H. R. 6—430
or establish a new Council, to be considered as a State Policy
Council for Families of Children with Disabilities.
‘‘(b) USE OF EXISTING COUNCIL.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To the extent that a State has an exist-
ing Council, the existing Council shall be considered in com-
pliance with this section if the existing Council meets the
requirements under paragraph (2).
‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.—An existing Council shall—
‘‘(A) include a majority of members who are family
members of children with disabilities and who are children
with disabilities (from age 18 to 21);
‘‘(B) in the case in which the existing Council does
not represent the full range of families and individuals
described in subsection (d)(1), adopt strategies that will
ensure the full participation of such families and individ-
uals in all activities carried out by the Council; and
‘‘(C) carry out functions and authorities that are com-
parable to the functions and authorities described in sub-
sections (e) through (h).
‘‘(3) DOCUMENTATION OF COMPLIANCE.—Any State that has
an existing Council shall include in a grant application submit-
ted under section 705 and in subsequent annual progress
reports submitted to the Secretary under section 710, a descrip-
tion of the measures that are being taken or that are planned,
to ensure that the existing Council of the State complies with
this section.
‘‘(c) APPOINTMENTS TO NEW COUNCIL.—
‘‘(1) MEMBERS.—To the extent that a State establishes a
new Council, members of the new Council shall be appointed
by the Chief Executive Officer of the State or the appropriate
official within the State responsible for making appointments
in accordance with subsection (d). The appointing authority
shall select members after soliciting recommendations from
the State Developmental Disabilities Council, parent or family
organizations, and other organizations representing the full
range of disabilities covered under this part. The appointing
authority shall ensure that the membership of the new Council
reasonably represents the population of the State and shall
establish guidelines for the terms of the members of the new
Council.
‘‘(2) CHAIRPERSON.—The new Council shall elect a member
of the new Council to serve as the Chairperson of the new
Council. The Chairperson shall be a family member, as
described in subsection (d)(1).
‘‘(d) COMPOSITION.—The new Council shall be composed of—
‘‘(1) a majority of members who are—
‘‘(A) individuals who are family members of children
with disabilities, are eligible for family support, and rep-
resent the diversity of families within the State, including
those families from unserved and underserved populations;
and
‘‘(B) children with disabilities, from age 18 to 21, and
are representative of the demographics of the State;
‘‘(2) members—
‘‘(A) who are from State agencies with significant
responsibility for the provision of, or payment for, family
support services to families of children with disabilities,
H. R. 6—431
and who have sufficient authority to engage in policy plan-
ning and implementation on behalf of such agencies; and
‘‘(B) who are from the office of the Chief Executive
Officer of the State with responsibility with respect to
budget and finance; and
‘‘(3) such additional members as the appointing authority
considers appropriate.
‘‘(e) FUNCTIONS.—The new Council shall—
‘‘(1) establish formal policies regarding the operation of
the new Council;
‘‘(2) advise and assist the lead entity in the performance
of responsibilities described in section 706(a), particularly the
promotion of interagency agreements and the promotion of
meaningful participation by families in all aspects of the state-
wide system of family support for families of children with
disabilities;
‘‘(3) advise and assist State agencies in the development
of policies and procedures relating to the provision of family
support for families of children with disabilities in the State;
‘‘(4) advise and assist the lead entity in the development
of all aspects of a strategic plan under section 709, including—
‘‘(A) the mission, purpose, and principles of the state-
wide system of family support for families of children with
disabilities;
‘‘(B) the statement of family-centered outcomes;
‘‘(C) the goals, objectives, and activities;
‘‘(D) the quality improvement or quality enhancement
system;
‘‘(E) the appeals process;
‘‘(F) the eligibility criteria to be used for all programs,
projects, and activities carried out under this part;
‘‘(G) the analysis of the extent to which family support
for families of children with disabilities is defined as a
benefit and not as income; and
‘‘(H) the approach to the evaluation of the statewide
system of family support for families of children with
disabilities;
‘‘(5) advise and assist the lead entity in the implementation
of systems change activities;
‘‘(6) advise and assist the lead entity in assessing family
satisfaction with the statewide system of family support for
families of children with disabilities;
‘‘(7) review, analyze, and comment on the strategic plan
and updates to the plan, progress reports, and annual budgets;
‘‘(8) advise and assist the lead entity in the identification
of Federal and State barriers that impede the development
of a statewide system of family support for families of children
with disabilities; and
‘‘(9) prepare and submit to the Chief Executive Officer
of the State, the State legislature, and to the Secretary an
annual report on the status of family support services for
families of children with disabilities, and make such report
available to the public.
