Text: HF02499 Text: HF02501 Text: HF02500 - HF02599 Text: HF Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. NEW SECTION. 7I.1 DEFINITIONS.
1 2 For the purposes of this chapter:
1 3 1. "Community empowerment area" means a geographic area
1 4 designated in accordance with this chapter.
1 5 2. "Community empowerment area board" or "community board"
1 6 means the board for a community empowerment area created in
1 7 accordance with this chapter.
1 8 3. "Iowa empowerment board" means the board or other body
1 9 designated in law by the general assembly to oversee the
1 10 formation of community empowerment areas and to administer the
1 11 school ready children grant program.
1 12 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION. 7I.2 COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT AREAS.
1 13 1. The purpose of a community empowerment area is to
1 14 enable local citizens to collaboratively manage funds on
1 15 behalf of the children, families, and other citizens residing
1 16 in the area.
1 17 2. A community empowerment area shall be formed by using
1 18 existing school district and county boundaries to the extent
1 19 possible. Each county and school district in the state shall
1 20 have the option of participating in a community empowerment
1 21 area.
1 22 3. The formation of a community empowerment area and a
1 23 community empowerment area board is subject to the approval of
1 24 the Iowa empowerment board. The Iowa empowerment board shall
1 25 adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A providing for the initial
1 26 identification of community empowerment areas and procedures
1 27 for later changing the initially identified areas.
1 28 Sec. 3. NEW SECTION. 7I.3 COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT AREA
1 29 BOARDS CREATED.
1 30 1. A community empowerment area shall be governed by a
1 31 community empowerment area board. The composition of a
1 32 community board shall be two-thirds members who are citizens,
1 33 elected officials, or volunteers and one-third members who are
1 34 employees of or are paid for representing any of the entities
1 35 listed in this subsection. The members of a community
2 1 empowerment area board shall include one or more
2 2 representatives of any of the following:
2 3 a. A school district.
2 4 b. A county.
2 5 c. A local board of health.
2 6 d. A hospital.
2 7 e. A charitable funding group.
2 8 f. The department of human services.
2 9 g. A religious institution.
2 10 h. An area education agency.
2 11 i. Juvenile court services.
2 12 j. An area substance abuse agency.
2 13 k. A community action program.
2 14 2. A community board may designate representatives of
2 15 service providers or public agency staff to provide technical
2 16 assistance to the community board.
2 17 3. A community board may designate a professional advisory
2 18 council consisting of persons employed by or otherwise paid to
2 19 represent an entity listed in subsection 1 or other provider
2 20 of service.
2 21 Sec. 4. NEW SECTION. 7I.4 COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT AREA
2 22 BOARD RESPONSIBILITIES AND AUTHORITY.
2 23 1. A community empowerment area board shall do the
2 24 following:
2 25 a. Designate a public agency of this state, as defined in
2 26 section 28E.2, to be the fiscal agent for grant moneys and for
2 27 other moneys administered by the community board.
2 28 b. Administer community empowerment block grant moneys
2 29 available to the community board. Eligibility for these block
2 30 grant moneys shall be limited to those community boards which
2 31 have developed an approved school ready children grant plan in
2 32 accordance with this chapter. Community empowerment block
2 33 grant moneys may include but are not limited to moneys
2 34 relating to any of the following:
2 35 (1) Child day care services.
3 1 (2) At-risk programs for preschool children.
3 2 (3) Head start programs.
3 3 (4) Parent education programs.
3 4 (5) Children's health programs.
3 5 (6) The family investment program, including the PROMISE
3 6 JOBS program.
3 7 (7) Substance abuse assessment and referral.
3 8 (8) Department of human services' field and program staff
3 9 supervision and oversight.
3 10 (9) Child welfare services, which may include group foster
3 11 care, rehabilitative treatment services, juvenile court
3 12 services, and other community-based juvenile justice services.
3 13 (10) Other moneys authorized in law for block grant
3 14 funding.
3 15 c. Assume other responsibilities established in law or
3 16 administrative rule.
3 17 2. A community board may do any of the following:
3 18 a. Designate one or more committees for oversight of grant
3 19 moneys awarded to the community empowerment area.
3 20 b. Function as a coordinating body for services directed
3 21 to similar populations by the jurisdictions within the
3 22 community empowerment area.
3 23 Sec. 5. NEW SECTION. 7I.5 SCHOOL READY CHILDREN GRANT
3 24 PROGRAM – ESTABLISHMENT AND ADMINISTRATION.
