2017 -- S 0683 | |
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LC002286 | |
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2017 | |
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S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N | |
PROCLAIMING MARCH 29, 2017, TO BE "ANNUAL SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION | |
LEGISLATIVE DAY" IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
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Introduced By: Senators Picard, Quezada, Algiere, Metts, and Archambault | |
Date Introduced: March 29, 2017 | |
Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration | |
1 | WHEREAS, The mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well-being |
2 | and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and |
3 | empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty. Social work is a |
4 | profession for those who have a passion to empower individuals, families, groups, and the |
5 | communities they serve in order to create progressive change in clinical and macro settings; and |
6 | WHEREAS, The following Professional Social Workers were instrumental in creating |
7 | key social programs that are so critical to our society. Wilbur Cohen was the chief architect of the |
8 | 1935 Social Security Act and also was a key member of the committee that designed Medicare |
9 | and Medicaid in 1965. Jeanette Rankin was the first woman elected to Congress. Frances Perkins, |
10 | Secretary of Labor for FDR, who was recently honored on the front page of the Providence |
11 | Journal (March 16, 2017), was responsible for the 40 hour work week and the federal minimum |
12 | wage. Jane Addams established Hull House in Chicago in 1884. The John Hope Settlement |
13 | House in Providence was molded after Hull House. Dorothea Dix pushed legislation through |
14 | Congress in 1854 that would have established asylums for the mentally ill across the nation, |
15 | however the law was vetoed by President Pierce. The effort did pay big dividends as it led to |
16 | mental health facilities including what later became known as Butler Hospital in Rhode Island; |
17 | and |
18 | WHEREAS, Social workers have helped people in this nation overcome racial strife and |
19 | economic and health care uncertainty by successfully advocating for initiatives such as Medicaid, |
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1 | unemployment insurance, workplace safety, Social Security benefits, the Civil Rights Act, the |
2 | Voting Rights Act, and the Affordable Care Act; and |
3 | WHEREAS, Social workers work in all areas of our society to improve happiness, health |
4 | and prosperity, including in government, schools, universities, social service agencies, |
5 | communities, the military and mental health and health care facilities; and |
6 | WHEREAS, Social workers are the largest group of mental health care providers in the |
7 | United States and work daily to help people overcome depression, anxiety, substance abuse and |
8 | other disorders so they can lead more fulfilling lives. In Rhode Island, social workers represent |
9 | the largest professional group with mental health licenses, with 2,297 individuals; and |
10 | WHEREAS, Social work education prepares students for work as qualified professionals. |
11 | Social work education offers these future professionals a foundation of core values including: |
12 | service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, |
13 | integrity and competence. Social work students are taught aspects of cultural competence, |
14 | diversity, ethics and policy in order to confront and eliminate social injustices; and |
15 | WHEREAS, According the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of social |
16 | workers is expected to increase by 12 percent during the 2014-2024 decade, which is much faster |
17 | than the average for all other occupations. Concern about crime, juvenile delinquency, and |
18 | services for individuals with physical, psychological, and cognitive disabilities, and individuals |
19 | and groups in crisis are impelling the necessity for more social workers; and |
20 | WHEREAS, The Rhode Island College School of Social Work, Providence College |
21 | Department of Social Work, Salve Regina University Department of Social Work, and the |
22 | Community College of Rhode Island Social Work Education Program are helping to respond to |
23 | the pressing call for future social workers through comprehensive education and training |
24 | programs; now, therefore be it |
25 | RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations |
26 | hereby proclaims March 29, 2017, to be "Annual Social Work Education Legislative Day" in the |
27 | State of Rhode Island. We encourage educators, students, and citizens of this state to participate |
28 | in this day, acknowledging the wonderful education offered by the Rhode Island College School |
29 | of Social Work, Providence College Department of Social Work, Salve Regina University |
30 | Department of Social Work, and the Community College of Rhode Island Social Work Education |
31 | Program; and be it further |
32 | RESOLVED, That this Senate hereby recognizes and honors the great benefits and |
33 | invaluable service professionally-trained social workers provide to the citizens of this state; and |
34 | be it further |
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1 | RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to |
2 | transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Rhode Island Chapter of the National |
3 | Association of Social Workers, Rhode Island College School of Social Work, Providence College |
4 | Department of Social Work, Salve Regina University Department of Social Work, and the |
5 | Community College of Rhode Island Social Work Education Program. |
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LC002286 | |
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