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
Comments about this site or page?
webmaster@legis.iowa.gov.
Please remember that the person listed above does not vote on bills. Direct all comments concerning legislation to State Legislators.
Last update: Wed Mar 25 03:42:47 CST 1998
URL: /DOCS/GA/77GA/Legislation/HF/02500/HF02500/980302.html
jhf