‘‘(f) HEARINGS AND FORUMS.—The new Council is authorized
to hold such hearings and forums as the new Council may determine
to be necessary to carry out the duties of the new Council.
H. R. 6—432
‘‘(g) CONFLICT OF INTEREST.—No member of the new Council
shall cast a vote on any matter that would provide direct financial
benefit to such member or otherwise give the appearance of a
conflict of interest under applicable State law.
‘‘(h) COMPENSATION
AND EXPENSES.—The new Council may,
consistent with State law, use such resources to reimburse members
of the new Council for reasonable and necessary expenses of attend-
ing the new Council meetings and performing Council duties
(including child care and personal assistance services), and to pay
compensation to a member of the new Council, if such member
is not employed or must forfeit wages from other employment,
for each day the member is engaged in performing Council duties.
‘‘SEC. 708. AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—A State that receives a grant under section
704 may use the funds made available through the grant to carry
out systems change activities, which accomplish the purposes
described in section 702, such as the following activities:
‘‘(1) TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The State may
support training and technical assistance activities for family
members, service providers, community members, professionals,
members of the Council, students and others that will do the
following:
‘‘(A) Increase family participation, choice, and control
in the provision of family support for families of children
with disabilities.
‘‘(B) Promote partnerships with families of children
with disabilities at all levels of the service system.
‘‘(C) Develop or strengthen family-centered and family-
directed approaches to services, including service coordina-
tion services, service planning services, and respite care
services.
‘‘(D) Assist families of children with disabilities in
accessing natural and community supports and in obtaining
benefits and services.
‘‘(2) INTERAGENCY COORDINATION.—The State may support
activities that conduct the following:
‘‘(A) Identification and coordination of Federal and
State policies, resources, and services, relating to the provi-
sion of family support services for families of children with
disabilities, including entering into interagency agree-
ments.
‘‘(B) Interagency work groups to enhance public fund-
ing options and coordinate access to funding for family
support services for families of children with disabilities,
with special attention to the issues of family involvement
in the identification, planning, use, delivery, and evaluation
of such services.
‘‘(C) Documentation and dissemination of information
about interagency activities that promote coordination with
respect to family support services for families of children
with disabilities, including evidence of increased participa-
tion of State and local health, maternal and child health,
social service, mental health, mental retardation and devel-
opmental disabilities, child protection, education, early
intervention, developmental disabilities councils, agencies,
and departments.
H. R. 6—433
‘‘(3) LOCAL OR REGIONAL COUNCILS.—The State may support
the development or enhancement of local or regional councils
to review the status of family support for families of children
with disabilities in the local or regional area, to advise and
assist with the planning, development, implementation, and
evaluation of family support for families of children with
disabilities in such local or regional area, and to provide rec-
ommendations to the State regarding improvements and plans.
‘‘(4) OUTREACH.—The State may conduct outreach activities
to locate families who are eligible for family support for families
of children with disabilities and to identify groups who are
unserved or underserved. Such activities may involve the cre-
ation or maintenance of, support of, or provision of, assistance
to statewide and community parent organizations, and
organizations that provide family support to families of children
with disabilities.
‘‘(5) POLICY STUDIES.—The State may support policy studies
that relate to the development and implementation, or expan-
sion and enhancement, of a statewide system of family support
for families of children with disabilities. Such studies may
address issues regarding eligibility and access to services.
‘‘(6) HEARINGS AND FORUMS.—The State may conduct hear-
ings and forums to solicit input from families of children with
disabilities regarding family support programs, policies, and
plans for such families. Such hearings and forums may be
conducted in collaboration with other statewide councils.
‘‘(7) PUBLIC AWARENESS AND EDUCATION.—The State may
develop and disseminate information relating to family support
for families of children with disabilities designed to provide
information to such families, parent groups and organizations,
public and private agencies that are in contact with children
with disabilities and families of such children, students, policy-
makers, and the public. Such information may relate to the
nature, cost, and availability of, and accessibility to, family
support for families of children with disabilities, the impact
of family support for families of children with disabilities on
other benefits, and the efficacy of family support for families
of children with disabilities with respect to enhancing the qual-
ity of family life.
