NASW PACE Endorses a Candidate for President
The NASW PACE Trustees have unanimously endorsed a candidate for President of the United States. This information is available for NASW members and can be accessed here.
Congressional Social Work Caucus Celebrates One-Year Anniversary
The Congressional Social Work Caucus (CSWC) recently celebrated its one-year anniversary. NASW held an event on Capitol Hill with Congressman and Chairman Edolphus Towns (NY-10), who emphasized the key role of the CSWC and the importance of supporting the Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr. Social Work Reinvestment Act. Congressman Towns honored NASW Executive Director Betsy Clark, reading a statement into the Congressional Record in her honor. Gary Bailey, President of the International Federation of Social Workers, and Mit Joyner, President of the Council on Social Work Education, presented Congressman Towns with the Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development. The first year of the CSWC included many briefings and events featuring issues of importance to the profession: · Official launch of the CSWC at the Library of Congress
· Capitol Hill briefing on the Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr. Social Work Reinvestment Act
· Capitol Hill briefing on Implications of Health Care Reform on the Social Work Profession
· Capitol Hill briefing on Prevention, Treatment, and Services Research Funding in the NIMH Budget
· Symposium on the Future of New York City's Children and Youth
· Anniversary Event on Capitol Hill
· Capitol Hill briefing on Strengthening Social Work's Response to Addressing Poverty
Thank Congressman Towns
NASW also celebrates Congressman Towns' decades of public service as he announced that he will be retiring at the end of this Congress. Congressman Towns has been an unwavering advocate for the profession of social work throughout his 15-term tenure in the United States House of Representatives and NASW celebrates his lifelong career of service to others. Congressman Towns, as a professional social worker with an MSW from Adelphi University, has devoted his life to addressing issues of inequality and social justice.
If you would like to thank Congressman Towns for his service to the profession, please see our draft language here. Send the Congressman an email at towns.swra@mail.house.gov. Our goal is for social workers in every state to send Congressman Towns a letter of appreciation.
Social Work Reinvestment Initiative
The Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr. Social Work Reinvestment Act was first introduced by Congressman Towns in the 110th Congress. NASW would like to work towards its passage before the Congressman's retirement. This important workforce bill is the most comprehensive piece of federal legislation introduced to address issues such as low social work salaries, high educational debt, and safety concerns. Send a letter to your Member of Congress and Senators today. Click here for up to date information on Social Work Reinvestment activities that have been accomplished across the country.
Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments in Case on Affordable Care Act
The Supreme Court held three days of oral arguments, March 26-28, on the individual mandate and the Medicaid provisions in the Affordable Care Act. A decision is expected by the end of June. NASW filed an amicus brief in the case which you can find here if you are a member of NASW.
MyCare: Submit Your Health Care Stories
In mid-March the Department of Health and Human Services launched MyCare - an initiative to educate Americans about new programs, benefits and rights under the health care law.
Has the health care law, the Affordable Care Act, helped you? Use social media to share your story. You can use the Twitter hashtag #MyCare or visit MyCare's Facebook page to share your stories.
Social Work Month Resolutions Introduced in House and Senate
Social work members of Congress were lead sponsors for this year's social work month resolutions introduced in the House and Senate on World Social Work Day, March 20, 2012. In the House, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-9) introduced the legislation, H.Res. 589, along with 24 cosponsors, including social workers Susan Davis (CA-53), Luis Gutierrez (IL-4) and Ed Towns (NY-10). In the Senate, Sen. Debbie Stabenow (MI) introduced the legislation, S.Res. 400, along with eight cosponsors, including social worker Barbara Mikulski (MD) and Republican Thad Cochran (MS). Both bills have been referred to committee.
House Passes VAWA Without Protections for Certain Vulnerable Populations
On May 16, the House of Representatives passed, H. R. 4970, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2012 (VAWA). NASW opposed the passage of. H.R. 4970, the Republican version of VAWA, because it removed key provisions from the bipartisan-passed Senate bill ensuring all victims are protected including Native Americans, immigrants and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered persons. VAWA, which aims to protect victims of domestic violence, was originally passed in 1994 and has been reauthorized twice since then, with broad bipartisan support.
The Obama Administration released a Statement of Administration Policy in which the administration threatened to veto the House version of the VAWA, HR 4970, because it does not contain many of the protective provisions that are included in the Senate version.
In April, NASW sent a letter to the House of Representatives encouraging them to vote on the Senate passed VAWA bill. In addition, NASW joined several other civil rights organizations in opposing H.R. 4970. The bills now head to a conference committee to iron out the differences between them.
Social Work Groups Advocate for Voter Rights
On May 14, NASW joined the Leadership Forum, which consists of the Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors, the Council on Social Work Education, the Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education in Social Work, the National Association of Deans and Directors of Schools of Social Work, and the St. Louis Group for Excellence in Social Work Research and Education on an initiative to inform our members about the importance of voter rights. The letter stated, "Since 2008, several state legislatures have changed their voting laws, many implementing new, stricter regulations, particularly with respect to voter identification. Vulnerable groups will be most affected by these changes. Social workers must be proactive on this topic to help all citizens understand their right to vote." Collectively, the groups will provide information about the voting law changes occurring in specific states and make available resources to all social workers to help them understand the requirements that have been put in place.
NASW will continue to update you about voter rights and suppression issues and efforts to address these issues.
Resources for Information on Voter Rights
Advocacy Blog Roundup
Advocacy Alert and Update Roundup
Advocacy Listserv Activity
In March and April, 1367 activists sent 2,247 advocacy messages to Congress through Capwiz. The most active alerts were about the Social Work Month Resolution. Thanks to all of you who took the time to take action. To see all alerts, go here. 
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