MINUTES OF THE meeting
of the
ASSEMBLY Committee on Health and Human Services
Seventy-First Session
April 25, 2001
The Committee on Health and Human Serviceswas called to order at 1:30 p.m., on Wednesday, April 25, 2001. Chairman Ellen Koivisto presided in Room 3138 of the Legislative Building, Carson City, Nevada. Exhibit A is the Agenda. Exhibit B is the Guest List. All exhibits are available and on file at the Research Library of the Legislative Counsel Bureau.
COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT:
Mrs. Ellen Koivisto, Chairman
Ms. Kathy McClain, Vice Chairman
Mrs. Dawn Gibbons
Ms. Sheila Leslie
Mr. Mark Manendo
Ms. Bonnie Parnell
Mrs. Debbie Smith
Ms. Sandra Tiffany
COMMITTEE MEMBERS ABSENT:
Mrs. Vivian Freeman
Mr. Wendell Williams
Mrs. Sharron Angle
Ms. Merle Berman
STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT:
Marla McDade Williams, Committee Policy Analyst
Darlene Rubin, Committee Secretary
OTHERS PRESENT:
Michael Willden, Welfare Administrator, Department of Human Resources
Janelle Mulvenon, Program Manager, Department of Human Resources
Chairman Koivisto announced the committee would begin as a subcommittee, and that S.B. 74 would not be heard at the meeting but would be rescheduled. She then opened the hearing on S.B. 110.
Senate Bill 110: Repeals certain provisions relating to assistance to homeless persons. (BDR 38-623)
Michael Willden, Welfare Division Administrator, Department of Human Resources, said S.B. 110 was a request from the Nevada State Welfare Division (NSW) to repeal Chapter 428A of the Nevada Revised Statutes, that dealt with the Homeless Board. The board was created in the 1987 Legislative Session. At that time some general funds were appropriated and a board was created to oversee the administration of those funds; that continued for two sessions. Since that time that funding had not been repeated and the NSW had shifted to a federal funding source. NSW received three different grants over the years; one still existing was the Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG). Mr. Willden stated the NSW no longer needed the Homeless Board. The federal emergency shelter funds were distributed in a different manner, and as part of the Governor’s fundamental review process there had been a recommendation to move the homeless programs out of the NSW and transfer them to the Housing Division.
Accordingly, Mr. Willden requested the Homeless Board and the statute be eliminated. Under the ESG, the federal rules had different requirements for how the money was distributed. The state received the allocation for everything except Clark County, which had its own rules for distribution of funds. The Housing Division would receive the balance of the state award; approximately 50 percent of the money went to Washoe County where there was an advisory board to oversee the distribution of that money. The balance went to the rural counties and nonprofit agencies in the counties. Mr. Willden also provided his written testimony (Exhibit C).
Assemblywoman Parnell asked if Mr. Willden was comfortable that services would not be eliminated or lost. Mr. Willden said he was, and added NSW had had a number of meetings with Charles Horsey, Administrator of the Housing Division, and Mr. Willden believed that division would obtain additional grants, which would improve the overall services. Mrs. Parnell was glad to hear that as she had worked on the board in 1989.
Chairman Koivisto wanted to clarify that the bill simply eliminated the board and allowed for federal funding to proceed, as it should under federal regulations. Mr. Willden said that was correct, there would be no statutory state board and the grants from the federal government had their own administration rules, which the NSW or the Housing Division would continue to follow. Chairman Koivisto asked if there was another bill transferring the programs to the Housing Division. Mr. Willden said there was not, it would be a budgetary action. There was a declaration by the Governor’s Office that the Department of Human Resources, Welfare Division, was no longer the cognizant agent; the Housing Division was the cognizant agent.
Chairman Koivisto noted a quorum was present and asked the committee’s wishes in regard to the bill.
VICE CHAIRMAN MCCLAIN MOVED TO DO PASS S.B. 110.
ASSEMBLYWOMAN GIBBONS SECONDED THE MOTION.
THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY BY THOSE PRESENT.
Chairman Koivisto then opened the hearing on S.B. 112.
Senate Bill 112: Revises certain provisions concerning amelioration of causes of poverty to conform to changes in federal law. (BDR 38-535)
Janelle Mulvenon, Administrator, Director’s Office, Department of Human Resources (DHR), reported that one of the grants her office was responsible for was the Community Services Block Grant. Highlights of Ms. Mulvenon’s testimony, for which she provided a written copy (Exhibit D), were as follows:
S.B. 112 would make adjustments and realign the revisions to be in compliance with the federal Community Services Block Grant (CSBG). The first revision changed the submission date of the state application and the Interim Finance Committee hearing from a fixed date of June 1 to the timeline requirements as specified by the federal CSBG. The change insured that an Interim Finance Committee and a public hearing must be held prior to the State Plan submission.
The second change allowed the Director of Human Resources the discretion to elect the provision to limit the amount of carryover funds from one year to the next. The federal law specified that that the upper ceiling for that percentage be 20 percent.
Ms. Mulvenon stated an additional amendment could be found in Section 3 of the bill, that the director of the DHR in consultation with eligible entities would develop the State Plan. That was the current practice, and the bill did put the current practice in writing.
All of three major changes were in compliance with the federal CSBG.
Assemblywoman Leslie asked if the three eligible entities were Economic Opportunity Board (EOB), Community Service Agency (CSA), and the Community Agency of Human Services (CAHS), in Hawthorne. Ms. Mulvenon said that was correct, in addition to county governmental entities. She noted that the community action agencies in all the counties would be affected.
Chairman Koivisto asked who currently dealt with the funding. Ms. Mulvenon responded that the EOB in Las Vegas, the CSA for Washoe County, the Consolidated Human Services Association in Mineral County, and the remaining county governmental units for the rest of the state; for example, Carson City’s governmental unit, Douglas County, Elko, and so on. Mrs. Koivisto asked if the bill would be taking that from those entities and putting it in the office of the director of DHR.
Ms. Mulvenon responded that the proposed revisions realigned the date the state application was due to the federal agency from June 1 to the specified dates outlined in the federal grant; that enabled the director to use discretion to limit the amount of carryover funds from one year to the next. She added that when a state application was submitted it was done in collaboration with the eligible entities. There was no change in the eligible entities to receive the funds or in the distribution of formula. Of the funds received, 90 percent must go to the eligible entities.
Chairman Koivisto asked what would be done with the remaining 10 percent. Ms. Mulvenon said that according to federal law, 5 percent was for administration and 5 percent was for training and technical assistance, which was allocated again to the eligible entities. Mrs. Koivisto then asked when the carryover funding was limited, what would happen to that if there were funds left in the account at the end of the cutoff date and that money could not be carried over. Ms. Mulvenon said it had to remain with the eligible entities. Since 90 percent of the funds had to be expended it encouraged that amendments would be made to work plans by the eligible entities so they would expend the funds to assist with poverty issues. She added that very few of the community entities carried over funds. It would not have an adverse impact if the director decided to leverage that option, which was in the federal act.
Chairman Koivisto asked for other testimony on the measure; there was none. Accordingly, she announced S.B. 112 would be held over for a work session.
There being no further business before the committee, the Chairman adjourned the meeting at 2:52 p.m.
Darlene Rubin
Committee Secretary
APPROVED BY:
Assemblywoman Ellen Koivisto, Chairman
DATE: