Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Committee examines S.232 to help public libraries access cannabis‑funded after‑school grants
Summary
On Feb. 11 the House Education Committee reviewed S.232, a bill intended to draw public libraries more directly into the After School Special Fund. Agency of Education staff said libraries are already eligible but face administrative barriers; the Department of Libraries urged a streamlined role to help small libraries apply.
Johannes Hench, the Agency of Education official who oversees after‑school and summer programming, told the House Education Committee on Feb. 11 that S.232 aims to "expand the afterschool" fund to "specifically highlight and raise up the work of libraries in summer and out‑of‑school time programming." Hench said the agency wanted committee members to understand current practice and the obstacles libraries face.
The bill would explicitly call out public libraries in the same eligibility language Hench cited from "16 PSA section 51," which he said already allows public, private and nonprofit entities to apply for after‑school special fund grants. "We know libraries are running this programming," Hench said, "We just haven't been able to convert that interest into submitting applications." He described two application tracks: a smaller program track for single activities and a…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
