Title: Social Services Pandemic Disaster Relief Act
Policy area: Social Welfare

Summary:
Social Services Pandemic Disaster Relief Act
This bill appropriates funding for states, tribes, and localities to administer emergency services and provide short-term, non-cash, in-kind relief to certain disadvantaged children, families, and households to address the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) emergency.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6862 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6862

     To provide funding to States, localities, and community-based 
 organizations for emergency aid and services in response to the COVID-
                              19 pandemic.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 14, 2020

    Ms. Judy Chu of California (for herself, Mr. Danny K. Davis of 
 Illinois, Ms. Sanchez, and Mr. Gomez) introduced the following bill; 
         which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To provide funding to States, localities, and community-based 
 organizations for emergency aid and services in response to the COVID-
                              19 pandemic.

    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 ``Social Services Pandemic Disaster 
Relief Act''.

SEC. 2. FUNDING TO STATES, LOCALITIES, AND COMMUNITY-BASED 
              ORGANIZATIONS FOR EMERGENCY AID AND SERVICES.

    (a) Funding for States.--
            (1) Increase in funding for social services block grant 
        program.--
                    (A) Appropriation.--Out of any money in the 
                Treasury of the United States not otherwise 
                appropriated, there are appropriated $9,600,000,000, 
                which shall be available for payments under section 
                2002 of the Social Security Act.
                    (B) Deadline for distribution of funds.--Within 45 
                days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
                Secretary of Health and Human Services shall distribute 
                the funds made available by this paragraph, which shall 
                be made available to States on an emergency basis for 
                immediate obligation and expenditure.
                    (C) Submission of revised pre-expenditure report.--
                Within 90 days after a State receives funds made 
                available by this paragraph, the State shall submit to 
                the Secretary a revised pre-expenditure report pursuant 
                to title XX of the Social Security Act that describes 
                how the State plans to administer the funds.
                    (D) Obligation of funds by states.--A State to 
                which funds made available by this paragraph are 
                distributed shall obligate the funds not later than 
                December 31, 2020.
                    (E) Expenditure of funds by states.--A grantee to 
                which a State (or a subgrantee to which a grantee) 
                provides funds made available by this paragraph shall 
                expend the funds not later than December 31, 2021.
            (2) Rules governing use of additional funds.--A State to 
        which funds made available by paragraph (1)(B) are distributed 
        shall use the funds in accordance with the following:
                    (A) Purpose.--
                            (i) In general.--The State shall use the 
                        funds only to support the provision of 
                        emergency services to disadvantaged children, 
                        families, and households.
                            (ii) Disadvantaged defined.--In this 
                        paragraph, the term ``disadvantaged'' means, 
                        with respect to an entity, that the entity--
                                    (I) is an individual, or is located 
                                in a community, that is experiencing 
                                material hardship;
                                    (II) is a household in which there 
                                is a child (as defined in section 12(d) 
                                of the Richard B. Russell National 
                                School Lunch Act) or a child served 
                                under section 11(a)(1) of such Act, 
                                who, if not for the closure of the 
                                school attended by the child during a 
                                public health emergency designation and 
                                due to concerns about a COVID-19 
                                outbreak, would receive free or reduced 
                                price school meals pursuant to such 
                                Act;
                                    (III) is an individual, or is 
                                located in a community, with barriers 
                                to employment; or
                                    (IV) is located in a community 
                                that, as of the date of the enactment 
                                of this Act, is not experiencing a 56-
                                day downward trajectory of--
                                            (aa) influenza-like 
                                        illnesses;
                                            (bb) COVID-like syndromic 
                                        cases;
                                            (cc) documented COVID-19 
                                        cases; or
                                            (dd) positive test results 
                                        as a percentage of total COVID-
                                        19 tests.
                    (B) Pass-through to local entities.--
                            (i) In the case of a State in which a 
                        county administers or contributes financially 
                        to the non-Federal share of the amounts 
                        expended in carrying out a State program funded 
                        under title IV of the Social Security Act, the 
                        State may pass at least 50 percent of all funds 
                        so made available through to--
                                    (I) the chief elected official of 
                                the city or county that administers the 
                                program; or
                                    (II) local government and 
                                community-based organizations.
                            (ii) In the case of any other State and any 
                        State to which clause (i) applies that does not 
                        pass through funds as described in that clause, 
                        the State shall--
                                    (I) pass at least 50 percent of the 
                                funds through to--
                                            (aa)(AA) local governments 
                                        that will expend or distribute 
                                        the funds in consultation with 
                                        community-based organizations 
                                        with experience serving 
                                        disadvantaged families or 
                                        individuals; or
                                            (BB) community-based 
                                        organizations with experience 
                                        serving disadvantaged families 
                                        and individuals; and
                                            (bb) sub-State areas in 
                                        proportions based on the 
                                        population of disadvantaged 
                                        individuals living in the 
                                        areas; and
                                    (II) report to the Secretary on how 
                                the State determined the amounts passed 
                                through pursuant to this clause.
                    (C) Methods.--
                            (i) In general.--The State shall use the 
                        funds only for--
                                    (I) administering emergency 
                                services;
                                    (II) providing short-term cash, 
                                non-cash, or in-kind emergency disaster 
                                relief;
                                    (III) providing services with 
                                demonstrated need in accordance with 
                                objective criteria that are made 
                                available to the public;
                                    (IV) operational costs directly 
                                related to providing services described 
                                in subclauses (I), (II), and (III);
                                    (V) local government emergency 
                                social service operations; and
                                    (VI) providing emergency social 
