Community Services Block Grant Reauthorization Act of 2019

I 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 1695 To amend the Community Services Block Grant Act to reauthorize and modernize the Act. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MARCH 12, 2019 Ms. MCCOLLUM (for herself, Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania, Ms. STEFANIK, and Ms. FUDGE) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor A BILL To amend the Community Services Block Grant Act to reauthorize and modernize the Act. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Community Services 4 Block Grant Reauthorization Act of 2019’’. 5 SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION. 6 The Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 7 9901 et seq.) is amended to read as follows: 8 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:11 Mar 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1695.IH H1695 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 •HR 1695 IH ‘‘Subtitle B—Community Services 1 Block Grant Program 2 ‘‘SEC. 671. SHORT TITLE. 3 ‘‘This subtitle may be cited as the ‘Community Serv- 4 ices Block Grant Act’. 5 ‘‘SEC. 672. PURPOSES. 6 ‘‘The purposes of this subtitle are— 7 ‘‘(1) to reduce poverty in the United States by 8 supporting the activities of community action agen- 9 cies that improve the economic security of low-in- 10 come individuals and families and create new eco- 11 nomic opportunities in the communities where they 12 live; and 13 ‘‘(2) to accomplish the objectives described in 14 paragraph (1) by— 15 ‘‘(A) strengthening community capabilities 16 for identifying poverty conditions and opportu- 17 nities to alleviate such conditions; 18 ‘‘(B) empowering low-income individuals 19 and families to respond to the unique problems 20 and needs within their communities through 21 their maximum feasible participation in advis- 22 ing and assessing eligible entities and in design- 23 ing the programs, projects, and services funded 24 under this subtitle; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:11 Mar 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1695.IH H1695 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 •HR 1695 IH ‘‘(C) using innovative community-based ap- 1 proaches that produce a measurable impact on 2 the causes and effects of poverty, including two- 3 generation approaches that create opportunities 4 for, and address the needs of, parents and chil- 5 dren together; 6 ‘‘(D) coordinating Federal, State, local, 7 and other assistance, including private re- 8 sources, related to the reduction of poverty so 9 that resources can be used in a manner respon- 10 sive to local needs and conditions; and 11 ‘‘(E) broadening the resources directed to 12 the elimination of poverty, so as to promote 13 partnerships that include— 14 ‘‘(i) private, religious, charitable, and 15 neighborhood-based organizations; 16 ‘‘(ii) individuals, businesses, labor or- 17 ganizations, professional organizations, 18 and other organizations engaged in ex- 19 panding opportunities for all individuals; 20 and 21 ‘‘(iii) local government leaders. 22 ‘‘SEC. 673. DEFINITIONS. 23 ‘‘In this subtitle: 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:11 Mar 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1695.IH H1695 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 4 •HR 1695 IH ‘‘(1) COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCY.—The term 1 ‘community action agency’ means an eligible entity 2 (which meets the requirements of paragraph (1) or 3 (2), as appropriate, of section 680(c)) that is a pub- 4 lic charity and that delivers multiple programs, 5 projects, or services to a variety of low-income indi- 6 viduals and families. 7 ‘‘(2) COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAM PLAN.— 8 The term ‘community action program plan’ means a 9 detailed plan, including a budget, that is adopted by 10 an eligible entity, for expenditures of funds appro- 11 priated for a fiscal year under this subtitle for the 12 activities supported directly or indirectly by such 13 funds. 14 ‘‘(3) COMMUNITY ACTION STRATEGIC PLAN.— 15 The term ‘community action strategic plan’ means a 16 plan that is adopted as the policy of an eligible enti- 17 ty and that— 18 ‘‘(A) establishes goals for a period of not 19 more than 5 years that are based on meeting 20 needs identified by the entity in consultation 21 with the residents of the community through a 22 process of comprehensive community needs as- 23 sessment; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:11 Mar 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1695.IH H1695 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 5 •HR 1695 IH ‘‘(B) provides detail on how all activities of 1 an eligible entity under this subtitle will con- 2 tribute to meeting such goals; and 3 ‘‘(C) specifies how such activities will be 4 managed, funded, and measured by the per- 5 formance measurement system of such entity. 6 ‘‘(4) COMMUNITY SERVICES NETWORK ORGANI- 7 ZATION.—The term ‘community services network or- 8 ganization’ means any of the following organizations 9 funded under this subtitle: 10 ‘‘(A) A grantee. 