Your Representative needs to hear from your regarding the issue of social worker safety.
Action Needed
Please urge your U.S. Representative to co-sponsor HR2165, the Teri Zenner Social Worker Safety Act. The passage of this resolution will establish a grant program to provide social workers and others that work with at-risk populations, with workplace safety measures, equipment, and training.
Background
Rep. Dennis Moore (D-KS) introduced HR 2165, the Teri Zenner Social Worker Safety Act on May 3, 2007 in honor of Teri Zenner who was stabbed and killed during a routine, in-home visit with a client of the Johnson County Mental Health Center in Kansas in 2004.
The bill builds upon a previously introduced resolution to raise awareness about the importance of workplace safety for social workers and caseworkers. Specifically, the legislation would provide training grants for states to adopt measures that would improve the safety of social workers.
Currently, this bi-partisan legislation has 101 cosponsors including social workers and members of congress, Reps. Barbara Lee and Susan Davis from California, Rep. Allyson Schwartz from Pennsylvania, Rep. Stephanie Tubbs- Jones of Ohio, Rep. Ciro Rodriguez of Texas and Rep. Carol Shea-Porter from New Hampshire.
Action
Please call your Representatives at 202-224-3121 and urge them to cosponsor and support H. R. 2165, the Teri Zenner Social Worker Safety Act. Let your Representative know that you are a constituent and social worker requesting their support for the passage of social worker safety legislation.
OR you can e-mail your representative.
NASW Involvement
NASW worked with Congressman Moore’s office during the development of the bill language and has endorsed the legislation. NASW co-sponsored a social work safety congressional briefing to bring continued awareness of social work safety issues to Congress and urge for passage of the legislation.
Contact your representative today and urge them to cosponsor HR 2165, the Teri Zenner Social Worker Safety Act.
Thanks for your advocacy!
