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Text: HSB00244                          Text: HSB00246
Text: HSB00200 - HSB00299               Text: HSB Index
Bills and Amendments: General Index     Bill History: General Index

House Study Bill 245

Conference Committee Text

PAG LIN
  1  1    Section 1.  Section 299.5A, unnumbered paragraphs 1 and 5,
  1  2 Code 1995, are amended to read as follows:
  1  3    If a child is truant as defined in section 299.8, school
  1  4 officers shall make a good faith effort to notify the child's
  1  5 parent, guardian, or legal or actual custodian of the truancy,
  1  6 including but not limited to sending a letter by certified
  1  7 mail, a copy of which the school shall keep on file, to the
  1  8 parent, guardian, or legal or actual custodian.  School
  1  9 officers shall also attempt to find the cause for the child's
  1 10 absence and use every means available to the school to assure
  1 11 that the child does attend.  If the parent, guardian, or legal
  1 12 or actual custodian, or child refuses to accept the school's
  1 13 attempt to assure the child's attendance or the school's
  1 14 attempt to assure the child's attendance is otherwise
  1 15 unsuccessful, the truancy officer shall refer the matter to
  1 16 the county attorney for mediation or prosecution, and shall
  1 17 contact the department of human services to request
  1 18 information indicating whether the child has a parent,
  1 19 guardian, or legal or actual custodian who is participating in
  1 20 the family investment program under chapter 239.
  1 21    The mediator may refer a truant to the juvenile court if
  1 22 mediation breaks down without an agreement being reached.  If
  1 23 mediation does not result in the child's school attendance,
  1 24 and the school has determined that the child's parent,
  1 25 guardian, or legal or actual custodian is participating in the
  1 26 family investment program under chapter 239, school officials
  1 27 shall notify the department of human services, which shall
  1 28 institute any appropriate action.
  1 29    Sec. 2.  Section 299.6, unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 1995,
  1 30 is amended to read as follows:
  1 31    Any A person who violates a mediation agreement under
  1 32 section 299.5A, who is referred for prosecution under section
  1 33 299.5A and is convicted of a violation of any of the
  1 34 provisions of sections 299.1 through 299.5, who violates any
  1 35 of the provisions of sections 299.1 through 299.5, or who
  2  1 refuses to participate in mediation under section 299.5A, for
  2  2 a first offense, is guilty of a simple misdemeanor.  A person
  2  3 who violates a provision of section 299.17, for a first
  2  4 offense, is guilty of a simple misdemeanor.
  2  5    Sec. 3.  NEW SECTION.  299.17  AID, SUPPORT, OR SHELTER OF
  2  6 TRUANT PROHIBITED.
  2  7    A person other than a child's parent, guardian, legal or
  2  8 actual custodian shall not knowingly provide aid, support, or
  2  9 shelter during the school day to a child who is truant as
  2 10 defined in section 299.8.
  2 11    Sec. 4.  Section 710.8, subsection 2, Code 1995, is amended
  2 12 to read as follows:
  2 13    2.  A person shall not harbor a runaway child with the in-
  2 14 tent of committing a criminal act involving the child or with
  2 15 the intent of enticing or forcing the runaway child to commit
  2 16 a criminal act.  A person convicted of a violation of this
  2 17 subsection is guilty of an aggravated misdemeanor.
  2 18    Sec. 5.  Section 710.8, subsection 3, Code 1995, is amended
  2 19 by striking the subsection and inserting in lieu thereof the
  2 20 following:
  2 21    3.  A person other than a child's parent, guardian, legal
  2 22 or actual custodian shall not harbor a runaway child.  A
  2 23 person convicted of a violation of this subsection is guilty
  2 24 of a simple misdemeanor.
  2 25    Sec. 6.  WELFARE REFORM WAIVER MODIFICATION.
  2 26    1.  The department of human services shall submit a waiver
  2 27 or waiver modification request to the United States department
  2 28 of health and human services as necessary to implement the
  2 29 school attendance provisions of this section for a recipient
  2 30 under the family investment program.  Under the provision, the
  2 31 superintendent of a school district, authorities in charge of
  2 32 a nonpublic school, or a school truancy officer may request
  2 33 and receive information from the department of human services
  2 34 indicating whether a child who may be truant as defined in
  2 35 section 299.8 has a parent, guardian, or legal or actual
  3  1 custodian who is participating in the family investment
  3  2 program.  If referral of the truancy matter to the county
  3  3 attorney pursuant to section 299.5A does not assure the
  3  4 child's attendance, the superintendent, authorities, or school
  3  5 truancy officer may notify the department of the truancy
  3  6 matter and the department may apply a sanction to the parent.
