88R19029 BPG-D
 
  By: Bernal H.R. No. 872
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
         WHEREAS, The observance of Social Work Month in March 2023
  provides a welcome opportunity to raise awareness of the important
  contributions made by members of this profession; and
         WHEREAS, Acknowledging the long history of this vocation, the
  National Association of Social Workers has adopted the theme
  "Social Work Breaks Barriers" for 2023; early pioneers in the field
  include Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Star, who opened Hull House in
  Chicago in 1889 for the benefit of the city's large immigrant
  population; other transformational figures have been George Edmund
  Haynes, who cofounded the National Urban League, and Ida B. Wells,
  the heroic women's rights and anti-lynching activist; during the
  Great Depression, Frances Perkins, the first female secretary of
  labor, was instrumental in the advent of the 40-hour workweek,
  minimum wage, and Social Security; Whitney M. Young Jr., NASW
  president in the Civil Rights era, collaborated with President
  Lyndon B. Johnson and other leaders to end racial employment
  discrimination; and
         WHEREAS, Today, social work is among the fastest-growing
  careers in the United States, with more than 700,000 professionals
  employed in a wide variety of settings, from schools, hospitals,
  and corporations to the criminal justice system and government
  agencies; each day, they help people at both the individual level
  and the systems level; while some assist with immediate needs such
  as food, shelter, and medical care, others are involved in
  advocating for laws and policies to effect long-term solutions;
  they have pushed for the adoption of livable wages, workplace
  safety measures, and other reforms; and
         WHEREAS, Social workers play a crucial role in battling the
  opioid crisis, and they are among the leading providers of mental
  health care; they serve in the wake of natural disasters and in the
  midst of family tragedies; each day, their code of ethics prompts
  them to fight injustice and champion equal rights for all people;
  and
         WHEREAS, For well over a century, social workers have
  dedicated themselves to improving the well-being of their fellow
  Americans, and their tireless endeavors have empowered individuals
  and strengthened communities all across the nation; now, therefore,
  be it
         RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas
  Legislature hereby recognize March 2023 as Social Work Month.