Pennsylvania SB 1052: An Act establishing the Grandfamily Assistance Program and the Grandfamily Assistance Program Fund; providing for grants to area agencies on aging; and imposing powers and duties on the Department of Aging.

Bill Text

PRINTER'S NO. 1239
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No. 1052
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY KIM, HAYWOOD, TARTAGLIONE, COSTA, SAVAL, KEARNEY,
KANE, SCHWANK, L. WILLIAMS, MALONE AND COLLETT,
OCTOBER 15, 2025
REFERRED TO AGING AND YOUTH, OCTOBER 15, 2025
AN ACT
Establishing the Grandfamily Assistance Program and the
Grandfamily Assistance Program Fund; providing for grants to
area agencies on aging; and imposing powers and duties on the
Department of Aging.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Short title.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the Grandfamily
Assistance Program Act.
Section 2. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Area agency on aging." An agency designated by the
department to administer and develop an area plan for a
comprehensive and coordinated system of services for older
people within the boundaries of a defined planning and service
area.
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"Department." The Department of Aging of the Commonwealth.
"Eligible expense." An expense directly related to the care
of a child that is incurred by the child's grandparent in a
grandfamily.
"Fund." The Grandfamily Assistance Program Fund established
under section 4.
"Grandfamily." A family in which an individual is a
grandparent acting as the primary caregiver for the individual's
grandchild whose parents cannot provide care.
"Program." The Grandfamily Assistance Program established
under section 3.
Section 3. Grandfamily Assistance Program.
The Grandfamily Assistance Program is established in the
department. The program shall provide grants in accordance with
sections 5 and 6 to area agencies on aging that must use the
grant money to provide financial assistance to grandfamilies for
the reimbursement of eligible expenses.
Section 4. Grandfamily Assistance Program Fund.
(a) Establishment.--The Grandfamily Assistance Program Fund
is established as a fund in the State Treasury for the purpose
of this act.
(b) Continuing appropriation.--All money deposited into the
fund, interest and other earnings on the money in the fund are
appropriated on a continuing basis to the department for the
purpose of awarding grants under the program.
(c) Fund sources.--The department may solicit and accept
funding for the program, including money appropriated by the
General Assembly, Federal money, grants, donations, gifts and
other payments from any source, which shall be deposited into
the fund.
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Section 5. Grant applications.
(a) Duty of department.--The department shall develop a
grant application form and distribute the form to all area
agencies on aging.
(b) Duties of the area agency on aging.--An area agency on
aging shall assist individuals in the area who intend to apply
for a grant under the program in completing the applications and
verify, in writing, on the grant application that the
application complies with all of the requirements of this act.
The area agency on aging shall forward the application to the
department for review.
Section 6. Grant requirements.
(a) Eligibility.--From money in the fund, the department
shall approve grants to local area agencies on aging for
grandfamilies that have incurred eligible expenses. The
grandfamily may not be reimbursed for an expense that is
otherwise reimbursed, including payments received from the
parent or an agency of the Federal, State or county government.
(b) Administrative costs.--No more than 1% of the money in
the fund may be used by area agencies on aging for reasonable
administrative costs.
Section 7. Powers and duties of department.
The department shall:
(1) Promulgate rules, regulations and directives
necessary to carry out the provisions of this act.
(2) Annually provide to the chair and minority chair of
the Aging and Youth Committee of the Senate and the chair and
minority chair of the Aging and Older Adult Services
Committee of the House of Representatives the following
information:
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(i) a list of area agencies on aging that applied
for a grant;
(ii) a list of area agencies on aging that received
a grant;
(iii) the total funds allocated in the program for
that year; and
(iv) the total funds expended by the area agencies
on aging for the program for that year.
(3) Post an annual report on the department's publicly
accessible Internet website.
Section 8. Effective date.
This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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