Local Assistance Fairness Act
Bill: S.5198 | Sponsor: Sen. Tester, Jon (D-MT)
Policy area: Social Welfare

Summary:
Local Assistance Fairness Act
This bill expands eligibility for the Local Assistance and Tribal Consistency Fund to revenue-sharing consolidated governments. (The Local Assistance and Tribal Consistency Fund is a general revenue enhancement program that provides additional assistance to eligible counties and tribal governments for any governmental purpose except lobbying.)

To amend title VI of the Social Security Act to make eligible revenue 
 sharing consolidated governments eligible for payments from the Local 
    Assistance and Tribal Consistency Fund, 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.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Local Assistance Fairness Act''.

SEC. 2. ALLOWING PAYMENTS TO ELIGIBLE REVENUE SHARING CONSOLIDATED 
              GOVERNMENTS FROM LOCAL ASSISTANCE AND TRIBAL CONSISTENCY 
              FUND.

    Section 605 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 805) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``For each of'' 
                and inserting ``Subject to paragraph (3), for each 
                of''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following new 
                paragraph:
            ``(3) Payments to eligible revenue sharing consolidated 
        governments.--In making allocations and payments under 
        paragraph (1), the Secretary shall apply such paragraph by 
        substituting `eligible revenue sharing county and eligible 
        revenue sharing consolidated government' for `eligible revenue 
        sharing county' each place it appears.'';
            (2) in subsection (c), by striking ``or an eligible Tribal 
        government'' and inserting ``, an eligible Tribal government, 
        or an eligible revenue sharing consolidated government'';
            (3) in subsections (d) and (e), by inserting ``or eligible 
        revenue sharing consolidated government'' after ``eligible 
        revenue sharing county'' each place it appears; and
            (4) in subsection (f)--
                    (A) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (4) as 
                paragraphs (2) through (5), respectively; and
                    (B) by inserting before paragraph (2) (as so 
                redesignated) the following new paragraph:
            ``(1) Eligible revenue sharing consolidated government.--
        The term `eligible revenue sharing consolidated government' 
        means--
                    ``(A) a county, parish, or borough--
                            ``(i) that has been classified by the 
                        Bureau of the Census as an active government 
                        consolidated with another government; and
                            ``(ii) for which, as determined by the 
                        Secretary, there is a negative revenue impact 
                        due to implementation of a Federal program or 
                        changes to such program; and
                    ``(B) a unit of general local government described 
                in section 6901(2)(A)(ii) of title 31, United States 
                Code, for which a payment may be made to the State of 
                Alaska under section 6902(a)(2) of that title.''.
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