PRINTER'S NO. 504
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No. 510
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY KEARNEY, CAPPELLETTI, L. WILLIAMS, MUTH, SAVAL,
STREET, HAYWOOD AND KANE, MARCH 27, 2025
REFERRED TO COMMUNITY, ECONOMIC AND RECREATIONAL DEVELOPMENT,
MARCH 27, 2025
AN ACT
1 Amending Title 54 (Names) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
2 Statutes, providing for Compassionate Name Change Assistance
3 Grant Program and for powers and duties of the Department of
4 Community and Economic Development; establishing the
5 Compassionate Name Change Assistance Grant Fund; and making
6 an appropriation.
7 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
8 hereby enacts as follows:
9 Section 1. Title 54 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
10 Statutes is amended by adding a chapter to read:
11 CHAPTER 7A
12 COMPASSIONATE NAME CHANGE ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM
13 Sec.
14 7A01. Definitions.
15 7A02. Compassionate Name Change Assistance Grant Program.
16 7A03. Compassionate Name Change Assistance Grant Fund.
17 7A04. Administration.
18 § 7A01. Definitions.
19 The following words and phrases when used in this chapter
 1 shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
2 context clearly indicates otherwise:
3 "Department." The Department of Community and Economic
4 Development of the Commonwealth.
5 "Eligible applicant." A nonprofit organization or a county
6 or municipal government.
7 "Eligible assistance program." A program providing support
8 and guidance, which is informational, emotional, social, legal
9 or otherwise in nature, to individuals who confront biases or
10 inequalities based on gender or sexual stereotypes in navigating
11 the name change process in this Commonwealth.
12 "Fund." The Compassionate Name Change Assistance Grant Fund
13 established under section 7A03 (relating to Compassionate Name
14 Change Assistance Grant Fund).
15 "Grant program." The Compassionate Name Change Assistance
16 Grant Program established under section 7A02 (relating to
17 Compassionate Name Change Assistance Grant Program).
18 "Nonprofit organization." A corporation or other entity
19 based in this Commonwealth that is an exempt organization as
20 defined under 26 U.S.C. § 501(c)(3) (relating to exemption from
21 tax on corporations, certain trusts, etc.).
22 § 7A02. Compassionate Name Change Assistance Grant Program.
23 (a) Establishment.--The Compassionate Name Change Assistance
24 Grant Program is established as a competitive grant program
25 within the department.
26 (b) Eligible uses of grant money.--Grants under the grant
27 program may only be used for the costs of administering an
28 eligible assistance program.
29 (c) Department powers and duties.--
30 (1) The department shall provide grants under the grant
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 1 program in accordance with this chapter to eligible
2 applicants to administer eligible assistance programs.
3 (2) The department shall determine the form and manner
4 by which an eligible applicant may apply for funding under
5 section 7A04 (relating to administration). The application
6 shall be posted on the department's publicly accessible
7 Internet website.
8 (3) The department may establish guidelines for
9 implementing the grant program under this section. The
10 guidelines shall be posted on the department's publicly
11 accessible Internet website.
12 § 7A03. Compassionate Name Change Assistance Grant Fund.
13 (a) Establishment.--The Compassionate Name Change Assistance
14 Grant Fund is established in the State Treasury.
15 (b) Appropriation.--All money deposited into the fund and
16 the interest the money accrues shall be appropriated to the
17 department on a continuing basis to award grants under this
18 chapter.
19 (c) Transfers from General Fund.--In addition to any amounts
20 otherwise authorized to be appropriated or made available to the
21 fund for the grant program, the sum of $2,000,000 shall be
22 transferred to the fund from the General Fund for the purposes
23 of the grant program.
24 (d) Administrative costs.--No more than 1% of the money in
25 the fund may be used for reasonable administrative costs.
26 § 7A04. Administration.
27 (a) Applications.--An application for a grant under this
28 chapter shall be submitted by an eligible applicant in the form
29 and manner prescribed by the department.
30 (b) Application period.--Beginning no later than 180 days
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 1 after the effective date of this subsection, the department
2 shall begin accepting and processing applications on a rolling
3 basis until the grant program funding available for the fiscal
4 year has been exhausted.
5 (c) Review process.--The department shall review
6 applications and make awards subject to subsection (d) on a
7 rolling basis. The department shall approve or deny an
8 application no later than 30 days after the receipt of the
9 application. An eligible applicant may revise and resubmit a
10 denied application to the department.
11 (d) Allocation.--An eligible applicant may not receive more
12 than the following amounts in any fiscal year:
13 (1) Subject to paragraphs (2) and (3):
14 (i) The minimum grant amount awarded may not be less
15 than $5,000.
16 (ii) The maximum grant amount awarded may not be
17 more than $100,000.
18 (2) The department may award a grant of not more than
19 $75,000 to eligible applicants that are headquartered within
20 a city of the first class or second class.
21 (3) The department may award a grant of between $75,001
22 and $100,000 inclusive to eligible applicants that are:
23 (i) headquartered outside of a city of the first
24 class or second class; or
25 (ii) implementing a new eligible assistance program
26 for the first time in the same fiscal year for which the
27 grant is awarded.
28 (e) Limitations.--
29 (1) The department may not provide grants in excess of
30 the amount of money in the fund.
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 1 (2) The department may prorate the grant amount to an
2 eligible applicant.
3 (3) The department may only award a grant to an eligible
4 applicant that establishes to the department that the
5 administration of its eligible assistance program involves at
6 least one resident of this Commonwealth who identifies as
7 transgender or nonbinary with specialized experience in
8 assisting individuals who confront biases or inequalities
9 based on gender or sexual stereotypes in navigating the name
10 change process in this Commonwealth.
11 (f) Evaluation.--The department shall evaluate the
12 utilization of grant program money, including an analysis of the
13 total amount of grants awarded, each eligible applicant that
14 received a grant and the efficacy of the eligible assistance
15 programs funded through the grant program, based on
16 disaggregated data. The department shall conduct the evaluation,
17 at a minimum, every three years after the establishment of the
18 grant program and shall post the evaluation on the department's
19 publicly accessible Internet website.
20 Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
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