House File 139
HOUSE FILE
BY ALONS, LALK, CARROLL,
LUKAN, DE BOEF, ROBERTS,
MERTZ, BOAL, CHAMBERS,
and WATTS
(COMPANION TO LSB 1438SS
BY JOHNSON)
Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date
Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays
Approved
A BILL FOR
1 An Act establishing a choose life motor vehicle registration
2 plate and appropriating fees from such plates for adoption=
3 related services.
4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
5 TLSB 1438HH 80
6 dea/sh/8
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. NEW SECTION. 135.17 FUNDING FOR SERVICES FOR
1 2 PREGNANT WOMEN.
1 3 1. The department shall distribute annually the moneys
1 4 transferred to the department from the choose life motor
1 5 vehicle registration plate fees under section 321.34,
1 6 subsection 23, to each county board of health in the state in
1 7 the ratio that the registration plate fees collected by each
1 8 county bears to the total fees collected for such plates
1 9 within the state. Each county board of health shall
1 10 distribute the funds yearly to qualified, nongovernmental,
1 11 not=for=profit organizations within the county that provide
1 12 services free of charge to pregnant women who are planning to
1 13 place their children for adoption. Each county board of
1 14 health shall develop application procedures and qualification
1 15 guidelines for organizations to follow in applying for funds.
1 16 A county board of health shall not distribute funds to any
1 17 organization that is involved or associated with abortion
1 18 activities, including counseling for or referrals to abortion
1 19 clinics, providing medical abortion=related procedures, or
1 20 proabortion advertising. County guidelines shall specify that
1 21 an organization that receives funds under this section shall
1 22 not discriminate in its employment policies or provision of
1 23 services on the basis of race, religion, gender, marital
1 24 status, national origin, age, or disability.
1 25 2. A county board of health shall require that an
1 26 organization receiving funds under this section shall do all
1 27 of the following:
1 28 a. Use up to sixty percent of the funds to provide for the
1 29 material needs of pregnant women who are planning to place
1 30 their children for adoption, including clothing, housing,
1 31 medical care, food, utilities, and transportation. Such funds
1 32 may also be used for the expenses of infants awaiting
1 33 placement with adoptive parents.
1 34 b. Use up to forty percent of the funds for costs
1 35 associated with the adoption efforts of the organization
2 1 including counseling, training, or advertising. However, such
2 2 funds shall not be used for administrative or legal expenses
2 3 or for capital expenditures.
2 4 c. Return to the county board of health any unused funds
2 5 that exceed ten percent of the total amount of funds received
2 6 by the organization during the year. The county board of
2 7 health shall redistribute the funds to qualified organizations
2 8 as described in subsection 1.
2 9 d. Submit an annual audited financial statement of the
2 10 funds received to the county board of health. The audit shall
2 11 be prepared by a certified public accountant. A county board
2 12 of health may conduct a consolidated audit of all funds
2 13 distributed by the board during a year or for a period of
2 14 years. Such audits shall be subject to review by the auditor
2 15 of state.
2 16 3. For purposes of this section, "county board of health"
2 17 means a district board of health if the county and city boards
2 18 of health in an area have formed a district board of health
2 19 under section 137.10.
2 20 Sec. 2. Section 321.34, Code 2003, is amended by adding
2 21 the following new subsection:
2 22 NEW SUBSECTION. 23. CHOOSE LIFE PLATES.
2 23 a. Upon application and payment of the proper fees, an
2 24 owner referred to in subsection 12 may order special
2 25 registration plates with a choose life emblem.
2 26 b. The emblem shall be designed by the department and
2 27 shall include the words "choose life".
2 28 c. The special fee for letter number designated choose
2 29 life plates is thirty=five dollars. The fee for personalized
2 30 choose life plates is twenty=five dollars, which shall be paid
2 31 in addition to the special choose life fee of thirty=five
2 32 dollars. The fees collected by the director under this
2 33 subsection shall be paid monthly to the treasurer of state and
2 34 credited to the road use tax fund. Notwithstanding section
2 35 423.24, and prior to the crediting of revenues to the road use
3 1 tax fund under section 423.24, subsection 1, paragraph "b",
3 2 the treasurer of state shall transfer monthly from those
3 3 revenues to the Iowa department of public health the amount of
3 4 the special fees collected in the previous month for the
3 5 choose life plates. The moneys from such fees are
3 6 appropriated for distribution by the department of public
3 7 health for services for pregnant women as provided in section
3 8 135.17. Notwithstanding section 8.33, moneys transferred
3 9 under this subsection shall not revert to the general fund of
3 10 the state.
3 11 d. Upon receipt of the special registration plates, the
3 12 applicant shall surrender the current registration receipt and
3 13 plates to the county treasurer. The county treasurer shall
3 14 validate the special registration plates in the same manner as
3 15 regular registration plates are validated under this section.
3 16 The annual special choose life fee for letter number
3 17 designated plates is fifteen dollars, which shall be paid in
3 18 addition to the regular annual registration fee. The annual
3 19 fee for personalized choose life plates is five dollars, which
3 20 shall be paid in addition to the annual special choose life
3 21 fee and the regular annual registration fee. The annual
3 22 choose life fee shall be credited as provided under paragraph
3 23 "c".
3 24 Sec. 3. EMBLEM DESIGN. The state department of
3 25 transportation shall consult with Choose Life, Inc., in
3 26 designing the emblem for the special choose life license plate
3 27 as required in this Act.
3 28 EXPLANATION
3 29 This bill authorizes the state department of transportation
3 30 to issue choose life special registration plates. The plates
3 31 shall display a choose life emblem designed by the department,
3 32 in consultation with Choose Life, Inc. The issuance fee for
3 33 such plates is $35, with personalized plates having an
3 34 additional fee of $25. The annual fee for the plates is $15,
3 35 with personalized plates having an additional fee of $5.
4 1 The moneys from the fees are to be transferred to the
4 2 department of public health and are appropriated for
4 3 distribution by the department to counties for distribution to
4 4 nongovernmental, not=for=profit organizations that provide
4 5 services on a nondiscriminatory basis to pregnant women who
4 6 are planning to place their children for adoption. The county
4 7 boards of health are designated as the operative agencies for
4 8 county distribution of funds. Funds are not to be distributed
4 9 to any organization that is involved or associated with
4 10 abortion activities.
4 11 Organizations receiving funds may use up to 60 percent of
4 12 the funds to provide for the material needs of pregnant women
4 13 who are planning to place their children for adoption or for
4 14 the expenses of infants awaiting placement with adoptive
4 15 parents. Up to 40 percent of the funds received by an
4 16 organization may be used for costs associated with adoption
4 17 efforts including counseling, training, or advertising, but
4 18 not for administrative or legal expenses, or for capital
4 19 expenditures.
4 20 An organization must return any unused funds that exceed 10
4 21 percent of the total amount of funds received by the
4 22 organization during a year to the county for redistribution to
4 23 qualified organizations. An organization must also submit an
4 24 annual audit of funds received to the county. The county may
4 25 conduct a consolidated audit of funds distributed. These
4 26 audits are subject to review by the auditor of state.
4 27 LSB 1438HH 80
4 28 dea/sh/8.4