severity of injuries sustained by social workers and 
        case workers can be reduced.

SEC. 3. SOCIAL WORKER SAFETY GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Grants Authorized.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services 
(the ``Secretary''), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health 
Services Administration, is authorized to award grants to States to 
provide safety measures to social workers and other professionals 
working with violent, drug-using, or other at-risk populations.
    (b) Use of Funds.--Grants awarded pursuant to subsection (a) may be 
used to provide or support the following safety measures:
            (1) The procurement and installation of safety equipment, 
        including communications systems, such as GPS tracking devices 
        and GPS cell telephones to assist agencies in locating staff, 
        and any technical assistance and training for safety 
        communications.
            (2) Training exercises for self-defense and crisis 
        management.
            (3) Facility safety improvements.
            (4) The provision of pepper spray for self-defense.
            (5) Training in cultural competency, including linguistic 
        training, and training on strategies for de-escalating a 
        situation that could turn volatile.
            (6) Training to help workers who work with mentally ill 
        community or that have behavioral problems and need help 
        coping.
            (7) Educational resources and materials to train staff on 
        safety and awareness measures.
            (8) Other activities determined by the Secretary to be 
        safety training.
    (c) Application.--
            (1) In general.--A State seeking a grant under subsection 
        (a) shall submit an application to the Secretary, at such time, 
        in such manner, and accompanied by such additional information 
        as the Secretary may require.
            (2) Contents.--Each application submitted pursuant to 
        paragraph (1) shall--
                    (A) describe the type of agencies that will be 
                receiving funding from the grant and type of work done 
                by such agencies;
                    (B) describe the specific activities for which 
                assistance under this section is sought and include a 
                program budget; and
                    (C) contain an assurance that the applicant will 
                evaluate the effectiveness of the safety measure 
                provided with funds received under the grant.
    (d) Priority.--In awarding grants under subsection (a), the 
Secretary shall give priority to those applicants that--
            (1) demonstrate the greatest need based on documented 
        incidents; and
            (2) seek to provide assistance to multiple agencies.
    (e) Quality Assurance and Cost-Effectiveness.--The Secretary shall 
establish guidelines for assuring the cost-effectiveness and quality of 
the safety measures funded under this section.
    (f) Technical Assistance.--The Secretary may provide technical 
assistance to grant recipients with respect to planning, developing, 
and implementing safety measures under the grant.
    (g) Report Requirement.--States receiving grants shall file with 
the Secretary, not later than 2 years after the receipt of the grant, 
information that includes--
            (1) an assessment of the activities funded in whole or in 
        part with such grant;
            (2) the range and scope of training opportunities, 
        including numbers and percentage of social workers engaged in 
        the training programs funded in whole or in part by such grant; 
        and
            (3) the incidence of threats to social workers, if any, and 
        the strategies used to address their safety.
    (h) Non-Federal Share.--For any State receiving a grant under this 
section, the non-Federal share of any program to provide safety 
measures shall be 50 percent.
    (i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary of Health and Human Services $5,000,000 
for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2014 to carry out this Act.
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