‘‘(8) NEEDS ASSESSMENT.—The State may conduct a needs
assessment, which may, in part, be based on existing State
data.
‘‘(9) PROGRAM DATA.—The State may support the compila-
tion and evaluation of appropriate data related to the statewide
system of family support for families of children with disabil-
ities.
‘‘(10) PILOT
DEMONSTRATION
PROJECTS.—The State may
support pilot demonstration projects to demonstrate new
approaches to the provision of family support for families of
children with disabilities. Such projects may include the dem-
onstration of family-centered and family-directed service
coordination, approaches to improve access to services, includ-
ing independent service coordination, peer support networks,
and voucher programs.
‘‘(11) OTHER ACTIVITIES.—The State may support other sys-
tems change activities that accomplish the purposes described
in section 702.
H. R. 6—434
‘‘(b) SPECIAL RULE.—In carrying out activities authorized under
this part, a State shall ensure that such programs and activities
address the needs of families who are economically disadvantaged.
‘‘SEC. 709. STRATEGIC PLAN.
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 6 months after the date
on which assistance is received by a State under this part, the
lead entity of the State, in conjunction with the Council, shall
prepare and submit to the Secretary a strategic plan designed
to achieve the purposes and policy of this part.
‘‘(b) CONTENTS.—The strategic plan shall include—
‘‘(1) a statement of the mission, purpose, and principles
of the statewide system of family support for families of children
with disabilities in the State;
‘‘(2) a statement of family-centered outcomes to be achieved
by the statewide system of family support for families of chil-
dren with disabilities;
‘‘(3) specific goals and objectives for developing and
implementing, or expanding and improving, the system for
providing family support services for families of children with
disabilities, and for achieving the family-centered outcomes;
‘‘(4) systemic approaches for accomplishing the objectives
and achieving the family-centered outcomes, including inter-
agency coordination and cooperation, that builds upon state-
of-the-art practices and research findings;
‘‘(5) a description of the specific programs, projects, and
activities funded under this part and the manner in which
the programs, projects, and activities accomplish the objectives
and achieve the family-centered outcomes;
‘‘(6) a description of an ongoing quality improvement or
quality enhancement system, which utilizes information from
ongoing measurements of the extent to which family-centered
outcomes are achieved, to improve the system;
‘‘(7) a description of an appeals process that will be used
in resolving any disputes families of children with disabilities
may have regarding the determination of eligibility or the provi-
sion of family support services to the family or to the child
with a disability;
‘‘(8) a description of the eligibility criteria to be used to
carry out programs, projects, and activities under this part
that includes all eligible families;
‘‘(9) an analysis of the extent to which family support
for a family of a child with a disability is defined as a benefit
and not as income; and
‘‘(10) a description of the plan to conduct an annual evalua-
tion of the statewide system of family support for families
of children with disabilities, in conjunction with the Council,
to improve such statewide system and to document progress
as required by section 710.
‘‘(c) PERIOD AND UPDATES.—The strategic plan shall cover the
period of the grant and shall be reviewed and updated on an
annual basis to reflect actual experience and family satisfaction
information over the preceding year and input from the Council,
families of children with disabilities, and other interested parties.
‘‘(d) RECOMMENDATIONS.—Prior to developing the strategic plan,
the State shall solicit input and recommendations from interested
members of the public, either by holding public hearings or through
H. R. 6—435
an alternative method or methods determined by the lead entity
in consultation with the Council. The lead entity shall also obtain
the comments and recommendations of the Council. The lead entity,
in conjunction with the Council, shall consider the recommendations
and attempt to reach a consensus with respect to such recommenda-
tions. If the lead entity and the Council are unable to reach a
consensus, the lead entity shall include a written explanation of
the reason a consensus was not reached in the strategic plan.
‘‘(e) COMMENT.—The State shall develop a procedure for ensur-
ing ongoing comment from the Council.
‘‘(f) DISSEMINATION.—The State shall widely disseminate the
strategic plan to families of children with disabilities, parent
organizations, and other interested persons.
‘‘(g) CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this section shall be construed
to prevent a State from using an existing statewide strategic plan
or parts thereof to meet the requirements of this section as long
as such plan or the applicable parts thereof are comparable to
the specifications of this section.
‘‘SEC. 710. PROGRESS CRITERIA AND REPORTS.
‘‘(a) GUIDELINES.—The Secretary shall develop guidelines to
be used in assessing the extent to which a State that received
a grant under section 704 is making significant progress in develop-
ing and implementing, or expanding and enhancing, a statewide
system of family support for families of children with disabilities
consistent with the purposes of this part.
