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Panel presses sponsor over DCA role and funding sources for blight bill
Summary
Committee members questioned whether HP 753 would rely on state general revenue, outside grants, or duplicate local efforts; sponsor Representative Berry said DCA would be authorized to apply for and administer outside grants and that the bill is not intended to be fully taxpayer-funded.
Committee members pressed Representative Berry on who would pay for the program established by HP 753 and how the Department of Community Affairs would be involved.
Representative Wade asked, "Has DCA given you any impact as to what their targeted funding amount would be?" Berry replied, "No. They have not given me a fund an estimate yet," and said DCA would work on funding in the interim and would be authorized under the bill to apply for outside grants.
Representative Kahan asked whether the program would duplicate local spending or require districts to subsidize work in other counties. Berry pointed to language authorizing DCA to "apply for, receive, administer" grants and emphasized that the department's existing state funding is limited and the bill contemplates use of external grant resources rather than full state general-revenue backing.
The exchange left the committee with the sponsor's pledge to work with DCA on funding estimates during the interim; the transcript does not include a DCA fiscal estimate in the hearing record.
