THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

SENATE BILL

INTRODUCED BY PICCOLA, PILEGGI, BOSCOLA, EARLL, M. WHITE, WARD AND ERICKSON, AUGUST 19, 2009

REFERRED TO EDUCATION, AUGUST 19, 2009  

AN ACT

Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An

act relating to the public school system, including certain

provisions applicable as well to private and parochial

schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the

laws relating thereto," in early learning programs, further

providing for duties of department, for grant awards and for

duties of approved providers.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1.  Section 1513-D of the act of March 10, 1949

(P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, is

amended by adding a paragraph to read:

Section 1513-D.  Duties of department.

The department shall have the following powers and duties:

* * *

(8)  (i)  To establish a fee schedule for persons

enrolling in the program that are above the Head Start

and subsidized day-care income eligibility guidelines but

less than the eligibility criteria as defined by the

department. The fee schedule shall be published on the

department's Internet website and in the Pennsylvania

Bulletin within 60 days of the effective date of this

paragraph and shall be applied to program applicants

beginning with the 2010-2011 school year.

(ii)  Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to

prevent the families of children who participate in early

learning programs and who are willing and able to pay the

full cost of such participation from doing so.

Section 2.  Section 1514-D of the act, added July 20, 2007

(P.L.278, No.45), is amended to read:

Section 1514-D.  Grant awards.

The department shall award grants under this subarticle to

the extent that funds are appropriated for the program by the

General Assembly. The grants shall be awarded on a per-student

basis for each eligible student served by an approved provider

and shall not exceed the per-student cost of administering the

approved provider's pre-kindergarten program. [To the greatest

extent possible, the] The department shall:

(1)  Give first priority in grant funding to approved

providers serving [the highest number or the highest

percentage of] at-risk eligible students as follows: first,

those students on the waiting lists for Head Start authorized

by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 (Public Law

97-35, 95 Stat. 357) and Child Care Works authorized by the

act of June 13, 1967 (P.L.31, No.21), known as the Public

Welfare Code; and second, other students deemed eligible per

the definitions in this article.

(2)  To the extent possible:

(i)  Give priority in grant funding to approved

providers that received grant funds in the immediately

preceding school year, have met the program standards and

have demonstrated satisfactory implementation of the

program.

[(3)] (ii)  Ensure that grant funding is

geographically dispersed to approved providers throughout

this Commonwealth.

Section 3.  Section 1515-D(a) of the act is amended by adding

a paragraph and the section is amended by adding a subsection to

read:

Section 1515-D.  Duties of approved providers.

(a)  General rule.--An approved provider that receives grant

funds under this subarticle shall have the following duties:

* * *

(5)  Verify the residency and income of applicants to the

program through examination of any of the following:

individual income tax Form 1040, W-2 forms, pay stubs, pay

envelopes, written statements from employers or documentation

showing current status as recipients of public assistance.

* * *

(c)  The department or the Auditor General may conduct such

audits and reviews of the grant program as the department or the

Auditor General determines to be necessary or appropriate.

Copies of all audit reports or reviews conducted by the

department or the Auditor General shall be made available to the

chairman and minority chairman of the Education Committee of the

Senate and the chairman and minority chairman of the Education

Committee of the House of Representatives.

Section 4.  This act shall take effect in 60 days.