Social workers and mental health professionals, it's time to make your voices heard!
Capitol Action Day is NASW-NYS’s annual advocacy event. It’s a day when we can come together, as social workers, to advocate for the policies that will help us provide better services to our communities and better serve the profession. At Capitol Action Day, we’ll have a chance to talk with legislators about the issues that matter to us—and most importantly, to you. To adequately address the mental health crisis in the state, there must be a focus on the recruitment and retention of social workers. During Capitol Action Day, social workers will be advocating for the Social Work Workforce Act (A5291/S5975), restoring Medicaid Home Care access (A6346/S328), and increasing the school counselors, social workers and psychologists to student ratio in schools (A902/S1577).
Capitol Action Day is open to both social work students and professionals. Attendees will visit their legislators throughout the day via legislative appointments or blanket canvassing to advocate for our issues.
NASW-NYS cannot do this alone. We NEED your presence in this process! Your advocacy is crucial to ensure successful passage of legislation and budget commitments that will address our concerns and support an expansive and responsive mental health delivery system.
LEADERSHIP TRAINING
"Social workers should strive to become and remain proficient in professional practice and the performance of professional functions. Social workers should critically examine and keep current with emerging knowledge relevant to social work. Social workers should routinely review the professional literature and participate in continuing education relevant to social work practice and social work ethics."
Social Work Code of Ethics
CONNECT WITH REPRESENTATIVES
"Social workers should contribute time and professional expertise to activities that promote respect for the value, integrity, and competence of the social work profession. These activities may include teaching, research, consultation, service, legislative testimony, presentations in the community, and participation in their professional organizations."
Social Work Code of Ethics
ADVOCATE FOR THE FUTURE
"Social workers should engage in social and political action that seeks to ensure that all people have equal access to the resources, employment, services, and opportunities they require to meet their basic human needs and to develop fully. Social workers should be aware of the impact of the political arena on practice and should advocate for changes in policy and legislation to improve social conditions to meet basic human needs and promote social justice."
Social Work Code of Ethics
RESEARCH POLICY
"Social workers should critically examine and keep current with emerging knowledge relevant to social work and fully use evaluation and research evidence in their professional practice."
Social Work Code of Ethics
Legislative Priorities
The following legislative priorities were determined by the 2023-2024 Advocacy and Government Relations Committee. Click here to learn more about this committee and the social workers participating in this work.
Social Work Licensure Requirement
Click here to read the bill text
Click here to read the NASW-NYS Memo of Support
Increase the Student to Social Worker Ratio
Click here to read the bill text
Click here to read the NASW-NYS Memo of Support
Restore Access to Medicaid Home Care
Click here to read the bill text
Click here to read the NASW-NYS Memo of Support
Our most expansive and cost saving sponsorships ever!
Capitol Action Day is an advocacy event that will help address the systemic needs of your clients and employees. The goal is to advocate for policies that will help social workers better serve the clients of your organization and enhance the effectiveness of the workforce. Capitol Action Day provides an opportunity to talk with legislators about critical social issues that affect the clients we serve and matter to us. Social workers will visit their legislators throughout the day via legislative appointments or blanket canvassing to advocate for our legislative priorities.
Our legislative agenda is focused on expanding social work loan forgiveness opportunities and addressing the disparities in social work salaries throughout the State.
Reach social workers through email, social media, in-person, on merchandise, and more.
Equitable pay in the social work field is essential for promoting fairness and equality, enhanced workforce diversity, emphasize recognition, and improved retention. Loan forgiveness programs for social workers will provide debt relief, recruitment, and retention in the profession, and encourage service in underserved communities.
While the Governor’s budget proposal to invest $1 billion of state funding to better meet the mental health needs of New Yorkers is monumental, addressing the needs of mental health service providers is also critical to successfully implementing this proposal. The needs of the mental health workforce must be addressed or we risk further burnout, turnover, and ultimately the needs of our clients will be left unserved.
Purchasing the 90 day classified and Member Update advertisement alone outside of Capitol Action Day Sponsorship would total to $640. Receive this and much more through the first level $500 Social Work Friend Package.
Sponsorship package ads are yours to place any time from date of sponsorship initiation to October 2024. They can be used to promote jobs, non-CE events, community initiatives, research, and more!
Questions? Email us at info.naswnys@socialworkers.org to discuss sponsorship and all things Capitol Action Day!
*Bag stuffer item will be supplied by the sponsor and be approved by NASW-NYS in advance.
