I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 341 
To amend the Community Services Block Grant Act to provide for quality 
improvements. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 25, 2005 
Mr. OSBORNE (for himself, Mr. BOEHNER, Mr. CASTLE, and Mr. WILSON of 
South Carolina) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To amend the Community Services 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 2005’’. 
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 pri-
vate 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 en-
suring that these services are provided effec-
tively and efficiently; 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 eligi-
ble 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-in-
come community, including partnerships with 
nongovernmental and governmental institutions 
to develop the community assets and services 
that reduce poverty, such as— 
‘‘(i) other private, religious, chari-
table, and community-based organizations; 
‘‘(ii) individual citizens, and business, 
labor, and professional groups, that are 
able to influence the quantity and quality 
of opportunities 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 
poverty, as provided in subparagraph (A); 
and 
‘‘(3) by ensuring maximum participation of 
residents of low-income communities and of mem-
bers 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 particular problems and needs of low-income 
residents and to develop the permanent social and 
economic assets of the low-income community in 
order to reduce the incidence of poverty.’’. 
(b) DEFINITIONS.—Section 673(1)(A) of the Com-
munity 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 de-
scribed in section 678E(b)(1), as deter-
mined 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)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘1999 through 2003’’ and 
inserting ‘‘2006 through 2012’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘681’’ and inserting 
‘‘675C(b)(3), 681,’’; 
(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 sub-
title’’; 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 Commu-
nity Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9907) is amend-
ed— 
(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 ‘‘neigh-
borhood-based’’ and inserting ‘‘community-based’’. 
(e) APPLICATION AND PLAN.—Section 676 of the 
Community 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)— 
(i) 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 
community organizations’’ and inserting ‘‘and 
community-based organizations’’;
(F) in paragraph (10) by striking ‘‘com-
munity organization’’ and inserting ‘‘commu-
nity-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 appro-
priate, to terminate the funding under this subtitle 
of low-performing eligible entities that do not meet 
the applicable locally determined goals described in 
section 678E(b)(1) or do not meet the State goals, 
standards, and requirements as provided for in sec-
tion 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
determined 
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 
striking ‘‘Chairperson of the Committee on Edu-
cation’’ and all that follows through ‘‘Human Re-
sources of the Senate’’ and inserting ‘‘appropriate 
congressional committees’’. 
(h) CORRECTIVE ACTION; TERMINATION AND RE-
DUCTION OF FUNDING.—Section 678C(a) of the Commu-
nity Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9915(a)) is 
amended in the matter preceding paragraph (1) by strik-
ing ‘‘established 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 
‘‘including 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 
entities 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 
subsection (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 
establish locally determined goals for reducing pov-
erty 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 
second 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 
beneficiary, 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 
provided under a grant made under this para-
graph, or intangible assets acquired with such 
funds, to become the sole property of the grant-
ee before the expiration of the 12-year period 
beginning after the fiscal year for which such 
grant is made if such grantee agrees to use 
such funds or such property for purposes and 
uses consistent with the purposes and uses for 
which such grant is made. 
‘‘(C) 
REPLACEMENT
ACTIVITIES.—The 
Secretary shall establish procedures to allow a 
grant made under this paragraph to be used by 
a grantee to carry out activities substantially 
similar to the activities for which such grant is 
made if, due to no fault of such grantee, such 
grantee cannot carry out the activities for which 
such grant is made. Such procedures shall re-
quire that the substantially similar activities 
serve the same impact area and have the same 
goals, objectives, and outcomes as the activities 
for which such grant is made.’’; 
(B) in paragraph (3)(B) by inserting 
‘‘water and wastewater’’ after ‘‘community’’; 
and 
(C) in paragraph (4) by striking ‘‘neigh-
borhood-based’’ and inserting ‘‘community- 
based’’; and
(2) in subsection (c) by striking ‘‘Chairperson 
of the Committee on Education’’ and all that follows 
through ‘‘Human Resources of the Senate’’ and in-
serting ‘‘appropriate congressional committees’’. 
(l) COMMUNITY
FOOD
AND
NUTRITION
PRO-
GRAMS.—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 Edu-
cation’’ and all that follows through ‘‘Human Re-
sources of the Senate’’ and inserting ‘‘appropriate 
congressional committees’’; and 
(2) in subsection (d) by striking ‘‘1999 through 
2003’’ and inserting ‘‘2006 through 2012’’. 
(m) NATIONAL OR REGIONAL PROGRAMS DESIGNED 
TO PROVIDE INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES FOR LOW-IN-
COME 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 ‘‘2006 through 2012’’.
SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE. 
This Act and the amendments made by this Act shall 
take effect on the 1st day of the 1st fiscal year beginning 
after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
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