House File 334 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 334 BY MASCHER A BILL FOR An Act relating to state child care assistance, including 1 income eligibility and waiting list guidelines and copayment 2 requirements and providing an effective date. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 1980YH (1) 88 hb/rh

H.F. 334 Section 1. Section 237A.13, subsection 7, paragraph c, Code 1 2019, is amended to read as follows: 2 c. Families with an income of more than one hundred percent 3 but not more than one hundred forty-five eighty-five percent 4 of the federal poverty level whose members, for at least 5 twenty-eight hours per week in the aggregate, are employed 6 or are participating at a satisfactory level in an approved 7 training program or educational program. 8 Sec. 2. DIRECTIVE TO DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES —— CHILD 9 CARE ASSISTANCE. 10 1. The department of human services shall amend its 11 administrative rules pursuant to chapter 17A to do all of the 12 following: 13 a. Provide income eligibility for state child care 14 assistance, according to family size for children needing basic 15 care, to families whose nonexempt gross monthly income does not 16 exceed one hundred eighty-five percent of the federal poverty 17 level. 18 b. Adjust the state child care assistance copayment 19 schedule in incrementally increased amounts for families whose 20 nonexempt gross monthly income does not exceed two hundred 21 percent of the federal poverty level. 22 2. The department may adopt emergency rules to implement 23 this section. The rules adopted pursuant to this section shall 24 take effect July 1, 2019. 25 Sec. 3. EMERGENCY RULES. The department of human services 26 shall submit a notice of intended action to the administrative 27 rules coordinator and the administrative code editor pursuant 28 to section 17A.4, subsection 1, paragraph “a”, not later 29 than sixty days after the effective date of this Act, for 30 the adoption of rules to implement this Act. The department 31 of human services shall additionally submit emergency rules 32 adopted under section 17A.4, subsection 3, and section 17A.5, 33 subsection 2, paragraph “b”, by the same date. 34 Sec. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act, being deemed of immediate 35 -1- LSB 1980YH (1) 88 hb/rh 1/ 3

H.F. 334 importance, takes effect upon enactment. 1 EXPLANATION 2 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 3 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 4 This bill relates to state child care assistance, including 5 income eligibility and waiting list guidelines and copayment 6 requirements. 7 The state child care assistance program is administered 8 by the department of human services (DHS). Based upon the 9 availability of the funding appropriated for state child care 10 assistance for a fiscal year, the DHS establishes waiting 11 lists for state child care assistance in descending order 12 of prioritization. Under current law, one of the waiting 13 list requirements relates to families with an income of 14 more than 100 percent but not more than 145 percent of the 15 federal poverty level whose members, for at least 28 hours 16 per week in the aggregate, are employed or are participating 17 at a satisfactory level in an approved training program or 18 educational program. The bill increases this waiting list 19 income eligibility limit from 145 percent to 185 percent. 20 The bill directs DHS to amend its administrative rules to 21 provide income eligibility for state child care assistance, 22 according to family size for children needing basic care, to 23 families whose nonexempt gross monthly income does not exceed 24 185 percent of the federal poverty level. The bill also 25 directs DHS to adjust the state child care assistance copayment 26 schedule in incrementally increased amounts for such families 27 whose nonexempt gross monthly income does not exceed 200 28 percent of the federal poverty level. The administrative rules 29 adopted by DHS shall be effective July 1, 2019. 30 The bill provides DHS shall submit a notice of intended 31 action to the administrative rules coordinator and the 32 administrative code editor for adoption of rules not later than 33 60 days after the effective date of the bill for the adoption 34 of rules. The bill requires the department to additionally 35 -2- LSB 1980YH (1) 88 hb/rh 2/ 3

H.F. 334 submit emergency rules adopted by the same date. 1 The bill takes effect upon enactment. 2 -3- LSB 1980YH (1) 88 hb/rh 3/ 3