11 ‘‘(B) An eligible entity. 12 ‘‘(C) An association of grantees or eligible 13 entities. 14 ‘‘(D) An association— 15 ‘‘(i) with a membership composed of 16 grantees, eligible entities, or associations of 17 grantees or eligible entities; and 18 ‘‘(ii) that is governed by a board of di- 19 rectors composed so that 3⁄4 of the direc- 20 tors are employees or designees of such 21 grantees, such eligible entities, or such as- 22 sociations. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:11 Mar 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1695.IH H1695 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 6 •HR 1695 IH ‘‘(5) DEPARTMENT.—The term ‘Department’ 1 means the Department of Health and Human Serv- 2 ices. 3 ‘‘(6) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en- 4 tity’ means an entity— 5 ‘‘(A) that is an eligible entity described in 6 section 673(1) (as in effect on the day before 7 the date of enactment of the Community Serv- 8 ices Block Grant Reauthorization Act of 2019) 9 as of the day before such date of enactment, or 10 has been designated by the process described in 11 section 680(a) (including an organization serv- 12 ing migrant or seasonal farmworkers that is so 13 described or designated); and 14 ‘‘(B) that has a tripartite board described 15 in paragraph (1) or (2), as appropriate, of sec- 16 tion 680(c). 17 ‘‘(7) EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE.—The term 18 ‘evidence-based practice’ means an activity, strategy, 19 or intervention that— 20 ‘‘(A) demonstrates a statistically signifi- 21 cant effect on improving relevant outcomes 22 based on at least one well-designed and well-im- 23 plemented experimental or quasi-experimental 24 study, or at least one well-designed and well-im- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:11 Mar 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1695.IH H1695 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 7 •HR 1695 IH plemented correlational study with statistical 1 controls for selection bias; or 2 ‘‘(B) demonstrates a rationale based on 3 high-quality research findings or positive eval- 4 uation that such activity, strategy, or interven- 5 tion is likely to improve relevant outcomes; and 6 includes ongoing efforts to examine the effects 7 of such activity, strategy, or intervention. 8 ‘‘(8) GRANTEE.—The term ‘grantee’ means a 9 recipient of a grant under section 675 or 676 of this 10 subtitle or the recipient of a grant under section 11 675A or 675B of this subtitle (as in effect on the 12 day before the date of enactment of the Community 13 Services Block Grant Reauthorization Act of 2019). 14 ‘‘(9) PERFORMANCE BENCHMARK.—The term 15 ‘performance benchmark’ means a measurable objec- 16 tive for the operations and activities set out in a 17 community action program plan or a State plan 18 under this subtitle. 19 ‘‘(10) PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT SYS- 20 TEM.—The term ‘performance measurement system’ 21 means a management information system that— 22 ‘‘(A) collects and reports information about 23 the outcomes of activities and investments fund- 24 ed in whole or in part with funds appropriated 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:11 Mar 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1695.IH H1695 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 8 •HR 1695 IH under this subtitle, including annual perform- 1 ance benchmarks; 2 ‘‘(B) compares the actual outcomes with 3 the intended outcomes; and 4 ‘‘(C) is used as a basis for management 5 decisions regarding future use of resources pro- 6 vided under this subtitle. 7 ‘‘(11) POVERTY LINE.— 8 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘poverty 9 line’ means the official poverty line defined by 10 the Office of Management and Budget, based 11 on the most recent data available from the Bu- 12 reau of the Census, subject to subparagraphs 13 (C) and (D). The Secretary shall revise the pov- 14 erty line annually (or at any shorter interval 15 the Secretary determines to be feasible and de- 16 sirable). The required revision shall be accom- 17 plished by multiplying the official poverty line 18 by the percentage change in the Consumer 19 Price Index for All Urban Consumers during 20 the annual or other interval immediately pre- 21 ceding the time at which the revision is made. 22 ‘‘(B) COMMUNITY SERVICES BLOCK GRANT 23 ELIGIBILITY CRITERION.—Subject to subpara- 24 graphs (C), (D), and (E), the poverty line, as 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:11 Mar 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1695.IH H1695 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 9 •HR 1695 IH defined in subparagraph (A), shall be used as 1 a criterion of eligibility for services or assist- 2 ance provided to individuals or families through 3 the community services block grant program es- 4 tablished under this subtitle. 5 ‘‘(C) STATE REVISION OF POVERTY 6 LINE.—Whenever a State determines that it 7 serves the objectives of the block grant program 8 established under this subtitle, the State may 9 revise the poverty line not to exceed 125 per- 10 cent of the official poverty line otherwise appli- 11 cable under subparagraph (A). 