Title: Community Services Block Grant Enhancement Act of 2020
Policy area: Social Welfare

Summary:
Community Services Block Grant Enhancement Act of 2020
This bill modifies the distribution of COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) relief funds with respect to, and temporarily expands eligibility criteria to participate in activities funded by, the Community Services Block Grant. (This grant provides formula-based allotments of federal funds to states, territories, and tribes for anti-poverty activities.)
Specifically, the bill exempts funding appropriated for this grant under the CARES Act from a cap on the annual growth of a state's allotment and requires states to distribute COVID-19 relief funding to the local organizations and other eligible entities that carry out block grant activities within specified time frames.
In addition, it expands eligibility for programs and activities funded by the block grant to 200% of the federal poverty line (FPL) through FY2022. Under current law, eligibility is set at the FPL, with states authorized to increase eligibility to 125% under certain conditions.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7328 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7328

 To make temporary changes to grants made under the Community Services 
        Block Grant Act to facilitate local coronavirus relief.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 25, 2020

     Mr. DeSaulnier (for himself and Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                          Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To make temporary changes to grants made under the Community Services 
        Block Grant Act to facilitate local coronavirus relief.

    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 ``Community Services Block Grant 
Enhancement Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. DISTRIBUTION OF CERTAIN FUNDS APPROPRIATED FOR THE COMMUNITY 
              SERVICES BLOCK GRANT ACT.

    (a) Distribution of CARES Act Funds to States.--Section 675B(b)(3) 
of the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9906(b)(3)) shall 
not apply with respect to funds appropriated by the CARES Act (Public 
Law 116-136) to carry out the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 
U.S.C. 9901 et seq.).
    (b) Increased Poverty Line.--For purposes of carrying out the 
Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9901 et seq.) with any 
funds appropriated for any of the fiscal years 2020, 2021, and 2022 for 
such Act, the term ``poverty line'' as defined in section 673(2) of 
such Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2)) means 200 percent of the poverty line 
otherwise applicable under such section (excluding the last sentence of 
such section) without regard to this subsection.
    (c) Distribution of CARES Act Funds by States to Eligible 
Entities.--Funds appropriated by the CARES Act (Public Law 116-136) to 
carry out the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9901 et 
seq.) and received by a State shall be made available to eligible 
entities (as defined in section 673(1)(A) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 
9902(1)(A)) not later than either 30 days after such State receives 
such funds or 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
whichever occurs later.
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