Legislature(1999 - 2000)
02/16/1999 08:08 AM House CRA
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
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= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
HOUSE COMMUNITY AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS
STANDING COMMITTEE
February 16, 1999
8:08 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Andrew Halcro, Co-Chairman
Representative Carl Morgan
Representative Lisa Murkowski
Representative Reggie Joule
Representative Albert Kookesh
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative John Harris, Co-Chairman
Representative Fred Dyson
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
OVERSIGHT HEARING: Community Services Block Grant
WITNESS REGISTER
PAT POLAND, Director
Division of Municipal & Regional Assistance
Department of Community & Regional Affairs
333 West 4th Avenue, Suite 220
Anchorage, Alaska 99501-2341
POSITION STATEMENT: Offered information regarding the Community
Services Block Grant.
ACTION NARRATIVE
TAPE 99-6, SIDE A
Number 001
CO-CHAIRMAN HALCRO called the House Community and Regional Affairs
Standing Committee meeting to order at 8:08 a.m. Members present
at the call to order were Representatives Halcro, Morgan and
Murkowski. Representatives Harris and Dyson were absent.
Representatives Joule and Kookesh arrived at 8:09 a.m. Co-Chairman
Halcro noted that Co-Chairman Harris was held in Valdez due to the
weather.
Community Services Block Grant
Number 038
PAT POLAND, Director, Division of Municipal & Regional Assistance,
Department of Community & Regional Affairs, testified via
teleconference from Anchorage. He explained that the division was
responsible for the administration of the Community Services Block
Grant Program (CSBG). The CSBG funds are allocated to the
department for distribution to RuRAL CAP Incorporated, Alaska's
only community action agency. The state keeps five percent,
maximum, of the funds to cover administrative costs and the
remainder of the funds are transferred to RuRAL CAP. Mr. Poland
said, "The purpose of the Community Services Block Grant Program
is to impact the causes and conditions of poverty." The draft plan
before the committee for comment outlines the administration of the
program and the proposed activities that RuRAL CAP will attempt in
FY98-99.
MR. POLAND explained that RuRAL CAP will utilize CSBG funds to
serve low-income people throughout the state in the following
components: child development, community development, planning,
program support and subsistence. Each component is described in
detail in the plan the committee has before it. He noted that the
plan also includes outcome measures for each component. The
outcome measures were developed and implemented in FY97 for all
CSBG supported programs. "Program results are tracked and reported
on a quarterly basis, in terms of the number of clients who
receive, who achieve a given milestone." Staff review the progress
in order to evaluate results and implement necessary changes. Mr.
Poland said, "Ultimately, this process will do more than assure
accountability. It will keep RuRAL CAP on the leading edge of
change and progress well into the next century."
MR. POLAND stated that both the department and RuRAL CAP emphasize
maximum participation by rural people in the elimination of the
causes and conditions of poverty. Mr. Poland believed, "The best
approach, we feel, is to help low-income people through a holistic
community development (indisc.) based on the premise that
development must come from within and that it must go hand-in-hand
with (indisc.) responsibility." In conclusion, Mr. Poland noted
that Ms. Kennedy and other RuRAL CAP members should be in the
hearing room in Juneau; those folks would be the best to direct
questions regarding specific questions about the plan and its
implementation.
CO-CHAIRMAN HALCRO asked if anyone in the hearing room wanted to
testify, specifically Melanie Greer (ph). No one wanted to
testify.
Number 115
CO-CHAIRMAN HALCRO pointed out that the narrative description of
the program says that at least 90 percent of the funding received
by the state for CSBG is pass through; what happens to the
remaining 10 percent.
MR. POLAND said that about five percent is used for administration
and about 95 percent is passed through to RuRAL CAP.
CO-CHAIRMAN HALCRO noted that the RuRAL CAP funding sources are
broken into state and federal funds. Co-Chairman Halcro inquired
as to how these funding sources work; are the funding sources
grants?
MR. POLAND explained that the funding for the CSBG Program is
received from federal funds. Mr. Poland said that he was not
sufficiently familiar with RuRAL CAP's full funding to comment on
all its funding sources.
CO-CHAIRMAN HALCRO, in response to Representative Murkowski,
explained that Ms. Kennedy had not signed in to testify and was not
in the hearing room. Ms. Kennedy had been on the agenda to speak
to the committee. Co-Chairman Halcro asked if Ike Waits was
present to speak today.
MR. POLAND said that Mr. Waits was not present.
CO-CHAIRMAN HALCRO asked Mr. Poland if he would be able to help the
committee with specific questions regarding the 1999 plan.
MR. POLAND said that he would do his best, but regarding the
specifics of the program he had anticipated Ms. Kennedy's presence
to answer such questions.
Number 164
REPRESENTATIVE MURKOWSKI inquired as to what the program support
component is in comparison to the other components within the CSBG.
She understood that the program support is the administrative
support which includes legal, technical, and secretarial support.
How is the administrative support different than the support within
each program component? There appears to be an administrative
overlap.
MR. POLAND deferred to someone from RuRAL CAP for a detailed
explanation.
CO-CHAIRMAN HALCRO thanked Mr. Poland for his testimony.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Community & Regional Affairs Committee meeting was adjourned at
8:15 a.m.
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