Background On October 18th 2007, the House Committee on Education and Labor, by a vote of 27-21 passed the Employment Non Discrimination Act (H.R.3685). This historic legislation providing workplace protections on the basis of sexual orientation has left committee and will likely face a floor vote this week. HR.3685 is identical to the long supported H.R.2015, with the notable exception of protections based on gender... 

BackgroundThe House of Representatives is currently considering legislation that would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (HR.2015), introduced by Representative Barney Frank (D-MA), forbids employers from discriminating against individuals on the basis of their perceived or actual gender identity or sexual orientation, and prohibits preferential... 

Overview On April 19, 2007 the D.C. Voting Rights Act (H.R.1905) passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 241-177. This is the first time in a generation that the House has passed a bill that works toward bringing voting representation to the 550,000 Americans living in our Nation’s Capital. Meanwhile, on May 1, 2007 Senators Joe Lieberman (I-CT.) and Bob Bennett (R-UT.), introduced the D.C. House Voting... 

On June 19, 2007, the U.S. Senate approved its version of the Head Start for School Readiness Act. This bill reauthorizes the Head Start Act and expands access to the Head Start program through increased appropriation levels. This program, which provides assistance to low-income children and families, has been an important part of America’s effort to promote school readiness and ensure that all Americans are able to... 

Congratulations to NASW’s Advocacy Network, on August 1, 2007 the U.S. House of Representatives passed a key component of NASW’s SWRI agenda, the Clinical Social Work Medicare Equity Act along with an across the board 5% increase in CSW payments under Medicare Part B. Your advocacy was a huge help! ACTION REQUESTED The House and Senate will return next week from a month-long recess to begin a difficult... 

The House and Senate have both passed higher education student loan bills that include language on loan forgiveness for child welfare workers. There is an important difference between these two bills in the loan forgiveness section. Both bills provide long term loan forgiveness for public service employees after 10 years of work. The House bill (H.R. 2669, the College Cost Reduction Act of 2007), provides loan forgiveness... 

SWRI Components Advance ACTION NEEDED National Association of Social Workers (NASW) members should contact their House Representative now and urge them to vote yes on CHAMP (H.R. 3162) coming to the House floor tomorrow, Wednesday, August 1. Members are asked to immediately email their message of support to their House member. Our suggested message is located on NASW Congress Web at: Medicare Support Letter THE ISSUE... 

Your Representative needs to hear from your regarding the issue of social worker safety. ACTION NEEDED – TODAY!! 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...