PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 3522 PRINTER'S NO. 4191
No. 2470 Session of 2004
INTRODUCED BY HASAY, CALTAGIRONE, ALLEN, ARGALL, BALDWIN,
BARRAR, BELFANTI, BROWNE, BUNT, CAUSER, CIVERA, COY, CURRY,
DALLY, DeWEESE, D. EVANS, FABRIZIO, GEIST, GODSHALL, GOOD,
GRUCELA, GRUITZA, HALUSKA, HARHAI, HARHART, HERSHEY, HESS,
JAMES, KIRKLAND, LaGROTTA, LEH, MAITLAND, MAJOR, MANN,
MARKOSEK, McILHATTAN, NICKOL, PALLONE, PICKETT, RAYMOND,
REED, REICHLEY, ROBERTS, ROONEY, RUBLEY, SAINATO, SAYLOR,
SHANER, STAIRS, STERN, R. STEVENSON, SURRA, TANGRETTI,
E. Z. TAYLOR, THOMAS, TIGUE, WASHINGTON, WILT, WOJNAROSKI,
YOUNGBLOOD, FREEMAN, SAMUELSON, KILLION AND MELIO,
MARCH 23, 2004
AS RE-REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED, JUNE 28, 2004
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of May 16, 2002 (P.L.315, No.46), entitled "An
2 act providing for a community services block grant program;
3 and further providing for powers and duties of the Department
4 of Community and Economic Development," establishing the
5 Commonwealth Community Action Partnership Program.; and <--
6 making an appropriation.
7 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
8 hereby enacts as follows:
9 Section 1. The title and section 2 of the act of May 16,
10 2002 (P.L.315, No.46), known as the Community Services Block
11 Grant Act, are amended to read:
12 AN ACT
1 Providing for a community services block grant program and for
2 the Commonwealth Community Action Partnership Program; and
3 further providing for powers and duties of the Department of
1 Community and Economic Development.
2 * * *
3 Section 2. Declaration of policy.
4 The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:
5 (1) It is the intention of the General Assembly as a
6 matter of public policy to affirm the commitment of the
7 Commonwealth to ameliorating the causes and effect of poverty
8 by:
9 (i) Providing a range of services and activities
10 having a measurable and potentially major impact on the
11 causes of poverty in the community and establishing
12 grants for organizations providing services to migrant
13 and seasonal farmworkers.
14 (ii) Encouraging and supporting a holistic approach
15 designed to move low-income families and individuals
16 towards self-sufficiency.
17 (iii) Providing activities designed to assist low-
18 income participants in obtaining employment, education,
19 housing, emergency assistance, transportation and other
20 necessities.
21 (iv) Providing, on an emergency basis, for the
22 provision of such supplies and services, nutritious
23 foodstuffs and related services as may be necessary to
24 counteract conditions of starvation and malnutrition
25 among the poor.
26 (v) Coordinating and establishing linkages between
27 governmental and other social service programs to assure
28 the effective delivery of services to low-income
29 individuals.
30 (vi) Encouraging the use of entities in the private
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1 sector in efforts to ameliorate poverty in the community.
2 (2) It is also the intention of the General Assembly to
3 stimulate a better focusing of human and financial resources
4 on the goal of eliminating poverty by providing for the
5 continuity of programs which presently exist throughout this
6 Commonwealth for this stated purpose.
7 (3) By so doing, it is the intention of the General
8 Assembly to set forth the policies which shall govern the
9 administration of the community services block grant or
10 subsequent funding mechanisms established for similar
11 purposes, including the Commonwealth Community Action
12 Partnership Program. This block grant was created by the
13 Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 and follows the
14 provisions defined in that act.
15 (4) The General Assembly also finds that the Federal
16 funds available to finance activities under this act shall be
17 used for the following purposes:
18 (i) To provide a range of services and activities
19 having a measurable and potentially major impact on
20 causes of poverty in the community or those areas of the
21 community where poverty is a particularly acute problem.
22 (ii) To provide activities designed to assist low-
23 income participants, including the elderly poor:
24 (A) to secure and retain meaningful employment;
25 (B) to attain an adequate education;
26 (C) to make better use of available income;
27 (D) to obtain and maintain adequate housing and
28 a suitable living environment;
29 (E) to obtain emergency assistance through loans
30 or grants to meet immediate and urgent individual and
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1 family needs, including the need for health services,
2 nutritious food, housing and employment-related
3 assistance;
4 (F) to remove obstacles and solve problems which
5 block the achievement of self-sufficiency;
6 (G) to achieve greater participation in the
7 affairs of the community; and
8 (H) to make more effective use of other programs
9 related to the purposes of this act.
10 (iii) To provide on an emergency basis for the
11 provision of such supplies and services, nutritious
12 foodstuffs and related services as may be necessary to
13 counteract conditions of starvation and malnutrition
14 among the poor.
15 (iv) To coordinate and establish linkages between
16 governmental and other social services programs to assure
17 the effective delivery of such services to low-income
18 individuals.
19 (v) To encourage the use of entities in the private
20 sector of the community in efforts to ameliorate poverty
21 in the community.
