PRINTER'S NO. 4135
No. 621 Session of 2000
INTRODUCED BY FRANKEL, BATTISTO, BEBKO-JONES, BELARDI, BELFANTI,
M. COHEN, COSTA, DeLUCA, DeWEESE, FREEMAN, GEIST, GEORGE,
GRUCELA, HARHAI, JOSEPHS, LAUGHLIN, MELIO, MUNDY, ORIE,
PESCI, PETRARCA, PIPPY, READSHAW, SATHER, SOLOBAY, STABACK,
STEELMAN, THOMAS, WALKO, WANSACZ AND WASHINGTON,
OCTOBER 23, 2000
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS,
OCTOBER 23, 2000
A RESOLUTION
1 Calling on the President and the Congress of the United States
2 to restore proper funding levels for necessary programs
3 throughout the country through the Social Services Block
4 Grant.
5 WHEREAS, Title XX of the Social Security Act, the Social
6 Services Block Grant (SSBG), provides flexible funding to allow
7 states to provide a wide range of critical services to low-
8 income and vulnerable older adults, persons with disabilities,
9 children and families; and
10 WHEREAS, Programs most frequently supported by SSBG include
11 child care, child welfare, drug abuse prevention and treatment
12 activities, elder care, home-based services, employment services
13 and services for persons with disabilities; and
14 WHEREAS, Communities nationwide have maximized the
15 flexibility of SSBG funds to address service gaps and leverage
16 additional resources for over 25 years; and
1 WHEREAS, The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity
2 Reconciliation Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-193, 110 Stat. 2105),
3 and the 1996 Welfare Reform Act, effective through 2002,
4 authorized a funding level established at $2.38 billion; and
5 WHEREAS, Funding cuts over the past four years have
6 dramatically reduced funding for critical services in local
7 communities; and
8 WHEREAS, The fiscal year 2001 authorized level for SSBG has
9 been reduced to $1.7 billion, with further reductions in
10 authorized levels occurring through 2003; and
11 WHEREAS, The United States Senate Appropriations Committee in
12 its fiscal year 2001 budget proposal cut the program to $600
13 million for fiscal year 2001, a 66% reduction from its fiscal
14 year 2000 funding level of $1.775 billion, resulting in an
15 estimated $400 million loss in funding for child protective
16 services and an estimated $262 million cut from key services for
17 the elderly; and
18 WHEREAS, Such funding cuts will be further exacerbated since
19 the amount that states can transfer from Temporary Assistance to
20 Needy Families (TANF) to Title XX has also been restricted to
21 4.25% in 2001 from the previous 10%; and
22 WHEREAS, Bipartisan bills introduced in the United States
23 Senate (S. 2585) and the United States House of Representatives
24 (H.R. 4481) on May 17, 2000, would raise the authorized funding
25 level for the SSBG in Title XX of the Social Security Act to
26 $2.38 billion; and
27 WHEREAS, The aforementioned legislation would again allow all
28 states to transfer 10% of their TANF funds to SSBG; therefore be
29 it
30 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
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1 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania support the funding increases
2 proposed in S. 2585 and H.R. 4481 to continue to fund critical
3 services for an estimated 11 million children, families, seniors
4 and persons with disabilities each year through the SSBG; and be
5 it further
6 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives call on the
7 President and Congress of the United States to vote on and pass
8 S. 2585 or H.R. 4481 so that there will not be a detrimental
9 break in the community services provided through the funding
10 established in the SSBG.
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