IB 
Union Calendar No. 186
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3030
[Report No. 108–310] 
To amend the Community Service Block Grant Act to provide for quality 
improvements. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 5, 2003
Mr. OSBORNE (for himself, Mr. BOEHNER, Mr. CASTLE, Mr. UPTON, and Mr. 
WILSON of South Carolina) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 
OCTOBER 10, 2003
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on September 5, 2003] 
A BILL 
To amend the Community Service Block Grant Act to 
provide for quality improvements.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Improving the Commu-
nity Services Block Grant Act of 2003’’. 
SEC. 2. COMMUNITY SERVICES BLOCK GRANT ACT AMEND-
MENTS. 
(a) PURPOSES AND GOALS.—Section 672 of the Com-
munity Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9901 note) is 
amended to read as follows: 
‘‘SEC. 672 PURPOSES AND GOALS. 
‘‘The purpose of this subtitle is to reduce poverty—
‘‘(1) by strengthening and coordinating local ef-
forts to expand opportunities for individuals and 
families to become economically self-sufficient and to 
improve and revitalize low-income communities in 
urban and rural areas, by providing resources to 
States for support of local eligible entities, including 
community action agencies and other community-
based organizations—
‘‘(A) to plan, coordinate, and mobilize a 
broad range of Federal, State, local, and private 
assistance or investment in such a manner as to 
use these resources effectively to reduce poverty 
and in initiatives that are responsive to specific 
local needs and conditions; 
‘‘(B) to coordinate a range of services that 
meet the needs of low-income families and indi-
viduals, that support strong and healthy fami-
lies, and that assist them in developing the skills 
needed to become self sustaining while ensuring 
that these services are provided effectively and ef-
ficiently; and 
‘‘(C) to design and implement comprehen-
sive approaches to assist eligible individuals in 
gaining employment and achieving economic 
self-sufficiency; 
‘‘(2) by improving and revitalizing the low-in-
come communities in urban and rural areas by pro-
viding resources to States for support of local eligible 
entities and their partners—
‘‘(A) to broaden the resource base of initia-
tives and projects directed to the elimination of 
poverty and the redevelopment of the low-income 
community, including partnerships with non-
governmental and governmental institutions to 
develop the community assets and services that 
reduce poverty, such as—
‘‘(i) other private, religious, charitable, 
and community-based organizations; 
‘‘(ii) individual citizens, and business, 
labor, and professional groups, that are able
to influence the quantity and quality of op-
portunities and services for the poor; and 
‘‘(iii) local government leadership; and 
‘‘(B) to coordinate community-wide re-
sources and services that will have a significant, 
measurable impact on the causes of poverty in 
the community and that will help families and 
individuals to achieve economic self-sufficiency 
and to test innovative, community-based ap-
proaches to attacking the causes and effects of 
poverty and of community breakdown, includ-
ing— 
‘‘(i) innovative initiatives to prevent 
and reverse loss of investment, jobs, public 
services, and infrastructure in low- and 
moderate-income communities; and 
‘‘(ii) innovative partnerships to lever-
age the assets and services that reduce pov-
erty, as provided in subparagraph (A); and 
‘‘(3) by ensuring maximum participation of resi-
dents of low-income communities and of members of 
the groups served by grants made under this subtitle 
in guiding the eligible entities and in their programs 
funded under this subtitle, to ameliorate the par-
ticular problems and needs of low-income residents
and to develop the permanent social and economic as-
sets of the low-income community in order to reduce 
the incidence of poverty.’’. 
(b) DEFINITIONS.—Section 673(1)(A) of the Commu-
nity Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(1)(A)) is 
amended—
(1) in clause (i) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(2) in clause (ii) by striking the period at the 
end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(iii) that successfully develops and 
meets the locally determined goals described 
in section 678E(b)(1), as determined by the 
State, and meets State goals, standards, 
and performance requirements as provided 
for in section 678B(a).’’. 
(c) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 
674 of the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 
9903) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a) by striking ‘‘1999 through 
2003’’ and inserting ‘‘2004 through 2009’’; and 
(2) in subsection (b)(2)—
(A) by striking ‘‘678F’’ and inserting 
‘‘678E to assist States, eligible entities, and their
partners in projects supported by this subtitle’’; 
and 
(B) in subparagraph (B) by striking ‘‘mon-
itoring (to correct programmatic deficiencies of 
eligible entities)’’ and inserting ‘‘monitoring (in-
cluding technical assistance and training to cor-
rect programmatic deficiencies of eligible enti-
ties)’’. 