3 25 1. The departments of education, human services, and
3 26 public health shall jointly develop a school ready children
3 27 grant program which shall provide for all of the following
3 28 components:
3 29 a. Identify the core indicators of performance that will
3 30 be used to assess the effectiveness of the school ready
3 31 children grants, including increasing the basic skill levels
3 32 of students entering school, increasing health status of
3 33 children, reducing the incidence of child abuse and neglect,
3 34 increasing the access of children to an adult mentor,
3 35 increasing parental involvement with their children, and
4 1 increasing the quality and accessibility of child day care.
4 2 b. Identify guidelines and a process to be used for
4 3 determining the readiness of a community empowerment area for
4 4 administering school ready children grants.
4 5 c. Provide for technical assistance concerning funding
4 6 sources, program design, and other pertinent areas.
4 7 2. The program developed and components identified under
4 8 subsection 1 are subject to approval by the Iowa empowerment
4 9 board. The Iowa empowerment board shall provide maximum
4 10 flexibility to grantees for the use of the grant moneys
4 11 included in a school ready children grant.
4 12 3. A school ready children grant shall, at a minimum, be
4 13 used to provide the following:
4 14 a. Preschool services provided on a voluntary basis to
4 15 four-year-old children deemed at risk of not succeeding in
4 16 elementary school as determined by the community board and
4 17 specified in the grant plan developed in accordance with this
4 18 section.
4 19 b. Parent education programs promoted to parents of
4 20 children from birth through five years of age. Parent
4 21 education programs shall be offered in a flexible manner to
4 22 accommodate the varying schedules, meeting place requirements,
4 23 and other needs of working families.
4 24 c. A comprehensive school ready children grant plan
4 25 developed by a community board for providing children's
4 26 services for children from birth through five years of age
4 27 including but not limited to child development, child care,
4 28 children's health and safety, assessment provisions to
4 29 identify chemically exposed infants and children, and parent
4 30 education services. At a minimum, the plan shall do all of
4 31 the following:
4 32 (1) Describe community needs for children from birth
4 33 through five years of age as identified through ongoing
4 34 assessments.
4 35 (2) Describe the current and desired levels of community
5 1 coordination of services for children from birth through five
5 2 years of age.
5 3 (3) Identify all federal, state, local, and private
5 4 funding sources available in the community empowerment area
5 5 that will be used to provide services to children from birth
5 6 through five years of age.
5 7 (4) Describe how the funding source will be used
5 8 collaboratively and the degree to which the moneys can be
5 9 combined to provide the necessary services.
5 10 (5) Identify the results the community board expects to
5 11 achieve through implementation of the school ready children
5 12 grant program, and identify community-specific quantifiable
5 13 performance indicators that can be measured and reported in
5 14 the annual report.
5 15 5. An annual report on the effectiveness of the grant
5 16 program in addressing school readiness and children's health
5 17 and safety needs shall be submitted by the community board to
5 18 the Iowa empowerment board and to the local governing bodies.
5 19 The annual report shall indicate the effectiveness of the
5 20 community board in achieving state and locally determined
5 21 goals.
5 22 6. A school ready children grant to a community board
5 23 shall be awarded for a five-year period, with annual payments
5 24 made to the community board on or before October 1 of each
5 25 fiscal year. However, receipt of continued funding is subject
5 26 to submission of the required annual report.
5 27 The Iowa empowerment board shall distribute school ready
5 28 children grant moneys to community boards with approved
5 29 comprehensive school ready children grant plans in accordance
5 30 with the following formula:
5 31 a. An at-risk percentage shall be identified for each
5 32 school district in the state. The at-risk percentage shall be
5 33 the school district's proportion of the children who are
5 34 enrolled in the school district first through sixth grade
5 35 qualifying for free or reduced price meals for the school year
6 1 preceding the fiscal year in which the moneys are to be paid
6 2 compared to all children in the state who are enrolled in
6 3 first through sixth grade qualifying for free or reduced price
6 4 meals for the same school year.
6 5 b. A community empowerment area at-risk percentage shall
6 6 be determined by adding the at-risk percentages for each
6 7 school district in the community empowerment area.
6 8 c. The maximum annual grant amount for a community
6 9 empowerment area is the area's at-risk percentage of the
6 10 amount appropriated for school ready children grants for a
6 11 fiscal year less federal and state competitive grants and
6 12 project moneys to be received for the purposes of serving
6 13 children from birth through five years of age in that area for
6 14 the fiscal year.