22 (5) It is further the intention of the General Assembly
23 as a matter of public policy to affirm the commitment of the
24 Commonwealth to provide technical support and administrative
25 support grants to community action agencies for the provision
26 of arranging services having a measurable impact on the
27 causes of poverty and designed to move low-income families
28 and individuals and the working poor towards full employment
29 and self-sufficiency by providing for the Commonwealth
30 Community Action Partnership Program.
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1 Section 2. Section 3 of the act is amended by adding a
2 definition to read:
3 Section 3. Definitions.
4 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
5 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
6 context clearly indicates otherwise:
7 * * *
8 "Commonwealth Community Action Partnership Program." The
9 program established under section 6.1.
10 * * *
11 Section 3. Section 6 of the act is amended by adding a <--
12 subsection to read:
13 Section 6. Financial assistance for community services block
14 grant program.
15 * * *
16 (e) Apportionment of Commonwealth Community Action
17 Partnership Program appropriations.--To help meet the
18 department's objective of enhancing technical and administrative
19 support for community action agencies to provide services to all
20 counties within this Commonwealth, the sum appropriated under
21 the Commonwealth Community Action Partnership Program shall be
22 distributed as follows:
23 (1) No greater than 5% shall be allotted to the
24 department for the administration of program operations.
25 (2) The remaining 95% shall be reserved for grants to
26 existing community action agencies.
27 (3) A formula shall be established for the distribution
28 of funds reserved for community action agencies. The formula
29 shall include consideration of the number of persons below
30 the poverty level and the number of persons unemployed, as
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1 determined annually by the United States Department of Labor,
2 and shall include a minimum funding level of $100,000 for
3 each community action agency in this Commonwealth.
4 (4) As established by the formula under this subsection,
5 the determination of annual funding levels shall be made by
6 the secretary based on input from the local agencies and the
7 Community Services Block Grant Advisory Task Force.
8 Section 4 3. The act is amended by adding a section to read: <--
9 Section 6.1. Commonwealth Community Action Partnership Program.
10 (a) Establishment.--The Commonwealth Community Action
11 Partnership Program is hereby established within the department
12 and shall be administered by the department in accordance with
13 the rules and regulations promulgated by the department.
14 (b) Purpose.--The Commonwealth Community Action Partnership
15 Program shall provide grants to community action agencies to
16 provide technical support and administrative support necessary
17 to provide the range of services having a measurable impact on
18 the causes of poverty and designed to move low-income families
19 and individuals and the working poor towards self-sufficiency
20 and shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
21 (1) Coordinating services and counseling the working
22 poor to remove the barriers to achieving full employment,
23 self-sufficiency and asset building.
24 (2) Enhancing human resources capacity to more
25 efficiently manage and train agency personnel.
26 (3) Providing computer hardware and software support and
27 training to improve operational efficiencies.
28 (4) Providing information technology support and
29 training to enhance program coordination.
30 (5) Providing system analyst, agency planning and
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1 fundraising services to improve program priorities and
2 performance.
3 (6) Providing administrative support necessary to
4 provide a range of services and activities designed to assist
5 low-income participants in obtaining employment, education,
6 housing, emergency assistance, transportation, referral
7 services and child care to further ameliorate the causes of
8 poverty.
9 (C) APPORTIONMENT OF COMMONWEALTH COMMUNITY ACTION <--
10 PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM APPROPRIATIONS.--TO HELP MEET THE
11 DEPARTMENT'S OBJECTIVE OF ENHANCING TECHNICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE
12 SUPPORT FOR COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCIES TO PROVIDE SERVICES TO ALL
13 COUNTIES WITHIN THIS COMMONWEALTH, THE SUM APPROPRIATED UNDER
14 THE COMMONWEALTH COMMUNITY ACTION PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM SHALL BE
15 DISTRIBUTED AS FOLLOWS:
16 (1) NO GREATER THAN 5% SHALL BE ALLOTTED TO THE
17 DEPARTMENT FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF PROGRAM OPERATIONS.
18 (2) THE REMAINING 95% SHALL BE RESERVED FOR GRANTS TO
19 EXISTING COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCIES.
20 (3) A FORMULA SHALL BE ESTABLISHED FOR THE DISTRIBUTION
21 OF FUNDS RESERVED FOR COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCIES. THE FORMULA
22 SHALL INCLUDE CONSIDERATION OF THE NUMBER OF PERSONS BELOW
23 THE POVERTY LEVEL AND THE NUMBER OF PERSONS UNEMPLOYED, AS
24 DETERMINED ANNUALLY BY THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR,
25 AND SHALL INCLUDE A MINIMUM FUNDING LEVEL OF $100,000 FOR
26 EACH COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCY IN THIS COMMONWEALTH.
27 (4) AS ESTABLISHED BY THE FORMULA UNDER THIS SUBSECTION,
28 THE DETERMINATION OF ANNUAL FUNDING LEVELS SHALL BE MADE BY
29 THE SECRETARY BASED ON INPUT FROM THE LOCAL AGENCIES AND THE
30 COMMUNITY SERVICES BLOCK GRANT ADVISORY TASK FORCE.
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1 Section 5. The sum of $12,000,000, or as much thereof as may <--
2 be necessary, is hereby appropriated to the Department of
3 Community and Economic Development for the fiscal year July 1,
4 2004, to June 30, 2005, to carry out the provisions of section
5 6.1 of the act.
6 Section 6 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2004, or <--
7 immediately, whichever is later.
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