PRINTER'S NO. 1750
No. 1397 Session of 1996
INTRODUCED BY PICCOLA, O'PAKE, HECKLER, STEWART, GERLACH,
BRIGHTBILL, SALVATORE, HART, RHOADES, STAPLETON, AFFLERBACH
AND KASUNIC, FEBRUARY 7, 1996
REFERRED TO COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, FEBRUARY 7, 1996
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of July 10, 1986 (P.L.1263, No.116), entitled
2 "An act providing for a community services block grant
3 program; and further providing for powers and duties of the
4 Department of Community Affairs," further providing for
5 functions of the agency and for apportionment of
6 appropriations; and extending the expiration date of the act.
7 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
8 hereby enacts as follows:
9 Section 1. Section 5(b) of the act of July 10, 1986
10 (P.L.1263, No.116), known as the Community Services Act, amended
11 December 4, 1992 (P.L.778, No. 122), is amended to read:
12 Section 5. Community action agencies and board.
13 * * *
14 (b) Functions of agency.--In exercising its powers and
15 carrying out its overall responsibility for a community action
16 program, a community action agency shall have, subject to the
17 purposes of this act, at least the following functions:
18 (1) Planning systematically for and evaluating the
19 programs, including actions to develop information as to the
1 problems and causes of poverty in the community; determining
2 how much and how effectively assistance is being provided to
3 deal with those problems and causes; and establishing
4 priorities among projects, activities and areas as needed for
5 the best and most efficient use of resources.
6 (2) Encouraging agencies engaged in activities related
7 to the community action program to plan for, secure and
8 administer assistance available under this act or from other
9 sources on a common or cooperative basis; providing planning
10 or technical assistance to those agencies; and generally, in
11 cooperation with community agencies and officials,
12 undertaking actions to improve existing efforts to attack
13 poverty, such as improving day-to-day communication, closing
14 service gaps, focusing resources on the most needy, [and]
15 providing additional opportunities to low-income individuals
16 for regular employment and affordable housing or
17 participation in the programs or activities for which those
18 community agencies and officials are responsible.
19 (3) Initiating and sponsoring projects responsive to
20 needs of the poor which are not otherwise being met, with
21 particular emphasis on providing central or common services
22 that can be drawn upon by a variety of related programs;
23 developing new approaches or new types of services that can
24 be incorporated into other programs; and filling gaps pending
25 the expansion or modification of those programs.
26 (4) Establishing effective procedures by which the poor
27 and area residents concerned will be enabled to influence the
28 character of programs affecting their interests and providing
29 technical and other support needed to enable the poor and
30 neighborhood groups to secure on their own behalf available
19960S1397B1750 - 2 -
1 assistance from public and private sources.
2 (5) Joining with and encouraging business, labor and
3 other private groups and organizations to undertake, together
4 with public officials and agencies, activities in support of
5 the community action program which will result in the
6 additional use of private resources and capabilities, with a
7 view to such things as developing new employment
8 opportunities, stimulating investment that will have a
9 measurable impact in reducing poverty among residents of
10 areas of concentrated poverty and providing methods by which
11 residents of those areas can work with private groups, firms
12 and institutions in seeking solutions to problems of common
13 concern.
14 (6) Utilizing a comprehensive case-management approach
15 to the provision of services provided to eligible low-income
16 individuals as defined in section 3.
17 * * *
18 Section 2. Section 6(a) of the act, amended July 10, 1989
19 (P.L.287, No.49) and December 4, 1992 (P.L.778, No.122), is
20 amended to read:
21 Section 6. Financial assistance for community services block
22 grant program.
23 (a) Apportionment of appropriations.--To help meet the
24 department's objective of establishing community action agencies
25 to provide services to all counties within this Commonwealth,
26 the sum appropriated under the community services block grant
27 and the sum appropriated by the Commonwealth as matching funds
28 to the community services block grant shall be distributed as
29 follows:
30 (1) No greater than 5% shall be allotted to the
19960S1397B1750 - 3 -
1 department for the administration of program operations.
2 (2) No less than 5% may be allotted, at the discretion
3 of the secretary, for a range of activities, including the
4 funding of community food and nutrition programs in a manner
5 consistent with this act.
6 (3) Of the remaining 90%, no greater than 5% may be
7 alloted to establish community action agencies in those areas
8 currently unserved; no less than 85% shall be reserved for
9 existing community action agencies and other eligible
10 entities as defined in section 3.
11 (4) A formula basis shall be established for the
12 distribution of funds reserved for community action agencies.
13 The formula shall include consideration of the number of
14 persons below the poverty level and the number of persons
15 unemployed, as determined annually by the United States
16 Department of Labor, and shall include a minimum funding
17 level of community services block grant funds for existing
18 community action agencies meeting the requirements of the
19 Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 (Public Law 97-35,
20 95 Stat. 357) and a Statewide migrant and seasonal
21 farmworkers' organization approved by the secretary.
22 (5) A minimum funding level of only community service
23 block grant funds shall be set at $150,000.
24 (6) As established by the formula under this section,
25 the determination of annual funding levels shall be made by
26 the secretary based on input from the local agencies and the
27 Community Services Block Grant Advisory Task Force.
28 * * *
29 Section 3. Section 11 of the act, amended December 4, 1992
30 (P.L.778, No.122), is amended to read:
19960S1397B1750 - 4 -
1 Section 11. Expiration.
2 This act shall expire December 31, [1995] 2001, unless
3 extended by statute.
4 Section 4. Effective date.
5 This act shall take effect immediately.
K6L14JLW/19960S1397B1750 - 5 -