Text: SF02346 Text: SF02348 Text: SF02300 - SF02399 Text: SF 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 children deemed at risk of not succeeding in elementary school 4 16 as determined by the community board and specified in the 4 17 grant plan developed in accordance with this section. 4 18 b. Parent education programs promoted to parents of 4 19 children from birth through five years of age. Parent 4 20 education programs shall be offered in a flexible manner to 4 21 accommodate the varying schedules, meeting place requirements, 4 22 and other needs of working families. 4 23 c. A comprehensive school ready children grant plan 4 24 developed by a community board for providing children's 4 25 services for children from birth through five years of age 4 26 including but not limited to child development, child care, 4 27 children's health and safety, assessment provisions to 4 28 identify chemically exposed infants and children, and parent 4 29 education services. At a minimum, the plan shall do all of 4 30 the following: 4 31 (1) Describe community needs for children from birth 4 32 through five years of age as identified through ongoing 4 33 assessments. 4 34 (2) Describe the current and desired levels of community 4 35 coordination of services for children from birth through five 5 1 years of age. 5 2 (3) Identify all federal, state, local, and private 5 3 funding sources available in the community empowerment area 5 4 that will be used to provide services to children from birth 5 5 through five years of age. 5 6 (4) Describe how the funding source will be used 5 7 collaboratively and the degree to which the moneys can be 5 8 combined to provide the necessary services. 5 9 (5) Identify the results the community board expects to 5 10 achieve through implementation of the school ready children 5 11 grant program, and identify community-specific quantifiable 5 12 performance indicators that can be measured and reported in 5 13 the annual report. 5 14 5. An annual report on the effectiveness of the grant 5 15 program in addressing school readiness and children's health 5 16 and safety needs shall be submitted by the community board to 5 17 the Iowa empowerment board and to the local governing bodies. 5 18 The annual report shall indicate the effectiveness of the 5 19 community board in achieving state and locally determined 5 20 goals. 5 21 6. A school ready children grant to a community board 5 22 shall be awarded for a five-year period, with annual payments 5 23 made to the community board on or before October 1 of each 5 24 fiscal year. However, receipt of continued funding is subject 5 25 to submission of the required annual report. 5 26 The Iowa empowerment board shall distribute school ready 5 27 children grant moneys to community boards with approved 5 28 comprehensive school ready children grant plans in accordance 5 29 with the following formula: 5 30 a. A funding percentage shall be identified for each 5 31 school district in the state. The funding percentage shall be 5 32 the school district's proportion of the children who are 5 33 enrolled in the school district first through sixth grade 5 34 qualifying for free or reduced price meals for the school year 5 35 preceding the fiscal year in which the moneys are to be paid 6 1 compared to all children in the state who are enrolled in 6 2 first through sixth grade qualifying for free or reduced price 6 3 meals for the same school year. 6 4 b. A community empowerment area funding percentage shall 6 5 be determined by adding the funding percentages for each 6 6 school district in the community empowerment area. 6 7 c. The maximum annual grant amount for a community 6 8 empowerment area is the area's funding percentage of the 6 9 amount appropriated for school ready children grants for a 6 10 fiscal year. 6 11 Sec. 6. NEW SECTION. 7I.6 IOWA EMPOWERMENT FUND. 6 12 1. An Iowa empowerment fund is created in the state 6 13 treasury under the authority of the Iowa empowerment board. 6 14 The moneys in the Iowa empowerment fund are not subject to 6 15 section 8.33 and shall not be transferred, used, obligated, 6 16 appropriated, or otherwise encumbered except as provided by 6 17 law. Notwithstanding section 12C.7, subsection 2, interest or 6 18 earnings on moneys deposited in the Iowa empowerment fund 6 19 shall be credited to the fund. 6 20 2. A school ready children grants account is created in 6 21 the Iowa empowerment fund and moneys credited to the account 6 22 shall be distributed in the form of grants to community 6 23 empowerment areas as provided in law. 6 24 Sec. 7. SCHOOL READY CHILDREN GRANTS. There is 6 25 appropriated from the general fund of the state to the Iowa 6 26 empowerment fund for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1998, 6 27 and ending June 30, 1999, the following amount, or so much 6 28 thereof as is necessary, to be used for the purpose 6 29 designated: 6 30 For deposit to the credit of the school ready children 6 31 grants account: 6 32 .................................................. $ 5,200,000 6 33 Sec. 8. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act, being deemed of 6 34 immediate importance, takes effect upon enactment. 6 35 EXPLANATION 7 1 This bill establishes a school ready children grant program 7 2 to be administered by community empowerment area boards and 7 3 the Iowa empowerment board. 7 4 New Code section 7I.1 includes definitions of community 7 5 empowerment area, community empowerment area board, and Iowa 7 6 empowerment board. 7 7 New Code section 7I.2 provides requirements for designating 7 8 community empowerment areas. 7 9 New Code section 7I.3 provides requirements for counties 7 10 and school districts to designate community empowerment area 7 11 boards. 7 12 New Code section 7I.4 outlines the responsibilities and 7 13 authority of a community empowerment area board. 7 14 New Code section 7I.5 creates the school ready grant 7 15 program. 7 16 The departments of education, human services, and public 7 17 health must jointly determine the core indicators of 7 18 performance that will be used to assess the effectiveness of 7 19 the grants, and establish guidelines and a process to be used 7 20 in selecting community empowerment areas for grants. The bill 7 21 directs the Iowa empowerment board to adopt rules to 7 22 administer the program. 7 23 The bill requires grantees to develop a plan and submit an 7 24 annual report, and the bill lists the programs and services a 7 25 grantee must provide. 7 26 A grant may be awarded for a five-year period contingent 7 27 upon a community empowerment area board submitting an annual 7 28 report. A funding formula is provided for determining the 7 29 distribution of grant moneys to community empowerment areas 7 30 for each fiscal year. 7 31 New Code section 7I.6 creates an Iowa empowerment fund. 7 32 Moneys deposited into the fund are not subject to reversion, 7 33 transfer, or appropriation except as provided by law. 7 34 Interest or earnings on moneys in the fund are to be credited 7 35 to the fund. A school ready children grants account is 8 1 created in the fund to be used for distribution of grants to 8 2 community empowerment areas. A general fund appropriation is 8 3 made to the account. 8 4 The bill takes effect upon enactment. 8 5 LSB 3933SC 77 8 6 jp/sc/14
Text: SF02346 Text: SF02348 Text: SF02300 - SF02399 Text: SF Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
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