Examples include pen, hand sanitizer, magnet, etc. Items must be received by February 1 to be included in the bags.
Hear from attendants from last year
What was their experience like with Capitol Action Day?
One of my professors recommended that I attend NASW-NYS Capitol Action Day as a student interested in Political Action. Since I didn’t know what to expect, I loved that the chapter had resources such as videos on the structure of government and previews of the bills to prepare the participants for engagement. Through this experience, I learned more about the role of the legislature on the client populations I serve. Additionally, I was able to educate communities on the legislative priorities that impact them and empower them to share their lived experiences with their elected officials. Capitol Action Day is a gateway to the legislative sphere, providing social workers the opportunity to ensure that social work values are reflective in our state's legislation. This is an event that I will be looking forward to every year!
I attended Capitol Action Day because I wanted to learn more about the roles social workers could play in implementing social change on a policy level. I have absolutely no regrets and think that all social workers and social work students should attend this event.
Capitol Action Day showed me that regardless of the path we may choose to pursue within the social work profession, it is important to know the impact that we can make united as a collective.
Capitol Action Day was very organized and orchestrated to maximize NASW-NYS legislative priorities. I found it interesting that legislators and their policy staff were very interested and eager to hear directly from social workers. Social workers are poised, based upon experience and expertise, to provide important feedback to address social issues, social determinants of health, and weigh-in on policy concerns. The relationship and partnership developed between social workers and legislators enhances policy-making for the betterment of the clients that we serve. I would strongly urge social workers to participate in Capitol Action Day 2023 to share expertise, provide advocacy and learn about policy.
I was surprised that although it was done virtually that the legislators who participated were welcoming and sincerely interested in what we had to say. They had good knowledge of what Social Workers do and one expressed concern about the low salaries of Social Workers and believed we should be better compensated for the work we do. This has resulted in collaboration between this legislator and the state chapter to work on this issue.
The Venue
More on Empire State Plaza and the NYS Capitol!
Driving Directions to the Empire State Plaza located in Albany, New York:
Please call to request directions to hearings in other locations or use Google Maps link to generate a map and detailed driving directions.
From the North:
Take Interstate I-87 (Northway) to Interstate I-90 East (exit #1E). Take Interstate I-90 to Interstate 787 South. Take Exit #3A for the Empire State Plaza. The Division of Tax Appeals/Tax Appeals Tribunal is located in Agency Building #1, 3rd Floor.
From the South:
Take New York State Thruway (Interstate 87) to Exit 23 - straight through Toll Booth to Interstate 787, then take Exit #3 for the Empire State Plaza. The Division of Tax Appeals/Tax Appeals Tribunal is located in Agency Building #1, 3rd Floor.
From the East:
Take Interstate 90 West to Exit # B1 (I-90). Continue on I-90 to Interstate 787 South. Follow I-787 South to Exit #3A for the Empire State Plaza. The Division of Tax Appeals/Tax Appeals Tribunal is located in Agency Building #1, 3rd Floor.
From the West:
Take the New York State Thruway (Interstate 90) to Exit 24 (Albany), proceed east on Interstate 90 to Interstate 787 South. Take exit # 3A for the Empire State Plaza. The Division of Tax Appeals/Tax Appeals Tribunal is located in Agency Building #1, 3rd Floor.
Parking:
There are two public lots located on Madison Avenue, which is the street directly to the south of Agency Building 1: The Madison Visitor Parking Lot located behind the Cultural Education Center (State Museum) and the Cathedral Lot located between the Cultural Education Center (Museum) and the Albany Cathedral. For a complete guide to all visitor parking available at and around the Empire State Plaza, please refer to Office of General Services parking management.
V-lot (Visitors Lot)
Located beneath the Empire State Plaza and accessed through I-787 Empire State Plaza exit. Visitors may be required to show photo identification upon entry and all vehicles are subject to search by the State Police. This lot has designated accessible parking spaces.
Hours & Fees Monday - Friday
$10.00 Flat Fee (parkers staying past 3:00 a.m. will be charged for next day parking)
90 minutes or less, no charge at Exit Gate
Hours & Fees Weekends
$5.00 Flat Fee (parkers staying past 3:00 a.m. will be charged for next day parking)
90 minutes or less, no charge at Exit Gate
Card payments only - cash not accepted.
Amtrak Directions:
From Penn Station:
Albany-Rensselaer Bound Train
Empire Service 281 Niagara Falls Amtrak Station to Rensselaer Rail Station
GET IN TOUCH...
Do you have questions about Capitol Action Day 2024? Send us a message!