‘‘(b) PROGRESS REPORTS.—A State that receives a grant under
section 704 shall submit annually to the Secretary a report that
documents progress in developing and implementing, or expanding
and enhancing, a statewide system of family support for families
of children with disabilities consistent with this part. Such report
shall include—
‘‘(1) the results of the annual evaluation of the statewide
system of family support for families of children with disabil-
ities;
‘‘(2) a description of the unanticipated problems with the
achievement of the goals, objectives, and family-centered out-
comes described in the application or strategic plan and the
measures the State has taken to rectify such problems;
‘‘(3) for the annual progress report concerning the first
year of the grant period, the strategic plan developed by the
State during the first year; and
‘‘(4) for the annual progress report concerning subsequent
years of the grant period, the updated strategic plan.
‘‘SEC. 711. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.
‘‘(a) EVALUATION OF GRANT APPLICATIONS.—
‘‘(1) PANELS.—The Secretary shall convene panels of experts
who are competent, by virtue of their training or experience,
to evaluate grant applications under this part.
‘‘(2) COMPOSITION OF PANELS.—Panels shall be composed
of a majority of family members of children with disabilities
and individuals with disabilities, and may include service
providers, State administrative personnel, and professionals.
Panels shall include a majority of individuals who are not
Federal employees.
‘‘(3) EXPENSES
AND
FEES
OF
THE
PANEL.—A member of
the Panel who is not a Federal employee shall receive travel,
H. R. 6—436
per diem and consultant fees not to exceed the rate provided
to other consultants used by the Secretary. The Secretary may
use funds available under section 716 to pay expenses and
fees of a member of a Panel who is not a Federal employee.
‘‘(b) PROVISION OF INFORMATION.—To assist the Secretary in
carrying out the responsibilities of the Secretary under this section,
the Secretary may require States to provide relevant information,
including recommendations and relevant reports of the Council.
‘‘(c) APPEALS.—The Secretary shall establish appeals procedures
for States that are found in noncompliance with the provisions
of this part as the result of failure to supply information required
under section 705 or 710. The Secretary shall take into consider-
ation the comments of the Council.
‘‘(d) EFFECT ON OTHER ASSISTANCE.—This part may not be
construed as authorizing a Federal or State agency to reduce medi-
cal or other assistance available, or to alter eligibility, under any
Federal law.
‘‘(e) UNOBLIGATED FUNDS.—Any amount paid to a State for
a fiscal year and remaining unobligated at the end of such year
shall remain available to such State for the next fiscal year for
the purposes for which such amount was paid.
‘‘SEC. 712. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall make grants, or enter
into contracts or cooperative agreements, with appropriate public
or private agencies and organizations, including institutions of
higher education, with documented experience, expertise, and capac-
ity, for the purpose of providing technical assistance and informa-
tion with respect to the development and implementation, or
expansion and enhancement, of a statewide system of family support
for families of children with disabilities.
‘‘(b) PURPOSE.—With respect to States receiving assistance
under this part, the technical assistance and information described
under subsection (a) shall be provided to the State agency des-
ignated as the lead entity, the Council, family members of children
with disabilities, organizations, service providers, and policymakers
involved with children with disabilities and their families. Such
technical assistance shall also be available to States that do not
receive assistance under this part. Such technical assistance and
information shall—
‘‘(1) facilitate effective systems change activities;
‘‘(2) promote effective approaches to the development and
implementation, or expansion and enhancement of, the state-
wide systems of family support for families of children with
disabilities that increase access to, funding for, and awareness
of family support for families of children with disabilities;
‘‘(3) promote partnerships with families at all levels of
the service system;
‘‘(4) foster awareness and understanding of Federal, State,
and local laws, regulations, policies, practices, procedures, and
organizational structures, that facilitate, and overcome barriers
to, funding for, and access to family support for families of
children with disabilities;
‘‘(5) foster the development and replication of effective
approaches to strategic plan development, interagency coordina-
tion, training, outreach to underserved groups, and public
awareness activities;
H. R. 6—437
‘‘(6) facilitate service delivery capacity, training, and the
improvement of data collection and evaluation systems;
‘‘(7) promote effective approaches to the development of
family-centered 
and 
family-directed 
services, 
including
approaches to the development and measurement of family-
centered outcomes described in section 709(b)(2), and the
assessment of family satisfaction; and
‘‘(8) coordinate and facilitate an annual meeting of the
chairpersons of the Councils.