(d) USES OF FUNDS.—Section 675C of the Community 
Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9907) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a)(3)(A) by striking ‘‘Begin-
ning on October 1, 2000, a’’ and inserting ‘‘A’’; and 
(2) in subsection (b)(1)(F) by striking ‘‘neighbor-
hood-based’’ and inserting ‘‘community-based’’. 
(e) APPLICATION AND PLAN.—Section 676 of the Com-
munity Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9908) is 
amended—
(1) in subsection (b)—
(A) by striking ‘‘Beginning with fiscal year 
2000, to’’ and inserting ‘‘To’’; 
(B) in paragraph (1)—
(i) in subparagraph (B)—
(I) by striking ‘‘youth develop-
ment programs that support’’ and in-
serting ‘‘youth development programs,
which may include mentoring pro-
grams, that support’’; and 
(II) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(ii) in subparagraph (C) by adding 
‘‘and’’ at the end; and 
(iii) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(D) initiatives to improve economic condi-
tions and mobilize new resources in rural areas 
to eliminate obstacles to the self-sufficiency of 
families and individuals in rural communities;’’; 
(C) in paragraph (2) by striking ‘‘commu-
nity and neighborhood-based’’ and inserting 
‘‘community-based’’; 
(D) in paragraph (3)—
(1) in the matter preceding subpara-
graph (A) by striking ‘‘information pro-
vided by eligible entities in the State, con-
taining’’ and inserting ‘‘an assurance that 
the State will provide information, includ-
ing’’; and 
(ii) in subparagraph (D) by striking 
‘‘community and neighborhood-based’’ and 
inserting ‘‘community-based’’;
(E) in paragraph (9) by striking ‘‘and com-
munity organizations’’ and inserting ‘‘and com-
munity-based organizations’’; 
(F) in paragraph (10) by striking ‘‘commu-
nity organization’’ and inserting ‘‘community-
based organization’’; 
(G) in paragraph (12) by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; 
(H) by redesignating paragraph (13) as 
paragraph (15); and 
(I) by inserting after paragraph (12) the 
following: 
‘‘(13) an assurance that the State will take swift 
action to improve performance or, when appropriate, 
to terminate the funding under this subtitle of low-
performing eligible entities that do not meet the ap-
plicable locally determined goals described in section 
678E(b)(1) or do not meet the State goals, standards, 
and requirements as provided for in section 678B(a); 
‘‘(14) an assurance that the State will provide a 
justification to the Secretary if it continues to fund 
persistently low-performing eligible entities; and’’; 
(2) in subsection (c)(2) by striking ‘‘plan, or’’ 
and all that follows through the period at the end, 
and inserting ‘‘plan, to meet a State requirement, as
described in section 678C(a), or to meet the locally de-
termined goals as described in section 678E(b)(1).’’; 
and 
(3) by striking subsection (f). 
(f) TRAINING, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, AND OTHER 
ACTIVITIES.—Section 678A(a)(1)(A) of the Community 
Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9913(a)(1)(A)) is 
amended—
(1) by inserting ‘‘dissemination regarding best 
practices,’’ after ‘‘technical assistance,’’; and 
(2) by inserting ‘‘(including to assist in the de-
velopment of reporting systems and electronic data 
systems)’’ after ‘‘collection activities’’. 
(g) MONITORING
OF ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—Section 
678B of the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 
U.S.C. 9914) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a)—
(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1) 
by inserting ‘‘and the locally determined per-
formance goals described in section 678E(b)(1)’’ 
after ‘‘a State’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (3)—
(i) by inserting ‘‘appropriate’’ before 
‘‘goals’’; and
(ii) by striking ‘‘established by the 
State’’; and 
(2) in the last sentence of subsection (c) by strik-
ing ‘‘Chairperson of the Committee on Education’’ 
and all that follows through ‘‘Human Resources of the 
Senate’’ and inserting ‘‘appropriate congressional 
committees’’. 
(h) CORRECTIVE ACTION; TERMINATION AND REDUC-
TION OF FUNDING.—Section 678C(a) of the Community 
Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9915(a)) is amended 
in the matter preceding paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘estab-
lished by the State’’. 
