Title: Connecting Communities to Grant Opportunities Act of 2020
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Connecting Communities to Grant Opportunities Act of 2020
This bill provides grants for nonprofit organizations to recruit, train, assign, and employ navigators to assist individuals, families, and small businesses in obtaining certain benefits and assistance related to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic. The bill further specifies application, reporting, and other requirements related to such grants.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7921 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7921

To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants 
    to community-based nonprofit organizations to operate navigator 
                   programs, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 31, 2020

Ms. Velazquez introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                   Committee on Oversight and Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants 
    to community-based nonprofit organizations to operate navigator 
                   programs, 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 ``Connecting Communities to Grant 
Opportunities Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS PROVIDING CERTAIN 
              SERVICES AS A RESULT OF PANDEMIC-RELATED PROGRAMS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in 
collaboration with the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the 
Secretary of Labor, and the Administrator of the Small Business 
Administration, shall award grants to community-based nonprofit 
organizations to operate a navigator program.
    (b) Navigator Programs.--A navigator program shall consist of 
recruiting, training, assigning, and employing eligible navigators to 
facilitate application for, or procurement of, eligible benefits during 
the emergency period, including by performing any of the following:
            (1) Acting as contacts, including by assisting in the 
        application for any eligible benefit provided to individuals, 
        families, or small business concerns.
            (2) Screening individuals, families, or small business 
        concerns that are potentially eligible, but currently not 
        receiving, an eligible benefit.
            (3) Coordinating with appropriate Federal agencies to 
        distribute materials relating to eligible benefits.
            (4) Conducting ongoing outreach to populations regarding 
        eligible benefits.
    (c) Application.--To seek a grant under this section, a community-
based nonprofit organization shall submit an application to the 
Secretary--
            (1) containing such agreements, assurances, and 
        information, and submitted in such form and manner, as the 
        Secretary may require;
            (2) including a complete description of the organization's 
        plan for the operation of a navigator program, including--
                    (A) a description of the training program to be 
                implemented for navigator personnel;
                    (B) a plan for publicizing the availability of the 
                navigator services to be provided;
                    (C) a plan for providing service to non-English 
                speaking persons seeking navigator services that--
                            (i) is based on data from the Bureau of the 
                        Census, is consistent with the demographics of 
                        the local areas where the navigator program 
                        will operate, and outlines which languages are 
                        most prevalent and commonly requested in such 
                        areas for translation services; or
                            (ii) is based on qualitative and 
                        quantitative observation from community service 
                        providers, including providers of health and 
                        mental health services, social services, 
                        transportation, and other relevant community 
                        services; and
                    (D) a plan for facilitating access to navigators by 
                persons with hearing impairments;
            (3) explaining the organization's inability to operate the 
        navigator program without Federal assistance; and
            (4) providing assurances that the organization will, to the 
        extent practicable, seek, recruit, and hire navigators who are 
        members of racial and ethnic minority groups and women in order 
        to increase diversity within the navigator program.
    (d) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary 
shall give priority to applicants that demonstrate--
            (1) an intent to provide navigator programs in or serving 
        residents living in a qualified census tract, as defined in 
        section 42(d)(5)(B)(ii)(I) of the of the Internal Revenue Code 
        of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 42(d)(5)(B)(ii)(I)); and
            (2) that the applicant has previous experience in providing 
        services to such residents.
    (e) Renewal of Grants.--The Secretary may renew a grant to a 
community-based nonprofit organization under this section, without 
limitations on the duration of such renewal, if the organization 
demonstrates that it--
            (1) has used the funds provided to it under this section in 
        accordance with its approved application; and
            (2) has made progress in achieving the objectives specified 
        in the approved application.
    (f) No-Cost Extensions.--Notwithstanding subsection (e), the 
Secretary may extend the period of a grant under this section, without 
limitations as to the duration of such extension, to provide additional 
time to complete the objectives of the grant award.
    (g) Suspension of Funds in Certain Cases.--If the Secretary 
determines that the recipient of a grant under this section is not in 
substantial compliance with the terms and requirements of the grant 
agreement, the Secretary may revoke or suspend funding for the grant, 
in whole or in part.
    (h) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this Act shall be construed 
to limit a community-based nonprofit organization from receiving a 
grant under this section for a population otherwise served by such 
organization with other Federal funds.
    (i) Reports to Congress.--
            (1) Grantee report to congress.--Not later than 90 days 
        after the end of each fiscal year for which a grantee receives 
        a grant under this section, the grantee shall submit to the 
        Secretary a report that contains an evaluation of the results 
        of the activities, including financial expenditures, made 
        during such fiscal year to carry out the program for which the 
        grant is received.
            (2) Annual reports to congress.--Not later than January 1 
        following the end of each fiscal year for which funds are 
        appropriated to carry out this Act, the Secretary shall submit 
        to the Congress a report describing the progress achieved 
        through programs funded through grants under this section for 
        the preceding fiscal year.
    (j) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The term ``eligible benefit'' means any benefit under 
        any of the following Acts (including the amendments made by 
        such Acts):
                    (A) The Coronavirus Preparedness and Response 
                Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020 (Public Law 116-
                123).
                    (B) The Families First Coronavirus Response Act 
                (Public Law 116-127).
                    (C) The CARES Act (Public Law 116-136).
                    (D) The Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care 
                Enhancement Act (Public Law 116-139).
                    (E) Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 
                2020 (Public Law 116-142).
            (2) The term ``eligible navigator'' means a navigator with 
        direct knowledge of the communities to be served.
            (3) The term ``emergency period'' means the period 
        beginning on January 31, 2020, and ending on the date that is 
        12 months after the later of--
                    (A) the end of any emergency or disaster declared 
                by the President pursuant to the National Emergencies 
                Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) or the Robert T. Stafford 
                Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 
                5121 et seq.) with respect to SARS-CoV-2 or another 
                coronavirus with pandemic potential (including any 
                renewals thereof); and
                    (B) the end of any emergency declared by the 
                Secretary of Health and Human Services pursuant to 
                section 319 of the Public Health Service Act with 
                respect to SARS-CoV-2 or another coronavirus with 
                pandemic potential (including any renewals thereof).
            (4) The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Health 
        and Human Services.
    (k) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$100,000,000 for each of fiscal year 2021 and fiscal year 2022, to 
remain available until expended.
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