§ 906 — Training Grants For Public Welfare Personnel

(a) In order to assist in increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of administration of public assistance programs by increasing the number of adequately trained public welfare personnel available for work in public assistance programs, there are hereby authorized to be appropriated for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1963, the sum of $3,500,000, and for each fiscal year thereafter the sum of $5,000,000. (b) Such portion of the sums appropriated pursuant to subsection (a) for any fiscal year as the Secretary may determine, but not in excess of $1,000,000 in the case of the fiscal year ending June 30, 1963, and $2,000,000 in the case of any fiscal year thereafter, shall be available for carrying out subsection (f). From the remainder of the sums so appropriated for any fiscal year, the Secretary shall make allotments to the States on the basis of (1) population, (2) relative need for trained public welfare personnel, particularly for personnel to provide self-support and self-care services, and (3) financial need. (c) From each State’s allotment under subsection (b), the Secretary shall from time to time pay to such State its costs of carrying out the purposes of this section through (1) grants to public or other nonprofit institutions of higher learning for training personnel employed or preparing for employment in public assistance programs, (2) special courses of study or seminars of short duration conducted for such personnel by experts hired on a temporary basis for the purpose, and (3) establishing and maintaining, directly or through grants to such institutions, fellowships or traineeships for such personnel at such institutions, with such stipends and allowances as may be permitted under regulations of the Secretary. (d) Payments pursuant to subsection (c) shall be made in advance on the basis of estimates by the Secretary and adjustments may be made in future payments under this section to take account of overpayments or underpayments in amounts previously paid. (e) The amount of any allotment to a State under subsection (b) for any fiscal year which the State certifies to the Secretary will not be required for carrying out the purposes of this section in such State shall be available for reallotment from time to time, on such dates as the Secretary may fix, to other States which the Secretary determines have need in carrying out such purposes for sums in excess of those previously allotted to them under this section and will be able to use such excess amounts during such fiscal year; such reallotments to be made on the basis provided in subsection (b) for the initial allotments to the States. Any amount so reallotted to a State shall be deemed part of its allotment under such subsection. (1) The portion of the sums appropriated for any fiscal year which is determined by the Secretary under the first sentence of subsection (b) to be available for carrying out this subsection shall be available to enable him to provide (A) directly or through grants to or contracts with public or nonprofit private institutions of higher learning, for training personnel who are employed or preparing for employment in the administration of public assistance programs, (B) directly or through grants to or contracts with public or nonprofit private agencies or institutions, for special courses of study or seminars of short duration (not in excess of one year) for training of such personnel, and (C) directly or through grants to or contracts with public or nonprofit private institutions of higher learning, for establishing and maintaining fellowships or traineeships for such personnel at such institutions, with such stipends and allowances as may be permitted by the Secretary. (2) Payments under paragraph (1) may be made in advance on the basis of estimates by the Secretary, or may be made by way of reimbursement, and adjustments may be made in future payments under this subsection to take account of overpayments or underpayments in amounts previously paid. (3) The Secretary may, to the extent he finds such action to be necessary, prescribe requirements to assure that any individual will repay the amount of his fellowship or traineeship received under this subsection to the extent such individual fails to serve, for the period prescribed by the Secretary, with a State or political subdivision thereof, or with the Federal Government, in connection with administration of any State or local public assistance program. The Secretary may relieve any individual of his obligation to so repay, in whole or in part, whenever and to the extent that requirement of such repayment would, in his judgment, be inequitable or would be contrary to the purposes of any of the public welfare programs established by this chapter.