Senate File 2187 - Introduced SENATE FILE 2187 BY KINNEY A BILL FOR An Act establishing an Iowa employment and education rides 1 initiative and related fund in the state department of 2 transportation. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 5833XS (2) 87 je/jh

S.F. 2187 Section 1. NEW SECTION . 324A.8 Iowa employment and 1 education rides initiative —— grant program —— fund. 2 1. As used in this section, unless the context otherwise 3 requires, “employment and education transportation” means an 4 urban or rural program or service that provides an individual 5 with transportation solely to or from a workplace or adult 6 education venue, including but not limited to a community 7 college, evening or weekend class, apprenticeship program, or 8 job training program. Such urban or rural program or service 9 includes but is not limited to the following programs and 10 services: 11 a. Expanding or sustaining existing transportation services 12 or service hours, including nights and weekends. 13 b. Coordinating ride share services, including car pool or 14 van pool services. 15 c. Shuttle services. 16 2. The Iowa employment and education rides initiative 17 is established in the department to provide funds to public 18 transit systems for programs and services that provide 19 employment and education transportation to Iowans. 20 3. The department shall award funds from the initiative 21 on a competitive grant basis. A grant shall not exceed 22 one hundred fifty thousand dollars. A grant application 23 shall contain a commitment from the public transit system 24 of at least a dollar-for-dollar match of the grant funds 25 awarded. Grant funds shall be used only for operational costs 26 directly associated with providing employment and education 27 transportation and shall not be used for capital expenditures 28 or construction. 29 4. A public transit system may coordinate with other local, 30 state, or federal governmental agencies and private nonprofit 31 organizations in the administration of a program or service 32 receiving a grant under the initiative and in expenditure of 33 grant funds. 34 5. The department shall, by January 1 each year, submit 35 -1- LSB 5833XS (2) 87 je/jh 1/ 4

S.F. 2187 a report to the general assembly on the outcomes of the 1 initiative, including the grant amount, the type of program or 2 service receiving funds, and the number of individuals served 3 for each grant awarded by the initiative. As a condition of 4 having received a grant from the initiative, a public transit 5 system shall provide the department with information on any 6 program or service for which the public transit system is 7 awarded a grant from the initiative. 8 6. The department shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A 9 to administer the initiative, including but not limited to an 10 application process and grant award criteria. 11 7. a. An Iowa employment and education rides fund is 12 created in the state treasury under the control of the 13 department. The fund shall consist of moneys appropriated to 14 the department and any other moneys available to, obtained, or 15 accepted by the department for placement in the fund. 16 b. Moneys in the fund shall be used to provide grants under 17 the Iowa employment and education rides initiative established 18 in this section. 19 c. Moneys in the fund are not subject to section 8.33. 20 Notwithstanding section 12C.7, subsection 2, interest or 21 earnings on moneys in the fund shall be credited to the fund. 22 EXPLANATION 23 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 24 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 25 This bill establishes an Iowa employment and education rides 26 initiative in the department of transportation to provide 27 funds to public transit systems for programs and services that 28 provide employment and education transportation to Iowans. 29 The bill defines “employment and education transportation” 30 as an urban or rural program or service that provides an 31 individual with transportation solely to or from a workplace or 32 adult education venue, including but not limited to a community 33 college, evening or weekend class, apprenticeship program, or 34 job training program. The urban or rural program or service 35 -2- LSB 5833XS (2) 87 je/jh 2/ 4

S.F. 2187 includes but is not limited to expanding or sustaining existing 1 transportation services or service hours, including nights and 2 weekends; coordinating ride share services, including car pool 3 or van pool services; and shuttle services. 4 A “public transit system” is defined under Code section 5 324A.1 as an urban or regional transit system providing 6 transit services accessible to the general public and receiving 7 federal, state, or local tax support. 8 The department shall award funds from the initiative on a 9 competitive grant basis. A grant cannot exceed $150,000. A 10 grant application must contain a commitment from the public 11 transit system of at least a dollar-for-dollar match of 12 the grant funds awarded. Grant funds can only be used for 13 operational costs directly associated with providing employment 14 and education transportation and cannot be used for capital 15 expenditures or construction. 16 The bill permits a public transit system to coordinate 17 with other local, state, or federal governmental agencies and 18 private nonprofit organizations in the administration of a 19 program or service receiving a grant under the initiative and 20 in expenditure of grant funds awarded. 21 As a condition of receiving a grant from the initiative, 22 a public transit system must provide the department with 23 information on any program or service for which the public 24 transit system is awarded a grant. The bill requires the 25 department to submit an annual report to the general assembly 26 on the outcomes of the initiative, including the grant amount, 27 the type of program or service receiving funds, and the number 28 of individuals served for each grant awarded by the initiative. 29 The bill requires the department to adopt administrative 30 rules to administer the initiative, including but not limited 31 to an application process and grant award criteria. 32 The bill creates an employment and education rides fund in 33 the state treasury under the control of the department. The 34 fund shall consist of moneys appropriated to the department and 35 -3- LSB 5833XS (2) 87 je/jh 3/ 4

S.F. 2187 any other moneys available to, obtained, or accepted by the 1 department for placement in the fund. The moneys in the fund 2 shall be used to provide grants under the Iowa employment and 3 education rides initiative established in the bill. 4 -4- LSB 5833XS (2) 87 je/jh 4/ 4