PRINTER'S NO. 2610
No. 2095 Session of 1995
INTRODUCED BY STRITTMATTER, SCHULER, ZIMMERMAN, E. Z. TAYLOR,
CIVERA, LYNCH, FARGO, CLARK, LEH, SCHRODER, TULLI, GEIST,
BROWN AND SAYLOR, OCTOBER 17, 1995
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES,
OCTOBER 17, 1995
AN ACT
1 Providing for an alternative method of disbursement of health
2 and welfare block grant funds; establishing the Health and
3 Welfare Services Block Grant Fund; and making repeals.
4 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
5 hereby enacts as follows:
6 Section 1. Short title.
7 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Health and
8 Welfare Block Grant Funding Alternative Act.
9 Section 2. Definitions.
10 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
11 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
12 context clearly indicates otherwise:
13 "County." A county-level municipality within this
14 Commonwealth, regardless of classification. The term includes a
15 county which has adopted a home rule charter or optional plan of
16 government under the act of April 13, 1972 (P.L.184, No.62),
17 known as the Home Rule Charter and Optional Plans Law.
1 "Department." The Department of Public Welfare of the
2 Commonwealth.
3 "Program." The Health and Welfare Services Block Grant
4 Funding Program established under section 3.
5 "Secretary." The Secretary of Public Welfare of the
6 Commonwealth.
7 Section 3. Establishment of program.
8 (a) Department to establish.--Subject to Federal approval,
9 the department, in cooperation with other departments
10 administering health and welfare services, shall establish a
11 program to be known as the Health and Welfare Services Block
12 Grant Funding Program for the purpose of coordinating,
13 consolidating, integrating and providing alternative funding of
14 health and welfare services.
15 (b) Participation by counties.--The department shall provide
16 for participation by all counties in the program.
17 Section 4. Powers and duties of department.
18 (a) Components of program.--The department, in cooperation
19 with other departments administering health and welfare
20 services, shall identify all health and welfare services that
21 may be included in the program.
22 (b) Disbursement of funds.--Pursuant to the establishment of
23 the fund under section 5, the department and other departments
24 administering health and welfare services funded by Federal
25 block grants shall cooperate with the State Treasurer in
26 developing a system by which Federal block grant funds allocated
27 for health and welfare services shall be disbursed to counties.
28 (c) County projects.--The department shall provide for the
29 establishment in counties of coordinated, consolidated or
30 integrated health and welfare service projects that use Federal
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1 block grant funding.
2 (d) Establishment of requirements for plan approval.--The
3 department, in cooperation with other departments administering
4 health and welfare services, shall establish through guidelines
5 or regulation minimum requirements for approval of a county plan
6 to implement a health and welfare project under this act.
7 (e) Request for waivers.--Within 60 days of the effective
8 date of this act, the secretary, in cooperation with other
9 departments administering health and welfare services, shall
10 submit to the appropriate Federal agency or agencies a request
11 for any and all waivers of regulations and for any other
12 approvals by the Federal Government that may be necessary for
13 the implementation of this act. It shall be the obligation of
14 the secretary to enter into good faith negotiations with the
15 appropriate Federal officials and to make every effort to obtain
16 the necessary Federal waivers and approvals.
17 Section 5. Health and Welfare Services Block Grant Fund.
18 (a) Fund established.--There is hereby established in the
19 General Fund a restricted receipt account to be known as the
20 Health and Welfare Services Block Grant Fund. The fund shall be
21 composed of Federal block grant funds for health and welfare
22 services.
23 (b) Disbursements to counties.--Annual disbursements from
24 the fund shall be made to counties in amounts that are not less
25 than current budgetary levels, subject to approval of plans
26 submitted to the department under section 4.
27 Section 6. Report to Governor and committees.
28 On or before March 15 following the first full year of
29 implementation of this act and on or before that date in each
30 succeeding year of the program, the department shall provide a
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1 report covering the preceding year to the Governor and the
2 chairman and minority chairman of the Public Health and Welfare
3 Committee of the Senate and the chairman and minority chairman
4 of the Health and Human Services Committee of the House of
5 Representatives. The report shall provide an evaluation of the
6 ongoing effectiveness of the program.
7 Section 7. Repeals.
8 (a) Inconsistent.--The act of June 13, 1967 (P.L.31, No.21),
9 known as the Public Welfare Code, is repealed insofar as it is
10 inconsistent with this act.
11 (b) General.--All other acts and parts of acts are repealed
12 insofar as they are inconsistent with this act.
13 Section 8. Effective date.
14 This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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