[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4084 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4084

  To amend the Community Services Block Grant Act to establish a new 
    Community Initiative Program to carry out economic development 
   activities in economically distressed communities, to make other 
    amendments to the Community Services Block Grant, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 17, 1994

Mr. Martinez (for himself, Mr. Ford of Michigan, Mr. Owens, Mr. Scott, 
 and Mr. Baesler) 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 establish a new 
    Community Initiative Program to carry out economic development 
   activities in economically distressed communities, to make other 
    amendments to the Community Services Block Grant, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, That this Act may be 
cited as the ``Community Services Block Grant Amendments of 1994''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMUNITY INITIATIVE PROGRAM.

    (a) Community Initiative Program.--Section 681 of the Community 
Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9910), including the caption, is 
amended to read as follows:

                     ``COMMUNITY INITIATIVE PROGRAM

    ``Sec. 681. (a)(1) The Secretary is authorized to make grants to 
local, private, nonprofit community development corporations, or to 
enter into contracts or cooperative agreements with such community 
development corporations, to plan for and carry out economic 
development activities in economically distressed communities. Such 
activities shall be designed to address the economic needs of low-
income individuals and families by creating employment and business 
development opportunities and by providing support services designed to 
enhance the ability of low-income individuals and families to 
successfully avail themselves of such opportunities. In addition to any 
other activities consistent with the purposes of this section, such 
activities may include the development of facilities through means such 
as the establishment of partnerships with Head Start agencies, agencies 
or organizations providing child care or otherwise engaged in the field 
of child care or child development, and agencies or organizations 
serving children, youth, and families.
    ``(2) The Secretary shall exercise the authority under paragraph 
(1) in consultation with other relevant Federal officials.
    ``(b) Each community development corporation receiving funds under 
this section shall be governed by a board consisting of residents of 
the community and business and civic leaders.
    ``(c) The Secretary shall annually publish a statement of the types 
of projects or activities the funding of which will be a priority, such 
as projects or activities designed to strengthen or enhance activities 
funded by other federal programs.
    ``(d) In providing assistance or entering into other arrangements 
under this section, the Secretary shall take into consideration the 
geographic distribution of funds among States and the relative 
proportion of funding among rural and urban areas.
    ``(e) Of the amounts available to carry out this section, the 
Secretary may reserve up to one percent for each fiscal year to make 
grants to private nonprofit organizations or to enter into contracts 
with private nonprofit or for profit organizations to provide technical 
assistance to aid community development corporations in developing or 
implementing projects funded under this section and to evaluate 
projects funded under this section.''.
    (b) Repeal.--Section 505 of the Family Support Act of 1988 (42 
U.S.C. 1315 note) is repealed.
    (c) Conforming Amendments.--(1) Section 674(a) of the Community 
Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9903(a)) is amended--
            (A) in paragraph (1) by striking ``which remains after'' 
        through ``purposes of section 681(c);'' and inserting instead 
        ``which remains after the Secretary makes the apportionment 
        required in subsection (b)(1);''; and
            (B) in paragraph (2)(A) by striking ``which remains after'' 
        through ``purposes of section 681(c);'' and inserting instead 
        ``which remains after the Secretary makes the apportionment 
        required in subsection (b)(1)''.
    (2) Section 682(c) of that Act (42 U.S.C. 9911(c)) is amended by 
striking ``section 681(d)'' and inserting instead ``section 672(b)''.
    (3) Section 680(a) of that Act (42 U.S.C. 9909(a)) is amended by 
striking ``section 681(c)'' and inserting instead ``section 681''.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 672(b) of the 
Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9901(b)) is amended to 
read as follows:
    ``(b) There are authorized to be appropriated $434,622,000 for 
fiscal year 1995, and such sums as necessary for each of fiscal years 
1996, 1997, and 1998, to carry out the provisions of this subtitle.''.
    (b) Repeal.--(1) Section 681A of the Community Services Block Grant 
Act (42 U.S.C. 9910a) is repealed.
    (2) Section 408 of the Human Services Reauthorization Act of 1986 
is repealed.

SEC. 4. ALLOTMENT OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) Caption.--Section 674 of the Community Services Block Grant Act 
(42 U.S.C. 9903) is amended by striking the caption and inserting the 
following:

                    ``allotment of appropriations''.

