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[Dome]Interim Calendar and Briefing

October 9, 1996

Contents:
Calendar of Scheduled Meetings
Agenda Information Regarding Scheduled Meetings
BRIEFINGS - Information Regarding Recent Meetings

Calendar of Scheduled Meetings

Monday, October 21, 1996
DHS Restructuring Task Force -
10:00 a.m., Room 116
Tuesday, November 12, 1996
Administrative Rules Review Committee -
10:00 a.m., Room 22
Wednesday, November 13, 1996
Administrative Rules Review Committee -
9:00 a.m., Room 22
Monday, November 18, 1996
Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling Study Committee - (TENTATIVE) -
10:00 a.m., Room 22

Agenda Information Regarding Scheduled Meetings

DHS Restructuring Task Force

Temporary Co-chairperson: Senator Johnie Hammond
Temporary Co-chairperson: Representative Hubert Houser

Administrative Rules Review Committee

Co-chairperson: Senator Berl E. Priebe
Co-chairperson: Representative Janet Metcalf

Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling Study Committee

Temporary Co-chairperson: Senator Patrick J. Deluhery
Temporary Co-chairperson: Representative Clyde Bradley

BRIEFINGS - Information Regarding Recent Meetings

ATTORNEY GENERAL'S TASK FORCE ON JUVENILE CRIME

September 12, 1996

The Attorney General's Task Force on Juvenile Crime met on September 12, 1996. Highlights of the meeting are as follows:

  1. Marilyn Lantz reported on federal legislation including three proposals which will be before Congress next year regarding prosecution of juveniles as adults and the potential impact of the recently enacted welfare reform legislation. Approximately $600,000 less will be available for children on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and the Department of Human Services (DHS) is looking for ways to make this up out of other sources.
  2. The Task Force discussed the impact of the victim rights legislation enacted during the 1996 Session. Some juvenile court officers are including the name of the juvenile in the initial letter to victims while others are using a code system to match juveniles with victims and not sending the name of the juvenile in the initial letter.
  3. Ralph Rosenberg of the Coalition for Family and Children's Services in Iowa discussed the increasing need for services for youth and recommended $30 to $35 million should be invested by the legislature in youth services.
  4. Attorney General Miller led a discussion regarding legislative proposals which would address some of the concerns mentioned by Mr. Rosenberg. The task force discussed the need to defer adult prison construction and focus on youth needs, particularly increased programming money.
  5. The task force discussed the issue of how to involve schools in the area of youth services in order to both reduce delinquency and promote learning. The task force discussed youth services programs in Sioux City and Des Moines.

Next Meeting. The next meeting of the task force is scheduled for November 14, 1996. The agenda is to be announced.

Corrections Planning Task Force

October 1, 1996

Background.
The Task Force was established to prepare a report and make recommendations to the interim committee on Local Corrections Infrastructure and Crime Prevention Review. The report is scheduled to be presented to the interim committee on December 3.
Presentations before the Task Force.
Task Force members heard a presentation from Dick Moore, Task Force member and Director of the Criminal and Juvenile Planning Agency regarding community grants for juvenile crime prevention. Task Force members also heard a report on the Vermont Reparative Probation Program from Task Force staff person Tori Squires, and from Gary Hinzman, Task Force member and District Director for the Department of Corrections Services. Task Force members also viewed a news video regarding use of crime statistics and portrayal of crime by the media.
Discussions by the Task Force.
Task Force members reviewed the questionnaires that will be sent to local correctional facilities and programs in order to inventory existing facility and program capabilities and needs at the local level, and identified information needed for completion of Task Force objectives. Attorney General Miller also led a discussion regarding identification of successful juvenile crime prevention programs in Iowa, and the current state of buildings in Iowa used for correctional purposes at the local level.
Scheduled Action by the Task Force.
The Task Force staff will be conducting focus groups and public hearings throughout the state during the first half of October. Public hearings have already been held in Des Moines (October 1) and Marshalltown (October 2). Public hearings will be held in Emmetsburg (October 7), Sioux City (October 8), Council Bluffs (October 8), Fort Dodge (October 10), Waterloo (October 14), Dubuque (October 15), Cedar Rapids (October 15), Davenport (October 16), and Mount Pleasant (October 16). For the location of the public hearing in each of these communities, please contact the Task Force staff at (515) 243-2000. The Task Force staff will also be conducting an inventory of local corrections facilities and programs during the month of October.
Future Task Force Meetings.
The next Task Force meeting is scheduled for November 7, 1996. The Task Force will review the results of the focus groups and public hearings conducted during October, review the format and outline for the Task Force report, and address other agenda items. The fourth Task Force meeting is scheduled for November 22, when the Task force will review the Task Force Report and make revisions. The fifth and final meeting of the Task Force is scheduled for December 3, when Task Force members will approve the final version of the Task Force Report, and submit the report to the interim committee. December meetings of the interim committee on Local Corrections Infrastructure and Crime Prevention Review have not yet been scheduled.

