Urges Governor and Legislature to establish initiatives towards education of social workers.

This Assembly Resolution (AR 117) urges New Jersey's Governor and Legislature to create initiatives supporting social work education. It specifically requests the development of scholarships and loan redemption programs to address the high educational debt faced by social work students - 71.3% of bachelor's graduates and 76% of master's graduates carry substantial debt, with average debts ranging from $26,500 to $135,000. The resolution highlights that social workers' median salary ($50,390) is low relative to their debt burden, which discourages entry into the field. As a non-binding resolution, it does not create new laws but formally asks state leaders to consider these measures to strengthen the social work workforce.