  3  7 The sanction shall be equivalent to a jobs opportunity and
  3  8 basic skills program sanction for a recipient who does not
  3  9 comply with jobs opportunity and basic skills program
  3 10 requirements under chapter 249C.
  3 11    2.  The department shall implement the school attendance
  3 12 requirement of this section on the first day of the month
  3 13 following federal approval of the provisions of this Act, or
  3 14 on July 1, 1995, whichever date is later.
  3 15    3.  If the federal government grants a waiver under this
  3 16 section, the department shall prepare an amendment for
  3 17 consideration by the next general assembly to provide for
  3 18 statutory reference to the provisions of this section.
  3 19    Sec. 7.  EMERGENCY RULES.  The department of human services
  3 20 may adopt emergency rules under section 17A.4, subsection 2,
  3 21 and section 17A.5, subsection 2, paragraph "b", to implement
  3 22 the provisions of section 6 of this Act and the rules shall be
  3 23 effective immediately upon filing unless a later date is
  3 24 specified in the rules, and the rules shall be in effect for a
  3 25 period of 180 days following the date the rules take effect.
  3 26 Any rules adopted in accordance with this section shall also
  3 27 be published as a notice of intended action as provided in
  3 28 section 17A.4.
  3 29    Sec. 8.  CONDITIONAL EFFECTIVE DATE.  Section 1 of this Act
  3 30 shall not take effect unless an appropriation is made which
  3 31 complies with section 25B.2, subsection 3.
  3 32    Sec. 9.  EFFECTIVE DATE.  Sections 6 and 7 of this Act,
  3 33 being deemed of immediate importance, take effect upon
  3 34 enactment.  
  3 35                           EXPLANATION
  4  1    The bill contains provisions related to tying truancy to
  4  2 the aid a child's parent or guardian receives under the family
  4  3 investment program, and provides penalties for providing aid,
  4  4 support, or shelter to runaway or truant children.
  4  5    Under the bill, if a child is determined to be truant,
  4  6 school officers shall make a good faith effort to notify the
  4  7 child's parent, guardian, or legal or actual custodian of the
  4  8 truancy.  Notification shall include sending a certified
  4  9 letter, a copy of which the school shall keep on file.  School
  4 10 officers may request and receive information from the
  4 11 department of human services indicating whether a child who
  4 12 may be truant has a parent, guardian, or legal or actual
  4 13 custodian participating in the family investment program.  If
  4 14 referral to the county attorney for mediation does not result
  4 15 in the child's school attendance, school officials may notify
  4 16 the department of human services of the truancy and if the
  4 17 federal government has granted the department a waiver, the
  4 18 department may reduce the recipient's aid under the family
  4 19 investment program in an amount equivalent to a JOBS program
  4 20 sanction.  The department of human services is permitted to
  4 21 adopt emergency rules to implement certain provisions in the
  4 22 bill.
  4 23    A person other than the child's parent, guardian, or legal
  4 24 or actual custodian shall not knowingly provide aid, support,
  4 25 or shelter during the school day to a child who is truant.  A
  4 26 person who violates this provision is guilty of a simple
  4 27 misdemeanor for the first offense and punishments and fines
  4 28 are provided for in the bill.
  4 29    The bill also prohibits a person from harboring a runaway
  4 30 and establishes that a person convicted of harboring a runaway
  4 31 is guilty of a simple misdemeanor.  The Code defines a runaway
  4 32 child as a person under 18 years of age who is voluntarily
  4 33 absent from the person's home without the consent of the
  4 34 parent, guardian, or custodian.
  4 35    The bill requires the department of human services to
  5  1 submit a waiver request to the United States department of
  5  2 health and human services to implement school attendance
  5  3 provisions of the bill.
  5  4    The bill may create a state mandate under chapter 25B.  The
  5  5 provision requiring a school to notify a parent of a truancy
  5  6 by letter and contact the department of human services shall
  5  7 not take effect unless the general assembly appropriates an
  5  8 amount sufficient under section 25B.2, subsection 3, to fully
  5  9 fund the cost of the bill or fund the state's proportionate
  5 10 share of the cost.
  5 11    Sections of the bill involving the welfare reform waiver
  5 12 modification and emergency rules adopted by the department of
  5 13 human services take effect upon enactment.  
  5 14 LSB 2296HC 76
  5 15 kh/jw/5
     

Text: HSB00244                          Text: HSB00246
Text: HSB00200 - HSB00299               Text: HSB Index
Bills and Amendments: General Index     Bill History: General Index

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