    (b) Set-asides.--Section 674 of that Act (42 U.S.C. 9903) is 
amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsections (a), (b), and (c) as 
        subsections (e), (f), and (g), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting before subsection (e), as redesignated, 
        the following:
    ``(a) The Secretary shall allot the amount to be appropriated 
pursuant to section 672(b) in accordance with subsections (b) through 
(g).
    ``(b) Of the amounts appropriated pursuant to subsection 672(b) for 
fiscal year 1995 and each of the following four fiscal years, the 
Secretary shall reserve $35,000,000 for each such fiscal year for 
carrying out section 681.
    ``(c) Of the amounts appropriated pursuant to section 672(b), the 
Secretary may reserve up to one-half of 1 percent of the amount 
remaining after application of subsection (b) for each of fiscal years 
1995 and 1996, and up to 1 percent of such amount for fiscal year 1997 
and each fiscal year thereafter, for training, technical assistance, 
planning, and evaluation activities related to programs or projects 
carried out under this Act. These activities may be carried out by the 
Secretary directly or through grants, contracts, or cooperative 
agreements.
    ``(d) Of the amounts appropriated pursuant to section 672(b), the 
Secretary may reserve up to 2\1/2\ percent of the amount remaining 
after application of subsection (b) for fiscal year 1995, up to 4 
percent of such amount for fiscal year 1996, up to 5 percent of such 
amount for fiscal year 1997, and up to 6 percent of such amount for 
fiscal year 1998, for grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to 
address needs or problems of the poor which are identified by the 
Secretary as priorities in the effort to alleviate the causes of 
poverty.''.

SEC. 5. APPLICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) Assured Activities.--Section 675(c)(1)(B) of the Community 
Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9904(c)(1)(B)) is amended by 
inserting ``the homeless, migrants, and'' before ``the elderly poor''.
    (b) State Responsibilities.--Section 675(c)(2)(B) of that Act (42 
U.S.C. 9904(c)(2)(B)) is amended to read as follows:
            ``(B) if less than 100 percent of the allotment is expended 
        under subsection (A), provide assurances that with respect to 
        the remainder of the allotment a reasonable amount shall be 
        used for (i) monitoring of activities of eligible entities and 
        provision of training and technical assistance to those 
        entities in need of such assistance; (ii) coordination of 
        State-operated programs and services targeted to low-income 
        children and families with services provided by eligible 
        entities funded under this Act; and (iii) consideration of the 
        distribution of funds under this Act within the State to 
        determine if such funds have been targeted to the areas of 
        highest need and, thereafter, no more than the greater of 
        $55,000 or 5 percent of its allotment under section 674 for 
        administrative expenses at the State level;''.
    (c) Tripartite Board.--Section 675(c)(3) of that Act (42 U.S.C. 
9904(c)(3)) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) as 
        clauses (i), (ii), and (iii), respectively;
            (2) by striking the comma after ``provide assurances that'' 
        and inserting ``(A)''; and
            (3) by inserting at the end thereof ``and (B) in the case 
        of a public organization receiving funds under this subtitle, 
        such organization either establish (i) a board of which at 
        least one-third of the members are persons chosen in accordance 
        with democratic selection procedures adequate to assure that 
        they are representative of the poor in the area served or (ii) 
        some other mechanism specified by the State to assure citizen 
        participation in the planning, administration, and evaluation 
        of projects for which such organization has been funded;''.
    (d) Community Action Agency Plan.--Section 675(c) of that Act (42 
U.S.C. 9904(c)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (11)(B) by striking ``and'' at the end 
        thereof;
            (2) in paragraph (12) by striking the period and inserting 
        ''; and''; and
            (3) by inserting after paragraph (12) the following new 
        paragraph:
            ``(13) secure from each eligible entity as a condition to 
        its receipt of funding under this Act a community action plan 
        (which shall be available to the Secretary for inspection) that 
        includes--
                    ``(A) a community needs assessment (including food 
                needs);
                    ``(B) a description of the service delivery system 
                targeted to low-income individuals and families in the 
                service area;
                    ``(C) a description of how linkages will be 
                developed to fill identified gaps in services through 
                information, referral, case management, and follow-up 
                consultations;
                    ``(D) a description of how funding under this Act 
                will be coordinated with other public and private 
                resources; and
                    ``(E) a description of outcome measures to be used 
                to monitor success in promoting self-sufficiency, 
                family stability, and community revitalization.''.

SEC. 6. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    The amendments made by this Act shall become effective with respect 
to fiscal years beginning on or after October 1, 1994.

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