                                services to rural and frontier 
                                communities that may not have access to 
                                other emergency funding streams.
                            (ii) Administering emergency services 
                        defined.--In clause (i), the term 
                        ``administering emergency services'' means--
                                    (I) providing basic disaster 
                                relief, economic, and well-being 
                                necessities to ensure communities are 
                                able to safely observe shelter-in-place 
                                and social distancing orders;
                                    (II) providing necessary supplies 
                                such as masks, gloves, and soap, to 
                                protect the public against infectious 
                                disease; and
                                    (III) connecting individuals, 
                                children, and families to services or 
                                payments for which they may already be 
                                eligible.
                    (D) Prohibitions.--
                            (i) No individual eligibility 
                        determinations by grantees or subgrantees.--
                        Neither a grantee to which the State provides 
                        the funds nor any subgrantee of such a grantee 
                        may exercise individual eligibility 
                        determinations for the purpose of administering 
                        short-term, non-cash, in-kind emergency 
                        disaster relief to communities.
                            (ii) Applicability of certain social 
                        services block grant funds use limitations.--
                        The State shall use the funds subject to the 
                        limitations in section 2005 of the Social 
                        Security Act, except that, for purposes of this 
                        clause, section 2005(a)(2) and 2005(a)(8) of 
                        such Act shall not apply.
                            (iii) No supplantation of certain state 
                        funds.--The State may use the funds to 
                        supplement, not supplant, State general revenue 
                        funds for social services.
                            (iv) Ban on use for certain costs 
                        reimbursable by fema.--The State may not use 
                        the funds for costs that are reimbursable by 
                        the Federal Emergency Management Agency, under 
                        a contract for insurance, or by self-insurance.
    (b) Funding for Federally Recognized Indian Tribes and Tribal 
Organizations.--
            (1) Grants.--
                    (A) In general.--Within 90 days after the date of 
                the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and 
                Human Services shall make grants to federally 
                recognized Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations.
                    (B) Amount of grant.--The amount of the grant for 
                an Indian Tribe or Tribal organization shall bear the 
                same ratio to the amount appropriated by paragraph (3) 
                as the total amount of grants awarded to the Indian 
                Tribe or Tribal organization under the Low-Income Home 
                Energy Assistance Act of 1981 and the Community Service 
                Block Grant for fiscal year 2020 bears to the total 
                amount of grants awarded to all Indian Tribes and 
                Tribal organizations under such Act and such Grant for 
                the fiscal year.
            (2) Rules governing use of funds.--An entity to which a 
        grant is made under paragraph (1) shall obligate the funds not 
        later than December 31, 2020, and the funds shall be expended 
        by grantees and subgrantees not later than December 31, 2021, 
        and used in accordance with the following:
                    (A) Purpose.--
                            (i) In general.--The grantee shall use the 
                        funds only to support the provision of 
                        emergency services to disadvantaged households.
                            (ii) Disadvantaged defined.--In clause (i), 
                        the term ``disadvantaged'' means, with respect 
                        to an entity, that the entity--
                                    (I) is an individual, or is located 
                                in a community, that is experiencing 
                                material hardship;
                                    (II) is a household in which there 
                                is a child (as defined in section 12(d) 
                                of the Richard B. Russell National 
                                School Lunch Act) or a child served 
                                under section 11(a)(1) of such Act, 
                                who, if not for the closure of the 
                                school attended by the child during a 
                                public health emergency designation and 
                                due to concerns about a COVID-19 
                                outbreak, would receive free or reduced 
                                price school meals pursuant to such 
                                Act;
                                    (III) is an individual, or is 
                                located in a community, with barriers 
                                to employment; or
                                    (IV) is located in a community 
                                that, as of the date of the enactment 
                                of this Act, is not experiencing a 56-
                                day downward trajectory of--
                                            (aa) influenza-like 
                                        illnesses;
                                            (bb) COVID-like syndromic 
                                        cases;
                                            (cc) documented COVID-19 
                                        cases; or
                                            (dd) positive test results 
                                        as a percentage of total COVID-
                                        19 tests.
                    (B) Methods.--
                            (i) In general.--The grantee shall use the 
                        funds only for--
                                    (I) administering emergency 
                                services;
                                    (II) providing short-term, non-
                                cash, in-kind emergency disaster 
                                relief; and
                                    (III) tribal emergency social 
                                service operations.
                            (ii) Administering emergency services 
                        defined.--In clause (i), the term 
                        ``administering emergency services'' means--
                                    (I) providing basic economic and 
                                well-being necessities to ensure 
                                communities are able to safely observe 
                                shelter-in-place and social distancing 
                                orders;
                                    (II) providing necessary supplies 
                                such as masks, gloves, and soap, to 
                                protect the public against infectious 
                                disease; and
                                    (III) connecting individuals, 
                                children, and families to services or 
                                payments for which they may already be 
                                eligible.
                    (C) Prohibitions.--
                            (i) No individual eligibility 
                        determinations by grantees or subgrantees.--
                        Neither the grantee nor any subgrantee may 
                        exercise individual eligibility determinations 
                        for the purpose of administering short-term, 
                        non-cash, in-kind emergency disaster relief to 
                        communities.
                            (ii) Ban on use for certain costs 
                        reimbursable by fema.--The grantee may not use 
                        the funds for costs that are reimbursable by 
                        the Federal Emergency Management Agency, under 
                        a contract for insurance, or by self-insurance.
            (3) Appropriation.--Out of any money in the Treasury of the 
        United States not otherwise appropriated, there are 
        appropriated to the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
        $400,000,000 to carry out this subsection.
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