HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	136
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE  RESOLUTION

supporting the establishment of a center on social work at the university of hawaii at manoa school of social work.

     WHEREAS, social work is a vital component of the social welfare system in Hawaii and the nation, providing critical intervention with issues related to social function faced by individuals, families, communities, and organizations; and

     WHEREAS, the vitality and well-being of the entire State of Hawaii is intrinsically linked to the strength of its social work profession; and

     WHEREAS, the complexity of social issues is constantly increasing, necessitating more, better, and ongoing training of social work professionals; and

     WHEREAS, Hawaii has been plagued by a perennial shortage of social workers, resulting in drastic measures such as the decertification of social work positions in the Department of Human Services in 2005; and

     WHEREAS, both the social work community and decision-makers in the state have had to operate in a virtual vacuum because of a serious dearth of meaningful data in areas such as workforce status and needs, program and practice effectiveness, capacity building, and social policy development; and

     WHEREAS, the University of Hawaii at Manoa School of Social Work (UHM-SSW) is in the unique position of being able to perform high-level research and establish collaborative programs with community organizations to promote evidence-based and culturally appropriate intervention strategies; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2008, that this body supports the establishment of a Center on Social Work (Center) at UHM-SSW; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) is requested to work with UHM-SSW and the Hawaii Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) to explore the implementation of a surcharge attached to social work licensing fees to provide partial funding for the Center; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that DCCA is requested to submit a report on the progress on this issue to the Legislature no later than 20 days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2009; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Director of Human Services, Dean of UHM-SSW, and President of the Hawaii Chapter of NASW.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Center on Social Work; Establishment; UH Manoa