| R 142 |
| 2024 -- S 2787 Enacted 03/14/2024 |
| S E N A T 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: Senators DiMario, Picard, F. Lombardi, Euer, Bissaillon, Gu, Lauria, Sosnowski, and Britto |
| Date Introduced: March 08, 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 Senate 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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| LC005672 |
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