12 ‘‘(D) WAIVERS FOR STATE USE OF HIGHER 13 ELIGIBILITY LEVEL.—Whenever a community 14 action program plan provides that a program, 15 project, or service funded under this subtitle re- 16 quires use of a higher eligibility standard than 17 the standard otherwise applicable under this 18 paragraph for the purpose of ensuring coordina- 19 tion of activities carried out under this subtitle 20 with other programs or activities of eligible en- 21 tities, the State shall, as part of the application 22 described in section 678, apply such standard 23 with respect to that program, project, or service 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:11 Mar 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1695.IH H1695 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 10 •HR 1695 IH and provide documentation regarding the ben- 1 efit of and need for such adjustment. 2 ‘‘(E) PROCEDURES FOR CONTINUED ELIGI- 3 BILITY.—A State may establish procedures to 4 ensure that a participant in a program, project, 5 or service funded under this subtitle remains el- 6 igible to participate as long as the participant 7 is successfully progressing toward achievement 8 of the goals of the program, project, or service, 9 regardless of any income eligibility criteria used 10 to determine the participant’s initial eligibility. 11 ‘‘(12) PRIVATE, NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.— 12 The term ‘private, nonprofit organization’ includes a 13 religious organization. 14 ‘‘(13) PUBLIC CHARITY.—The term ‘public 15 charity’ means a domestic organization that is— 16 ‘‘(A) described in section 501(c)(3) of the 17 Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt 18 from taxation under section 501(a) of such 19 Code; and 20 ‘‘(B) described in paragraph (1) or (2) of 21 section 509(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 22 1986. 23 ‘‘(14) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ 24 means the Secretary of Health and Human Services. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:11 Mar 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1695.IH H1695 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 11 •HR 1695 IH ‘‘(15) SERVICE AREA.—The term ‘service area’ 1 means the unique geographic area which the State 2 has designated as the area to be served by an eligi- 3 ble entity with funding under section 679(a)(1)(B). 4 ‘‘(16) STATE.—The term ‘State’ means any of 5 the several States, the District of Columbia, the 6 Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the United 7 States Virgin Islands, American Samoa, or the Com- 8 monwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 9 ‘‘SEC. 674. ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMUNITY SERVICES 10 BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM. 11 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.—The Secretary 12 is authorized to establish a community services block 13 grant program and to make grants through the program, 14 under sections 675 and 676, to States to support local 15 community action program plans carried out by eligible 16 entities to reduce poverty in the communities served by 17 such entities. 18 ‘‘(b) AUTHORITY OF SECRETARY.—The Secretary is 19 authorized to carry out other community programs de- 20 scribed in section 690 and section 690A. 21 ‘‘(c) UNIFORM ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS, 22 COST PRINCIPLES, AND AUDIT REQUIREMENTS.—Not- 23 withstanding any other provision of the Omnibus Budget 24 Reconciliation Act of 1981 (Public Law 97–35) or of sec- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:11 Mar 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1695.IH H1695 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 12 •HR 1695 IH tion 75.101(d)(1), part 75 of title 45, Code of Federal 1 Regulations, funds authorized to be appropriated under 2 this subtitle shall be subject to all subparts of the uniform 3 administrative requirements, cost principles, and audit re- 4 quirements for Federal awards as adopted in regulations 5 promulgated by the Secretary to implement the Uniform 6 Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit 7 Requirements under part 200 of title 2, Code of Federal 8 Regulations, or any corresponding similar regulation (in- 9 cluding part 75 of title 45, Code of Federal Regulations, 10 or any corresponding similar regulation), except for provi- 11 sions on termination, withholding and suspension of funds, 12 as well as all other Federal laws and regulations related 13 to intergovernmental financial transactions and to admin- 14 istration of federally funded grants and cooperative agree- 15 ments between States and nonprofit organizations, or local 16 governments, as applicable. 17 ‘‘SEC. 675. GRANTS TO TERRITORIES. 18 ‘‘(a) APPORTIONMENT.—The Secretary shall appor- 19 tion the amount reserved under section 691(c)(1) for each 20 fiscal year on the basis of need to eligible jurisdictions, 21 among Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin 22 Islands, and the Co [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]