| 25 | | - | Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) For purposes of this 1 |
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| 26 | | - | section, (1) "eligible community-based organization" means an 2 |
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| 27 | | - | organization that (A) has tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of 3 |
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| 28 | | - | the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or any subsequent corresponding 4 |
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| 29 | | - | internal revenue code of the United States, as amended from time to 5 |
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| 30 | | - | time, (B) is an incorporated nonprofit organization operating for not less 6 |
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| 31 | | - | than three consecutive years prior to July 1, 2025, (C) is based in the state 7 |
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| 32 | | - | and is a direct provider of human services, (D) serves a population that 8 |
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| 33 | | - | is comprised of fifty-one per cent or more Hispanic persons or 9 |
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| 34 | | - | communities of color, (E) (i) is led by a chief executive officer who is 10 |
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| 35 | | - | Hispanic, African-American or Asian Pacific-American, and (ii) is 11 |
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| 36 | | - | governed by a board with a majority of members who are Hispanic, 12 |
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| 37 | | - | African-American or Asian Pacific-American, and (F) has an annual 13 |
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| 38 | | - | operating budget of at least one hundred fifty thousand dollars; (2) 14 |
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| 39 | | - | "communities of color" means communities comprised of persons 15 |
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| 40 | | - | whose racial or ethnic background is nonwhite Hispanic, African-16 |
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| 41 | | - | Committee Bill No. 5579 |
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| 44 | | - | LCO No. 4222 2 of 5 |
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| 45 | | - | |
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| 46 | | - | American or Asian Pacific-American; (3) "culturally competent" means 17 |
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| 47 | | - | the ability to effectively deliver services that meet the social, cultural, 18 |
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| 48 | | - | and linguistic needs of the recipient; and (4) "language accessible" 19 |
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| 49 | | - | means services delivered in the primary language of the recipient. 20 |
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| 50 | | - | (b) There is established a fund to be known as the "Hispanic and 21 |
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| 51 | | - | Communities of Color Nonprofit Stabilization and Growth Fund". The 22 |
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| 52 | | - | fund, within available appropriations, shall contain (1) moneys from the 23 |
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| 53 | | - | General Fund traditionally appropriated to the Department of Social 24 |
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| 54 | | - | Services for human resources development contracts serving Hispanic 25 |
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| 55 | | - | persons and communities of color, and (2) any moneys required by law 26 |
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| 56 | | - | to be deposited into the fund. The fund shall be used to build the 27 |
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| 57 | | - | capacity of eligible community-based organizations to provide services 28 |
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| 58 | | - | by helping such organizations improve operational efficiencies through 29 |
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| 59 | | - | performance-based metrics and the adoption of strategies for long-term 30 |
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| 60 | | - | fiscal sustainability. Any balance remaining in the fund at the end of any 31 |
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| 61 | | - | fiscal year shall be carried forward in the fund for the fiscal year next 32 |
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| 62 | | - | succeeding. The fund may be used to make grants-in-aid authorized 33 |
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| 63 | | - | under subsections (e) and (f) of this section and for expenses related to 34 |
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| 64 | | - | the administration of the fund authorized under subsections (c) and (d) 35 |
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| 65 | | - | of this section. 36 |
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| 66 | | - | (c) The Commissioner of Social Services may contract with a 37 |
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| 67 | | - | nonprofit organization to administer the fund, provided such 38 |
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| 68 | | - | organization has (1) not less than fifteen years of experience 39 |
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| 69 | | - | coordinating advocacy, service and outreach efforts for Hispanic 40 |
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| 70 | | - | charitable organizations that support Hispanic persons, and (2) a 41 |
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| 71 | | - | proven track record of establishing networks with non-Hispanic 42 |
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| 72 | | - | organizations that provide services to communities of color. The 43 |
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| 73 | | - | commissioner may give preference to an organization with experience 44 |
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| 74 | | - | successfully administering a similar fund. 45 |
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| 75 | | - | (d) In contracting with a nonprofit organization to administer the 46 |
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| 76 | | - | fund, the commissioner shall require such organization to: (1) Establish 47 |
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| 77 | | - | a competitive procurement process through annual requests for 48 |
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| 78 | | - | Committee Bill No. 5579 |
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| 81 | | - | LCO No. 4222 3 of 5 |
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| 83 | | - | proposals to eligible community-based organizations, (2) establish a 49 |
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| 84 | | - | results-based contract evaluation system that includes goals that eligible 50 |
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| 85 | | - | community-based organizations shall meet in order to be considered for 51 |
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| 86 | | - | contract renewal, and (3) meet goals established by the commissioner 52 |
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| 87 | | - | for successful administration of the fund, including, but not limited to, 53 |
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| 88 | | - | annual reporting to the commissioner on fund expenditures and 54 |
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| 89 | | - | complying with limitations set by the commissioner on administrative 55 |
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| 90 | | - | expenses. Requests for proposals issued by the nonprofit organization 56 |
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| 91 | | - | administering the fund shall state that preference shall be given to 57 |
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| 92 | | - | eligible community-based organizations that (A) satisfy both conditions 58 |
