Authority: Title 2.2, Chapter 54; Title 63.2, Chapters 1 and 6, Code of Virginia; Title VI, Subtitle B, P.L. 97-35, as amended; P.L. 103-252, as amended; P.L. 104-193, as amended, Federal Code.
A.1. All increased state or federal funds distributed to Community Action Agencies shall be distributed as follows: The funds shall be distributed to all local Community Action Agencies according to the Department of Social Services funding formula (75 percent based on low-income population, 20 percent based on number of jurisdictions served, and five percent based on square mileage served), adjusted to ensure that no agency receives less than 1.5 percent of any increase.
2. Out of this appropriation, the Department of Social Services shall allocate a total of $3,397,859 each year from the federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) block grant for community action agencies to promote self-sufficiency.
3. Out of this appropriation, $230,000 the first year and $230,000 the second year shall be provided to the Virginia Community Action Partnership to support the Virginia Earned Income Tax Coalition and provide grants to local organizations to provide outreach, education and tax preparation services to citizens who may be eligible for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit. The Virginia Community Action Partnership shall report on its efforts to expand the number of Virginians who are able to claim the federal EITC, including the number of individuals identified who could benefit from the credit, the number of individuals counseled on the availability of the federal EITC, and the number of individuals assisted with tax preparation to claim the federal EITC. This report shall be provided to the Governor and the Chairmen of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees and the Chairman of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission by December 1 each year.
B. The Department shall continue to fund from this Item all organizations recognized by the Commonwealth as community action agencies as defined in §2.2-540 et seq.
C. Out of this appropriation, $50,000 the first year and $100,000 the second year from the general fund shall be provided to the Tri-County Community Action Agency, Inc. to ensure funding parity for Charlotte and Mecklenburg Counties.
D.1. Out of the appropriation, $1,000,000 the first year and $1,500,000 the second year from the general fund shall be provided to establish the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation. These funds shall be matched with local public and private resources with a goal of leveraging a dollar for each state dollar provided. Funds shall be awarded to proposals that seed and foster community programs that enhance the health, safety and well-being of Virginia's youth. The Foundation shall account for the expenditure of these funds by providing the Governor, Secretary of Health and Human Resources, and the Chairmen of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees with a certified audit and full report on Foundation initiatives and results not later than October 1 of each year for the preceding fiscal year ending June 30.
2. On or before October 1 of each year, the Foundation shall submit to the Governor and the Chairmen of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees a report on the actual amount, by fiscal year, of private and local government funds received by the Foundation.
E. The Department of Social Services Office of Community Partnerships and the Virginia Faith-Based and Community Liaison shall make every effort to optimize federal funding currently available or that which will become available through the federal Second Chance Act of 2005 for faith-based and community organizations to partner with public agencies to provide prisoner reentry services.