Iowa Legislature Public Hearings


Public Hearings and times are as follows:

HSB 276 - A bill for an act appropriating federal moneys made available from federal block grants and other nonstate sources, allocating portions of federal block grants, and providing procedures if federal moneys or federal block grants are more or less than anticipated, and including effective date and retroactive applicability provisions.

Sponsored by the Appropriations Committee

Thursday, May 6, 2021
5:00 PM (introductions begin)
6:00 PM (conclusion of the hearing)
RM 103, Sup. Ct. Chamber

05-05-2021
Teresa Bomhoff [Iowa Mental Health Planning and Advisory Council]
CON
Section 2 of HSB 276 addresses the Community Mental Health Block Grant. I am the Chairperson of the Iowa Mental Health Planning and Advisory Council which monitors the use of MHBG funds. We readily agree that 70% of the funds go to Community Mental Health Centers in Iowa. We also acknowledge 5% is for administrative costs. There is no direction for eligible purposes for the remaining 20% of the grant. In the past, the 20% has paid for projects of statewide significance like the contract for peer support and family support training, improvements to the acute care hospital bed tracking system, consultants during system redesign, for DHS staff costs, some system of care expenses, etc. Since there is no guidance for the 20% from the legislature, do you think there should be direction? Or is the 20% to be spent any way DHS wants?Also, keep in mind the federal government requires us to spend money off the top of the federal grant for First Episode Psychosis programs (10%) and Crisis Services (5%) prior to making the division of the rest of funds to the 70%, 5% and 20% categories.
05-06-2021
Deborah Thompson [Private Citizen]
PRO
Attachment