1. An Iowa empowerment board is created to facilitate state and community efforts involving community empowerment areas, including strategic planning, funding identification, and guidance, and to promote collaboration among state and local education, health, and human services programs.
2. The Iowa board shall consist of fifteen voting members with twelve citizen members and three state agency members. The three state agency members shall be the directors of the following departments: education, human services, and public health. The twelve citizen members shall be appointed by the governor, subject to confirmation by the senate. The governor's appointments of citizen members shall be made in a manner so that each of the state's congressional districts is represented by two citizen members and so that all the appointments as a whole reflect the ethnic, cultural, social, and economic diversity of the state. The governor's appointees shall be selected from individuals nominated by community empowerment area boards. The nominations shall reflect the range of interests represented on the community boards so that the governor is able to appoint one or more members each for education, health, human services, business, faith, and public interests. At least one of the citizen members shall be a service consumer or the parent of a service consumer. Terms of office of all citizen members are three years. A vacancy on the board shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment for the balance of the unexpired term.
3. Citizen members shall be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses incurred in performance of their duties. Members shall be paid a per diem as specified in section 7E.6.
4. In addition to the voting members, the Iowa board shall include six members of the general assembly with not more than two members from each chamber being from the same political party. The three senators shall be appointed by the majority leader of the senate after consultation with the president of the senate and the minority leader of the senate. The three representatives shall be appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives after consultation with the majority and minority leaders of the house of representatives. Legislative members shall serve in an ex officio, nonvoting capacity. A legislative member is eligible for per diem and expenses as provided in section 2.10.
5. A community empowerment assistance team or teams of state agency representatives shall be designated to provide technical assistance and other support to community empowerment areas. A technical assistance system shall be developed using local representatives of the state agencies represented on the Iowa board and other state agencies and individuals involved with local community empowerment areas. The technical assistance shall be available in at least three levels of support as follows:
a. Support to areas experienced in operating an innovation zone or decategorization project with an extensive record of success in collaboration between education, health, or human services interests.
b. Support to areas experienced in operating an innovation zone or decategorization project.
c. Support to areas forming an initial community empowerment area with no previous experience operating an innovation zone or decategorization project.
6. a. Staffing services to the Iowa board shall be provided by the state agencies which are represented on the Iowa board and by other state agencies making staffing available to the Iowa board.
b. In addition, a community empowerment office is established as a division of the department of management to provide a center for facilitation, communication, and coordination for community empowerment activities and funding. Staffing for the community empowerment office shall be provided by a facilitator appointed by the governor, subject to confirmation by the senate, and who serves at the pleasure of the governor. A deputy and support staff may be designated, subject to appropriation made for this purpose. The facilitator shall submit reports to the governor, the Iowa board, and the general assembly. The facilitator shall provide primary staffing to the board, coordinate state technical assistance activities and implementation of the technical assistance system, and other communication and coordination functions to move authority and decision-making responsibility from the state to communities and individuals.
7. The Iowa board may designate an advisory council consisting of representatives from community empowerment area boards.
8. The Iowa board shall elect a chairperson from among the citizen board members and may select other officers from among the citizen board members as determined to be necessary by the board. The board shall meet regularly as determined by the board, upon the call of the board's chairperson, or upon the call of a majority of voting members.
98 Acts, ch 1206, §3, 20; 99 Acts, ch 190, §3-6, 19, 20
CS99, §28.3
Referred to in § 28.1
Duties related to community empowerment areas and boards and school ready children grant program; 98 Acts, ch 1206, § 13; 98 Acts, ch 1223, §32
Transition board; emergency rules; initial board appointments; 98 Acts, ch 1206, §15, 16, 18
Gubernatorial appointment of additional citizen members pursuant to 1999 amendment; 99 Acts, ch 190, §19, 20
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