(i) ACCOUNTABILITY
AND
REPORTING
REQUIRE-
MENTS.—Section 678E of the Community Services Block 
Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9917) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a)—
(A) in paragraph (1)(A) by striking ‘‘By 
October 1, 2001, each’’ and inserting ‘‘Each’’; 
and 
(B) in paragraph (2)—
(i) in the 1st sentence by inserting ‘‘in-
cluding any activities under section 678C’’ 
before the period at the end; 
(ii) by striking the 2d sentence;
(iii) in the 3d sentence by striking 
‘‘also’’; and 
(iv) in the 3d sentence by inserting 
‘‘information on the timeliness of the dis-
tribution of block grant funds to eligible en-
tities as provided in section 675C(a),’’ after 
‘‘including’’; 
(2) in subsection (b)—
(A) in paragraph (2) in the matter pre-
ceding subparagraph (A) by striking ‘‘beginning 
after September 30, 1999’’; 
(B) in paragraph (3) by striking ‘‘Com-
mittee on Education’’ and all that follows 
through ‘‘Human Resources of the Senate’’ and 
inserting ‘‘appropriate congressional commit-
tees’’; 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(5) COORDINATION
OF
REPORTING
REQUIRE-
MENTS.—To the maximum extent possible, the Sec-
retary shall coordinate reporting requirements for all 
programs of the Department of Health and Human 
Services managed by eligible entities so as to consoli-
date and reduce the number of reports required about 
individuals, families, and uses of grant funds.’’; and
(D) by redesignating such subsection as sub-
section (c); and 
(3) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(b) LOCAL ACCOUNTABILITY AND REPORTING RE-
QUIREMENTS.—
‘‘(1) LOCALLY DETERMINED GOALS.—In order to 
be designated as an eligible entity and to receive a 
grant under this subtitle, an eligible entity shall es-
tablish locally determined goals for reducing poverty 
in the community, including goals for—
‘‘(A) leveraging and mobilizing community 
resources; 
‘‘(B) fostering coordination of Federal, 
State, local, private, and other assistance; and 
‘‘(C) promoting community involvement. 
‘‘(2) 
DEMONSTRATION
THAT
GOALS
WERE 
MET.—In order for an eligible entity to receive a sec-
ond or subsequent grant made under this subtitle 
after the effective date of this paragraph, such entity 
shall demonstrate to the State that it has met the 
goals described in paragraph (1).’’. 
(j) TREATMENT OF BENEFICIARIES.—Section 679 of 
the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9920) 
is amended by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(f) TREATMENT OF BENEFICIARIES.—In providing 
assistance under a program described in subsection (a), a 
religious organization shall not discriminate against a ben-
eficiary, or a potential beneficiary, of such assistance on 
the basis of religion or of a religious belief.’’. 
(k) DISCRETIONARY AUTHORITY
OF SECRETARY.—
Section 680 of the Community Services Block Grant Act 
(42 U.S.C. 9921) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a)—
(A) in paragraph (2)—
(i) in subparagraph (A) by inserting 
‘‘(including financial assistance for con-
struction or substantial rehabilitation of 
buildings and facilities, and for loans or in-
vestments in private business enterprises 
owned by community development corpora-
tions)’’ after ‘‘assistance’’; 
(ii) by redesignating subparagraphs 
(B), (C), (D), and (E) as subparagraphs 
(D), (E), (F), and (G), respectively; and 
(iii) by inserting after subparagraph 
(A) the following: 
‘‘(B) FEDERAL INTEREST.—The Secretary 
shall establish procedures that permit funds pro-
vided under a grant made under this paragraph,
(2) in subsection (c) by striking ‘‘Chairperson of 
the Committee on Education’’ and all that follows 
through ‘‘Human Resources of the Senate’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘appropriate congressional committees’’. 
(l) COMMUNITY FOOD AND NUTRITION PROGRAMS.—
Section 681 of the Community Services Block Grant Act 
(42 U.S.C. 9922) is amended—
(1) in subsection (c) in the matter preceding 
paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘Committee on Education’’ 
and all that follows through ‘‘Human Resources of the 
Senate’’ and inserting ‘‘appropriate congressional 
committees’’; and 
(2) in subsection (d) by striking ‘‘1999 through 
2003’’ and inserting ‘‘2004 through 2009’’. 
(m) NATIONAL OR REGIONAL PROGRAMS DESIGNED 
TO PROVIDE INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES FOR LOW-INCOME 
YOUTH.—Section 682 of the Community Services Block 
Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9923) is amended—
(1) in subsection (b)(5)—
(A) by inserting ‘‘(which may be accom-
plished through mentoring)’’ after ‘‘youth’’; and 
(B) by inserting ‘‘to improve academic 
achievement’’ after ‘‘study practices’’; and 
(2) in subsection (g) by striking ‘‘1999 through 
2003’’ and inserting ‘‘2004 through 2009’’.