res24135

R 135

2024 -- H 8051
Enacted 03/12/2024

H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N

CELEBRATING MARCH OF 2024, AS "NATIONAL SOCIAL WORK MONTH" IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

Introduced By: Representatives Shallcross Smith, Shekarchi, Blazejewski, Chippendale, Ajello, Handy, O'Brien, McGaw, Baginski, and Alzate

Date Introduced: March 12, 2024

WHEREAS, Social Workers enter the profession because they have a strong desire to

help empower individuals, families, communities, and our nation to overcome issues that prevent

them from reaching their full potential; and

WHEREAS, Social Workers have worked for more than a century to improve the human

well-being and enhance the basic needs of all people; and

WHEREAS, Social Workers follow a Code of Ethics that call on them to fight social

injustice and respect the dignity and worth of all people; and

WHEREAS, Social Workers positively touch the lives of the 1.09 million Rhode

Islanders each day and in a variety of places, including schools, hospitals, the military, child

welfare agencies, community centers, and in federal, state and local government; and

WHEREAS, The 2024 Social Work Month Theme is "Empowering Social Workers!"

"According to the bureau of Labor Statics, the median pay for social workers in 2022 was

$55,350. Considering that in order to do their work many social workers must earn a master's

degree and go through the expensive process to gain licensure, this is not enough.…It is

important for the public to support legislation and initiatives that empower and support the social

work profession and improve their bottom line." This includes the "Improving access to Mental

Health Act, student loan debt relief, and social work safety legislation"; and

WHEREAS, Social Workers are the largest professional group with mental health

licenses in Rhode Island, working daily to help thousands of Americans overcome mental

illnesses such as depression and anxiety; and

WHEREAS, Social Workers are on the frontlines of the nation’s opioid addiction crisis,

helping people get the treatment they need and prevail over substance use disorders; and

WHEREAS, Social Workers have helped people cope with death and grief and helped

people directly affected by the housing crisis in Rhode Island; and

WHEREAS, Social Workers have helped this nation live up to its values by advocating

for equal rights for all, including people of color, people who are Indigenous, people who are

LGBTQIA2S+, or people who follow various faiths; and

WHEREAS, The Social Work profession is one of the fastest growing careers in the

United States, with more than 720,000 social workers today, 6,000 of them practicing in Rhode

Island, and more than 60,000 more social workers are expected to enter the profession over the

next decade; and

WHEREAS, Social Workers have continued to push for changes that have made our

society a better place to live, including a livable wage, improved workplace safety, and social

safety net programs that help ameliorate poverty, hunger, and homelessness; and

WHEREAS, Social Workers endeavor to work throughout our society to meet people

where they are and help empower people and our society to reach the goals they wish to attain;

now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby

celebrates March of 2024 as “National Social Work Month” and with gratitude and admiration,

recognizes the numerous contributions made by Rhode Island’s Social Workers. We moreover

call upon all citizens to join the National Association of Social Workers Rhode Island Chapter in

celebration and support of the Social Work profession; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Rebekah Gewirtz, MPA, Executive Director,

National Association of Social Workers Rhode Island (NASW-RI).

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LC005453

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