LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

FY 1998 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Completed before Adjournment

Some Victories for Social Workers and the Clients We Serve

November 20, 1997

After several continuing resolutions, Congress passed and President Clinton signed on November 13 the appropriations bill for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Education, and related agencies--H.R. 2264 (P.L. 105-78). This law marks the first time in three years there is free-standing funding for labor, HHS, and education programs. The law includes $80.4 billion in discretionary spending--$5.7 billion more than in FY 1997 and $273 million more than the president requested. When combined with mandatory funding such as Medicare, labor, HHS, and education funding totals $276.9 billion. Total HHS funding for FY 1998 is $199.4 billion, for the Department of Education is $32.5 billion, and for the Department of Labor is $9.3 billion.

In general, the appropriations process saw an increase in discretionary spending and a decrease in entitlement or mandatory funding. Discretionary funding for labor, HHS, and education programs increased 7.6 percent, and funding for mandatory funding decreased 7.5 percent. The passage of the Balanced Budget Act was a primary reason for reduced spending in certain major entitlement programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid. The Social Services Block Grant Program (Title XX) was another entitlement program that lost $201 million this year. The Department of Education was a big winner with an increase of $3.5 billion dollars over fiscal year 1997. Despite the passage of the Balanced Budget Act, Congress reversed a three-year budget cutting trend by increasing domestic spending by $22.6 billion. The National Institutes of Health, including AIDS research, accounted for almost a billion dollars of this increase.

Increased Funding for Child Welfare Training

In our biggest victory we won an increase of $2 million to a total of $6 million for the Child Welfare Training Program, Title IV-B, Section 426 of the Social Security Act. This marks the second consecutive year that NASW and ANSWER (Action Network for Social Work Education and Research) successfully lobbied for any increase in the Title IV-B program. In FY 1997, NASW and ANSWER won an increase of $2 million, to raise total funding to $4 million. This was a particularly sweet victory, because some Republicans targeted the program for elimination and the Clinton administration wanted to consolidate Section 426, along with several other discretionary programs, into an innovative grants program.

NASW and ANSWER lobbied to double the funding for the Child Welfare Training Program to $8 million. With the help of Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), ranking member on the Senate Labor, HHS, Education Appropriations Subcommittee, and Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO), the Senate approved $8 million in their version of the Labor, HHS, Education bill--S. 1061. The House, however, approved only the current level of $4 million. In the conference committee, it was agreed to split the difference. Reps. Nita Lowey (D-NY) and David Obey (D-WI) were helpful in building support among House conferees for increasing the funding to $6 million. Both are members of the House subcommittee, and Rep. Obey is the ranking Democrat.

Other HHS and Education Programs

NASW and ANSWER also lobbied and testified before the House Labor, HHS, Education Appropriations Subcommittee on increasing funding for the health professions training programs administered by the Bureau of Health Professions (BHP) in the HHS Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the mental health demonstration program--the Knowledge Development and Application (KDA) Program--in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The health professions training program, authorized under Titles VII and VIII of the Public Health Service Act, are designed to meet the need for more primary health care providers; train more health professionals, particularly individuals from minority and disadvantaged backgrounds, where there are shortages; improve the geographic distribution of health professionals, and increase access to health care in underserved areas. NASW has lobbied Congress and the Clinton administration to expand eligibility and increase funding for social work training programs. Despite efforts by the administration to severely reduce funding for the BHP programs, Congress appropriated $293.8 million for FY 1998, $1 million more than in FY 1997. NASW participated in an active and vocal coalition, which deserves much credit for this victory.

The Mental Health KDA program received the same amount it did last year--$57.9 million. Included in the mental health KDA are the Community Support Program, homeless and AIDS demonstrations, and clinical and AIDS training programs.

NASW participated in a number of coalitions that lobbied on a broad range of HHS discretionary programs important to social workers and to the clients we serve. Following are selected HHS discretionary and entitlement programs and a comparison of funding for FY 1997 and FY 1998.

Controversial Issues

The delay in passage of the Labor, HHS, Education appropriations bill was principally caused by the battle over President Clinton’s proposed national reading tests for fourth-graders and math tests for eighth-graders. The issue was settled with a compromise that gives authority over the tests to the National Assessment Governing Board, an independent entity. But trial runs of the tests are prohibited in this fiscal year. The agreement also provides for a study to determine if commercially available tests and state tests could be substituted for new national tests.

Other controversial issues included in the bill’s conference report would:

• ban until March 31 federal funding to establish needle exchanges for users of illegal drugs
• create a $150 million "comprehensive school reform" program to help schools improve their performance.

Congress chose not to take action on several other education-related proposals:

• a Senate provision that would have given local school districts control of most federal elementary and secondary aid programs for one year
• plans to provide $100 million to help fund school repairs and related improvements.

Appropriations Report Language

NASW was very successful in obtaining report language beneficial to social workers and to the clients social workers serve in the FY 1998 House and Senate Labor, HHS, Education Appropriations Committee reports and the House Defense Department Appropriations Committee report that accompany the appropriations bills. NASW collaborated with the Institute for the Advancement of Social Work Research (IASWR) and the ANSWER coalition on social work research and training-related report language. Although report language does not have the force of statutory language, it is important in providing a sense of the Congress and thus influences the activities of the operating agencies. Both the House and Senate Labor, HHS, Education Appropriations Committee reports (S. Report 105-58 and H. Report 105-205) included report language that:

• urges the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in HHS to support projects that help prepare social workers and other mental health providers to work in primary care and managed care settings, including the development of curricula and training models.
• recognizes the need to train more health providers, including social workers, to work with people with HIV/AIDS and encourages SAMHSA to continue funding existing contracts and grants under the Clinical AIDS Training Program.
• commends the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) for funding its fifth social work research development center and urges NIMH to support the expansion of social work research.
• applauds NIH for convening a working group of appropriate Institutes to facilitate collaborative and cooperative efforts on child abuse and neglect research and encourages NIH to hold a conference on child abuse and neglect research to make recommendations on a research agenda. Other federal agencies, relevant outside organizations and experts in the field should be involved in the conference.
• urges the Office of Research on Minority Heath in NIH to work collaboratively with NIH Institutes and outside organizations to advance research on the psychosocial care and treatment among low-income minority populations and to support research training opportunities for minority researchers.
• recognizes the need to train more child welfare workers and provides $6 million for the Title IV-B, Child Welfare Training Program.

In addition, the Senate Appropriations Committee Report included report language that:

• encourages the National Institute on Drug Abuse to do more to support social work research and develop social work research capacity.
• encourages the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop an initiative focused on innovative training and service delivery models that prepare health professionals, including social workers, to work more effectively with abused and neglected children in a variety of settings. NCIPC is encouraged to collaborate with relevant national organizations and with academic institutions, including schools of social work.

The House Defense Appropriations Committee Report (House Rep. 105-206) included NASW-recommended language that urges the Department of Defense to fund pre- and postdoctoral fellowships for social work researchers to examine military family advocacy programs concerned with family violence and child maltreatment.

If you have any questions about this material, please call Madeleine Golde at 1-800-638-8799, ext. 237, or e-mail mgolde@naswdc.org.