6 15 7. The highest priority for school ready children grant
6 16 funds shall be to provide preschool services on a voluntary
6 17 basis to four-year-old children deemed at risk of not
6 18 succeeding in elementary school and parent education programs
6 19 on a voluntary basis to parents of children from birth through
6 20 five years of age. Remaining funds may be used to provide
6 21 other services to children from birth through five years of
6 22 age as specified in the comprehensive school ready children
6 23 grant plan.
6 24 Sec. 6. NEW SECTION. 7I.6 IOWA EMPOWERMENT FUND.
6 25 1. An Iowa empowerment fund is created in the state
6 26 treasury under the authority of the Iowa empowerment board.
6 27 The moneys in the Iowa empowerment fund are not subject to
6 28 section 8.33 and shall not be transferred, used, obligated,
6 29 appropriated, or otherwise encumbered except as provided by
6 30 law. Notwithstanding section 12C.7, subsection 2, interest or
6 31 earnings on moneys deposited in the Iowa empowerment fund
6 32 shall be credited to the fund. Moneys in the Iowa empowerment
6 33 fund may be used for cash flow purposes provided that any
6 34 moneys so allocated are returned to the fund by the end of
6 35 each fiscal year. However, the fund shall be considered a
7 1 special account for the purposes of section 8.53.
7 2 2. A school ready children grants account is created in
7 3 the Iowa empowerment fund and moneys credited to the account
7 4 shall be distributed in the form of grants to community
7 5 empowerment areas as provided in law.
7 6 Sec. 7. SCHOOL READY CHILDREN GRANTS. There is
7 7 appropriated from the general fund of the state to the Iowa
7 8 empowerment fund for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1998,
7 9 and ending June 30, 1999, the following amount, or so much
7 10 thereof as is necessary, to be used for the purpose
7 11 designated:
7 12 For deposit to the credit of the school ready children
7 13 grants account:
7 14 .................................................. $ 5,200,000
7 15 Sec. 8. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act, being deemed of
7 16 immediate importance, takes effect upon enactment.
7 17 EXPLANATION
7 18 This bill establishes a school ready children grant program
7 19 to be administered by community empowerment area boards and
7 20 the Iowa empowerment board and appropriates moneys to the
7 21 program.
7 22 New Code section 7I.1 includes definitions of community
7 23 empowerment area, community empowerment area board, and Iowa
7 24 empowerment board.
7 25 New Code section 7I.2 provides requirements for designating
7 26 community empowerment areas.
7 27 New Code section 7I.3 provides requirements for counties
7 28 and school districts to designate community empowerment area
7 29 boards.
7 30 New Code section 7I.4 outlines the responsibilities and
7 31 authority of a community empowerment area board.
7 32 New Code section 7I.5 creates the school ready children
7 33 grant program.
7 34 The departments of education, human services, and public
7 35 health must jointly determine the core indicators of
8 1 performance that will be used to assess the effectiveness of
8 2 the grants, and establish guidelines and a process to be used
8 3 in selecting community empowerment areas for grants. The bill
8 4 directs the Iowa empowerment board to adopt rules to
8 5 administer the program.
8 6 The bill requires grantees to develop a plan and submit an
8 7 annual report, and the bill lists the programs and services a
8 8 grantee must provide.
8 9 A grant may be awarded for a five-year period contingent
8 10 upon a community empowerment area board submitting an annual
8 11 report. A funding formula is provided for determining the
8 12 distribution of grant moneys to community empowerment areas
8 13 for each fiscal year.
8 14 The highest priority for the school ready children grant
8 15 moneys is to provide preschool services on a voluntary basis
8 16 to four-year-old children deemed at-risk of not succeeding in
8 17 elementary school and parent education programs for parents of
8 18 children from birth through age five.
8 19 New Code section 7I.6 creates an Iowa empowerment fund.
8 20 Moneys deposited into the fund are not subject to reversion,
8 21 transfer, or appropriation except as provided by law.
8 22 Interest or earnings on moneys in the fund are to be credited
8 23 to the fund. A school ready children grants account is
8 24 created in the fund to be used for distribution of grants to
8 25 community empowerment areas. A general fund appropriation is
8 26 made to the account.
8 27 The bill takes effect upon enactment.
8 28 LSB 3513HV 77
8 29 jp/cf/24
Text: HF02499 Text: HF02501 Text: HF02500 - HF02599 Text: HF Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
© 1998 Cornell College and League of Women Voters of Iowa
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