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| 93 | | - | described in subparagraph (E) of subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of this 59 |
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| 94 | | - | section and have annual budgets not exceeding one million dollars, and 60 |
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| 95 | | - | (B) offer culturally competent, language accessible services. 61 |
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| 96 | | - | (e) The fund shall be used to provide grants to eligible community-62 |
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| 97 | | - | based organizations to support capacity building, training and technical 63 |
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| 98 | | - | assistance opportunities in the following areas: (1) Financial 64 |
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| 99 | | - | management, including, but not limited to, financial planning, budget 65 |
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| 100 | | - | development, fiscal monitoring and cash flow analysis, (2) board 66 |
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| 101 | | - | development, including, but not limited to, establishing board 67 |
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| 102 | | - | committees and a fund-raising board and conducting professional 68 |
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| 103 | | - | board meetings, (3) fund development, including, but not limited to, gift 69 |
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| 104 | | - | solicitation and event planning, (4) nonprofit management and 70 |
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| 105 | | - | leadership training, (5) information technology, (6) collaborations and 71 |
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| 106 | | - | merger planning, and (7) results-oriented outcome training, including 72 |
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| 107 | | - | development of progress metrics and performance-tracking tools. 73 |
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| 108 | | - | (f) An allocation panel of at least seven members, including, but not 74 |
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| 109 | | - | limited to, representatives from the Department of Social Services, the 75 |
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| 110 | | - | nonprofit organization chosen by the commissioner to administer the 76 |
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| 111 | | - | fund and at least two members of the communities to be served by the 77 |
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| 112 | | - | grant proposal, shall determine which community-based organizations 78 |
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| 113 | | - | are eligible for a grant. The executive director of the Commission on 79 |
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| 114 | | - | Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity may name a 80 |
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| 115 | | - | representative from the commission to the allocation panel. The 81 |
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| 116 | | - | Committee Bill No. 5579 |
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| 119 | | - | LCO No. 4222 4 of 5 |
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| 121 | | - | nonprofit organization chosen to administer the fund shall forward 82 |
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| 122 | | - | information on community-based organizations that are eligible for a 83 |
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| 123 | | - | grant to the Commissioner of Social Services, who shall have final 84 |
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| 124 | | - | approval over the awarding of a grant contract to an eligible 85 |
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| 125 | | - | community-based organization. Eligible community -based 86 |
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| 126 | | - | organizations awarded grants from the fund shall, within the grant 87 |
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| 127 | | - | period, (1) submit progress reports as required to the commissioner, (2) 88 |
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| 128 | | - | assign a person in a position of leadership at the community-based 89 |
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| 129 | | - | organization and at least two staff members to annually attend three 90 |
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| 130 | | - | seminars on organizational topics presented by the nonprofit 91 |
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| 131 | | - | organization administering the fund, and (3) agree to site visits as 92 |
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| 132 | | - | scheduled by the organization administering the fund. 93 |
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| 133 | | - | (g) Not later than January 1, 2027, the Commissioner of Social 94 |
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| 134 | | - | Services shall submit a report, in accordance with the provisions of 95 |
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| 135 | | - | section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint standing committees of 96 |
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| 136 | | - | the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to 97 |
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| 137 | | - | appropriations and the budgets of state agencies and human services on 98 |
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| 138 | | - | (1) the number of community-based organizations awarded grant 99 |
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| 139 | | - | contracts under the fund, (2) whether and how the fund has improved 100 |
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| 140 | | - | the capacity of community-based organizations to meet needs, (3) the 101 |
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| 141 | | - | performance of the nonprofit organization administering the fund, and 102 |
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| 142 | | - | (4) a recommendation on whether the fund should continue and any 103 |
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| 143 | | - | appropriations that may be necessary for the fund. 104 |
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| 144 | | - | (h) Nothing in this section shall be construed as infringing upon any 105 |
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| 145 | | - | contract in effect on July 1, 2025, between the Department of Social 106 |
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| 146 | | - | Services and a community-based organization providing services to 107 |
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| 147 | | - | Hispanic persons and communities of color. 108 |
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| 148 | | - | This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following |
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| 149 | | - | sections: |
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| 150 | | - | |
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| 151 | | - | Section 1 July 1, 2025 New section |
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| 152 | | - | |
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| 153 | | - | Committee Bill No. 5579 |
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| 155 | | - | |
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| 156 | | - | LCO No. 4222 5 of 5 |
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| 24 | + | That title 17b of the general statutes be amended to establish a fund 1 |
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| 25 | + | dedicated to improving services for Hispanic persons and communities 2 |
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| 26 | + | of color by providing assistance to community-based organizations that 3 |
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| 27 | + | serve such persons and communities with capacity building, training 4 |
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| 28 | + | and technical assistance. 5 |
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