[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 12 (Tuesday, February 8, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1134-S1135]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. DOMENICI (for himself and Mr. Kennedy):
  S. 319. A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to revise the 
amount of minimum allotments under the Projects for Assistance in 
Transition from Homelessness program; to the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I rise today with my friend Senator 
Kennedy to introduce a bill that will raise the minimum grant amounts 
given to States and territories under the PATH program. The PATH 
program provides services through formula grants of at least $300,000 
to each State, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico and $50,000 to 
eligible U.S. territories. Subject to available appropriations, this 
bill will raise the minimum allotments to $600,000 to each State and 
$100,000 to eligible US territories.
  When the PATH program was established in fiscal year 1991 as a 
formula grant program, Congress appropriated $33 million. That amount 
has steadily increased over the years with Congress appropriating $55 
million this past year. However, despite these increases, States and 
territories such as New Mexico that have rural and frontier 
populations, have not received an increase in their PATH funds. Under 
the formula, as it currently exists, many states and territories will 
never receive an increase to their PATH program, even with increasing 
demand and inflation. This problem is occurring in my home State of New 
Mexico as well as twenty-five other States and territories throughout 
the United States.
  The PATH program is authorized under the Public Health Service Act 
and it funds community-based outreach, mental health, substance abuse, 
case management and other support services, as well as a limited set of 
housing services for people who are homeless and have serious mental 
illnesses. Program services are provided in a variety of different 
settings, including clinic sites, shelter-based clinics, and mobile 
units. In addition, the PATH program takes health care services to 
locations where homeless individuals are found, such as streets, parks, 
and soup kitchens.
  PATH services are a key element in the plan to end chronic 
homelessness. Every night, an estimated 600,000 people are homeless in 
America. Of these, about one-third are single adults with serious 
mental illnesses. I have worked closely with organizations in New 
Mexico such as Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless and I have seen 
first hand the difficulties faced by the more than 15,000 homeless 
people in New Mexico, 35 percent of who are chronically mentally ill or 
mentally incapacitated.
  PATH is a proven program that has been very successful in moving 
people out of homelessness. PATH has been reviewed by the Office of 
Management and Budget and has scored significantly high marks in 
meeting program goals and objectives. Unquestionably, homelessness is 
not just an urban issue. Rural and frontier communities face unique 
challenges in serving PATH eligible persons and the PATH program 
funding mechanisms must account for these differences.
  Thank you and I look forward to working with my colleague Senator 
Kennedy on this important issue.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                 S. 319

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

     SECTION 1. MINIMUM ALLOTMENTS UNDER THE PROJECTS FOR 
                   ASSISTANCE IN TRANSITION FROM HOMELESSNESS 
                   PROGRAM.

       Section 524 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
     290cc-24) is amended to read as follows:

     ``SEC. 524. DETERMINATION OF AMOUNT OF ALLOTMENT.

       ``(a) Determination Under Formula.--Subject to subsection 
     (b), the allotment required in section 521 for a State for a 
     fiscal year is the product of--
       ``(1) an amount equal to the amount appropriated under 
     section 535 for the fiscal year; and
       ``(2) a percentage equal to the quotient of--
       ``(A) an amount equal to the population living in urbanized 
     areas of the State involved, as indicated by the most recent 
     data collected by the Bureau of the Census; and
       ``(B) an amount equal to the population living in urbanized 
     areas of the United States, as indicated by the sum of the 
     respective amounts determined for the States under 
     subparagraph (A).

[[Page S1135]]

       ``(b) Minimum Allotment.--
       ``(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), the allotment 
     for a State under section 521 for a fiscal year shall, at a 
     minimum, be the greater of--
       ``(A) the amount the State received under section 521 in 
     fiscal year 2005; and
       ``(B) $600,000 for each of the several States, the District 
     of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and 
     $100,000 for each of Guam, the Virgin Islands, American 
     Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
       ``(2) Condition.--If the funds appropriated in any fiscal 
     year under section 535 are insufficient to ensure that States 
     receive a minimum allotment in accordance with paragraph (1), 
     then--
       ``(A) no State shall receive less than the amount they 
     received in fiscal year 2005; and
       ``(B) any funds remaining after amounts are provided under 
     subparagraph (A) shall be used to meet the requirement of 
     paragraph (1)(B), to the maximum extent possible.''.
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