‘‘(c) REQUEST FOR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—A request for tech-
nical assistance by a lead entity in a State receiving assistance
under this part shall be made in conjunction with the Council.
‘‘(d) REPORTS TO THE SECRETARY.—An entity providing the tech-
nical assistance under this section shall submit periodic reports
to the Secretary regarding Federal policies and procedures identified
within the States that facilitate or impede the delivery of family
support to families of children with disabilities. The report shall
include recommendations to the Secretary regarding the delivery
of services, coordination with other programs, and integration of
the policies and principles described in section 702 in other Federal
legislation.
‘‘SEC. 713. EVALUATION.
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall make grants, or enter
into contracts or cooperative agreements, with appropriate public
or private agencies and organizations, including institutions of
higher education, with documented experience, expertise, and capac-
ity for the purpose of conducting a national evaluation of the pro-
gram of grants to States authorized by this part.
‘‘(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of an evaluation under subsection
(a) shall be to assess the status and effects of State efforts to
develop and implement, or expand and enhance, statewide systems
of family support for families of children with disabilities in a
manner consistent with the provisions of this part, particularly
in terms of the impact of such efforts on families of children with
disabilities, and to recommend amendments to this part that are
necessary to assist States to fully accomplish the purposes of this
part. The Secretary or recipient of assistance under this section
shall work with the States to consider and develop an information
system designed to report and compile, from information provided
by the States, including the Council, a qualitative and quantitative
description of the impact of the program of grants to States author-
ized by this part on—
‘‘(1) families of children with disabilities, including families
from ethnic and racial minority backgrounds;
‘‘(2) access to and funding for family support for families
of children with disabilities; and
‘‘(3) the involvement of families at all levels of the service
system.
‘‘(c) REPORT
TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 21⁄2 years after
the date of enactment of this part, the Secretary shall prepare
and submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report
concerning the results of the evaluation conducted under this
section.
‘‘(d) CONFLICT OF INTEREST.—The Secretary shall assure that
a recipient of a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under
this section is independent from, and free from, any financial or
H. R. 6—438
personal relationships with the recipient of a grant, contract, or
cooperative agreement selected to provide technical assistance
under section 712.
‘‘SEC. 714. PROJECTS OF NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE.
‘‘(a) STUDY BY THE SECRETARY.—The Secretary shall review
Federal programs to determine the extent to which such programs
facilitate or impede access to, provision of, and funding for family
support for families of children with disabilities, consistent with
the policies described in section 702.
‘‘(b) DEMONSTRATION
AND INNOVATION PROJECTS.—The Sec-
retary shall make grants or enter into contracts for projects of
national significance to support the development of national and
State policies and practices related to the development and
implementation, or expansion and enhancement, of family-centered
and family-directed systems of family support for families of chil-
dren with disabilities.
‘‘SEC. 715. CONSTRUCTION.
‘‘Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, nothing in
parts A through H of this title shall be construed to apply to
this part.
‘‘SEC. 716. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be appropriated
to carry out this part, $10,000,000 for fiscal year 1995, and such
sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 1996 and
1997.
‘‘(b) RESERVATION.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in paragraph (2),
the Secretary shall reserve for each fiscal year 10 percent,
or $600,000 (whichever is greater), of the amount appropriated
pursuant to the authority of subsection (a) to carry out—
‘‘(A) section 712, with respect to the provision of tech-
nical assistance and information to States;
‘‘(B) section 713, with respect to the conduct of the
evaluations;
‘‘(C) section 711(a), with respect to the evaluation of
grant applications; and
‘‘(D) section 714, with respect to the conduct of projects
of national significance.
‘‘(2) SPECIAL RULE.—The Secretary shall only use funds
reserved under paragraph (1) for a fiscal year to carry out
section 714 for such year if the amount of funds reserved
under such paragraph for such fiscal year is $700,000 or
greater.’’.
PART B—EDUCATION FOR HOMELESS
CHILDREN AND YOUTH
SEC. 321. AMENDMENTS TO TABLE OF CONTENTS.
The table of contents in section 101(b) of the Stewart B. McKin-
ney Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11301 note) is amended
by striking subtitles A and B of title VII and inserting the following:
‘‘Subtitle A—Adult Education for the Homeless
‘‘Sec. 701. State literacy initiatives.