[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1937 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

103d CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 1937

  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 Act, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

             March 16 (legislative day, February 22), 1994

    Mr. Dodd introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
    referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 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 Act, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND REFERENCES.

    (a) Short Title.--That this Act may be cited as the ``Community 
Services Block Grant Amendments of 1994''.
    (b) References.--Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever 
in this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of an 
amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provision, the reference 
shall be considered to be made to a section or other provision of the 
Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9901 et seq.).

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMUNITY INITIATIVE PROGRAM.

    (a) Community Initiative Program.--Section 681 (42 U.S.C. 9910) is 
amended to read as follows:

                     ``community initiative program

    ``Sec. 681. (a) Grants.--
            ``(1) Authority.--
                    ``(A) In general.--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.
                    ``(B) Economic development activities.--Economic 
                development activities under this section 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 that are 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) Consultation.--The Secretary shall exercise the 
        authority provided under paragraph (1) in consultation with 
        other relevant Federal officials.
    ``(b) Governing Boards.--Each community development corporation 
receiving funds under this section shall be governed by a board that 
shall consist of residents of the community and business and civic 
leaders.
    ``(c) Annual Statement.--The Secretary shall annually publish a 
statement of the types of projects or activities for which funding 
under this section will be a priority, such as projects or activities 
designed to strengthen or enhance activities funded by other Federal 
programs.
    ``(d) Geographic Distribution.--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) Reservation.--Of the amounts made available to carry out this 
section, the Secretary may reserve not to exceed 1 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) State allocations.--Section 674(a) (42 U.S.C. 9903(a)) 
        is amended--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``which remains 
                after'' and all that follows through ``allot to each 
                State;'' and inserting ``which remains after the 
                Secretary makes the apportionment required in 
                subsection (b)(1), allot to each State''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (2)(A), by striking ``which 
                remains after'' and all that follows through 
                ``exceeds'' and inserting ``which remains after the 
                Secretary makes the apportionment required in 
                subsection (b)(1), exceeds''.
            (2) Annual report.--Section 682(c) (42 U.S.C. 9911(c)) is 
        amended by striking ``section 681(d)'' and inserting ``section 
        672(b)''.
            (3) Limitation.--Section 680(a) (42 U.S.C. 9909(a)) is 
        amended by striking ``section 681(c)'' and inserting ``section 
        681''.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATIONS OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) Authorization of Appropriations.--Subsection (b) of section 672 
(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 may be necessary for each of fiscal 
years 1996 through 1998, to carry out the provisions of this 
subtitle.''.
    (b) Repeals.--
            (1) Community food and nutrition.--Section 681A (42 U.S.C. 
        9910a) is repealed.
            (2) Demonstration partnership agreements.--Section 408 of 
        the Human Services Reauthorization Act of 1986 (42 U.S.C. 
        9910b) is repealed.

SEC. 4. ALLOTMENTS.

    (a) Section Heading.--Section 674 (42 U.S.C. 9903) is amended in 
the section heading to read as follows:

                            ``allotments''.

    (b) Set-Asides.--Section 674 (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 so 
        redesignated), the following new subsections:
    ``(a) With respect to amounts appropriated under section 672(b), 
the Secretary shall make allotments in accordance with subsections (b) 
through (g).
    ``(b) Of the amounts appropriated pursuant to section 672(b) for 
fiscal year 1995 and each of the following 4 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 not to exceed one-half of 1 percent of the amount 
remaining after the application of subsection (b) for each of the 
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. Such 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 not to exceed 2\1/2\ percent of the amount 
remaining after the 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) (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) (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 subparagraph (A), provide assurances that with respect to 
        the remainder of the allotment a reasonable amount shall be 
        used for--
                    ``(i) monitoring the activities of eligible 
                entities and providing training and technical 
                assistance to those entities in need of such 
                assistance;
                    ``(ii) coordinating State-operated programs and 
                services targeted to low-income children and families 
                with services provided by eligible entities funded 
                under this Act; and
                    ``(iii) considering 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, not 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) (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 before the semicolon 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) another 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) (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 followup 
                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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