NASW attended the National Partnership for Women and Families (NPW) annual luncheon on June 24.  NASW has been a luncheon sponsor for the past five years.   The keynote speaker for this year’s event was Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.  She spoke about how the Affordable Care Act will benefit women.   Secretary Sebelius stated that, “when you look at the full range... 

Recently, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued a new Administrator Interpretation on the meaning of “in loco parentis” in the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).  The interpretation makes clear that a person who steps in to parent a child qualifies for FMLA leave under the provision of the Act that provides leave for those who act in loco parentis. Examples include: grandparents, domestic partners and other relatives. ... 

On Thursday, June 24th, the House Committee on Education and Labor, Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities, chaired by Representative Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), held a hearing on cyber bullying.  The witness panel included popular television psychologist, Dr. Phil Mcgraw, and 14-year-old Girl Scout, Dominique Napolitano. Ms. Napolitano offered personal insight by describing a cyber bullying incident involving... 

Today, the lead Cabinet secretaries from the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) – from the U.S. Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Labor (DOL), Health and Human Services (HHS), and Veterans Affairs (VA) – joined Executive Director of the USICH Barbara Poppe to unveil and submit to the President and Congress the a comprehensive strategy to prevent and end homelessness. The full... 

The House Committee on Education and Labor, Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities, chaired by Representative Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), recently held a hearing on “Corporal Punishment in Schools and its Effect on Academic Success.”  McCarthy explained that over 220,000 students were paddled in schools in the United States in the 2006-2007school year, according to the most recent data available from... 

Faced with several more days of congressional debate, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has begun processing payments for Medicare Part B claims for services delivered beginning June 1, 2010 and afterward, including those of physicians and clinical social workers. For the third time this year, Congress has been stymied in its efforts to pass legislation that would prevent a scheduled Medicare Part B... 

Action Requested Email your targeted Senator today and urge they support critical extenders legislation, H.R. 4213. Target Senators: Bayh (IN), Brown (MA), Collins (ME), Menendez (NJ), Nelson (NE), Shaheen (NH), Snowe (ME) and Warner (VA).   Background Congress has struggled for weeks over a sprawling “extenders bill” caught between conflicting needs to reduce deficit spending and extend several key expiring... 

The White House Office of Public Engagement is asking NASW and other national and community organizations to become involved in the 2010 “United We Serve” initiative - to combat childhood obesity and summer learning loss, by encouraging our nation’s youth to engage in summer reading, become more physically fit, and make healthy food choices. This initiative is an Administration-wide effort led by First Lady Michelle... 

NASW recently partnered with the Committee for Education Funding (CEF) and the Coalition for Health Funding (CHF) to urge House and Senate Appropriators to substantially increase funding in the FY 2011 budget for several line items to include job training programs, Pell Grants, Head Start, and the Child Care and Development Block Grant. To learn more about the federal government’s budget, go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/... 

Effective June 1, 2010, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has once again delayed enforcement of the “Red Flags” Rule through December 31, 2010. The FTC stated this new delay is necessary to allow time for Congress to consider legislation that would affect the scope of entities covered by the Rule. Institutions will remain under the original November 1, 2008, deadline for compliance.   The Rule was developed under...