The state’s planning process shall include the following:
(a)
The state plan shall identify eligible activities and the eligible entities that will conduct those activities in order to meet the general goals of the California Community Services Block Grant Program and the specific goals of the program. The plan shall, particularly with respect to subdivision (d) of Section 12740, reflect the aggregate of community action plans in order to fairly represent the most
essential characteristic of the California Community Services Block Grant Program, which is its adherence to the principle of community self-help.
(b)
The appropriate policy committee of the Assembly or the Senate, or both, shall conduct one or more public hearings on the proposed use and distribution of funds provided under the California Community Services Block Grant Program. Prior to the hearing, the department shall forward to the policy committees a list of the activities it has identified as statewide priorities pursuant to subdivision (e) of Section 12745, in order to notify the Legislature and the public of the issues to be addressed by the department at each hearing. The chairs of the policy committees may request additional issues to be reported on by the department. The hearings shall be conducted in such a manner as to satisfy the legislative hearing requirement of federal Public Law 97-35, as amended, and to give the Legislature
an opportunity to certify that the state plan conforms to the requirements of this chapter. At the discretion of the respective chairs, the policy committees may hold a single or joint hearing, or both, to satisfy the requirements of this section.
(c)
The department shall make adjustments to the state plan as a result of public comments presented at the legislative hearing as well as written comments that are submitted to the department. The department shall identify all testimony presented by the poor, and shall state whether the concerns expressed by the testimony have been included in the plan. If any of those concerns have not been included in the plan, the department shall specify in the plan the reasons for the rejection of those concerns. Concerns shall only be rejected if there is good cause for the rejection.
(d)
The committees conducting the hearings pursuant to
subdivision (b) shall determine whether the concerns of the poor have been included in the state plan, as adjusted, or rejected for good cause. Before the final state plan is submitted to the secretary, the chairs of the committees conducting hearings shall certify that the state plan conforms with the requirements of this chapter.
(e)
Upon receiving the certification required in subdivision (d), the department shall submit the final state plan, as required by Section 9908 of Title 42 of the United States Code, as amended, to the secretary, and shall provide a copy to all eligible entities and state legislators no more than one week thereafter.