IOWA WELFARE REFORM ADVISORY GROUP

October 1, 1996

Background.
In the wake of federal Welfare Reform measures and based upon directives provided by the 1996 General Assembly, the Department of Human Services established the Iowa Welfare Reform Advisory Group to review federal welfare reform and its impact on Iowa and to develop recommendations for policy makers regarding program and implementation options.
The first meeting of the Welfare Reform Advisory Group was held on Tuesday, October 1, 1996. The agenda included identification of goals for the advisory group, an overview of the newly enacted federal welfare reform legislation, identification of issues for review by the advisory group, and identification of potential work group subcommittees.
Future Meetings.
The advisory group proposed meeting on a monthly basis, from October 1996 through January 1997 and scheduled additional meetings for Tuesday, November 5, 1996, Monday, December 9, 1996, and Monday, January 13, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. All meetings will be held at the Botanical Center unless a change of location is announced prior to the meeting.

STATE TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION

October 1, 1996

The State Transportation Commission met on October 1, 1996. Highlights of the meeting include the following:

  1. The Commission received a presentation from John Hey of the Department of Transportation regarding the Iowa in Motion program, a transportation blueprint for the future. Mr. Hey informed the committee of the public input that had been received regarding the alternatives developed in the program. Over 600 written comments had been received regarding the alternatives from individuals, government entities, and interest groups. Iowa State University also conducted a telephone survey to determine values people in Iowa want the transportation system to reflect. The results include little interest in an urban versus rural distinction in the system, and little interest in either increasing or decreasing the amount spent on transportation. The telephone survey also showed that 62 percent of the survey respondents were satisfied with the current transportation system. Common themes in the survey were that the system be balanced, efficient, preserve current resources, enhance economic development opportunities for the state, and be safe for those who are using it. Mr. Hey told the Commission that the final proposal will be subject to a public comment period of at least 45 days.The Commission received a draft of the new transportation plan, which will be discussed further by the Commission at the October 22 meeting. The Commission decided to devote that meeting to a discussion of the major themes the members want in the proposal and leave the discussion of specific items to a future date.
  2. The Commission affirmed the current Iowa Transportation Policy Statement, pending conclusion of the Iowa in Motion program. The policy statement will also contain a reference to the program and language that changes to the policy will be made based on the final version of the Iowa in Motion plan.
  3. The Commission also discussed the five year funding forecast. The Department is now estimating that the Road Use Tax Fund will receive $840 million in revenue for fiscal year 1997. The Commission received several handouts regarding the forecast which are on file with the Legislative Service Bureau. The Department is not predicting rapid growth in revenues for the first three years of the period, but somewhat higher growth in the last two years of the period, fiscal years 2000 and 2001.

Next Meeting. The next meeting of the Commission is scheduled for October 22, 1996. The agenda is to be announced but will include a discussion of the Iowa in Motion draft proposal.

Legislative Fiscal Committee of the Legislative Council

October 4, 1996

The Legislative Fiscal Committee held a meeting on October 4, 1996. Highlights of the meeting include the following:

Revenue Update.
Dennis Prouty, LFB, discussed the revenue estimating conference meeting of September 25, 1996. The conference estimated state revenue growth for fiscal year 1998 to be 4.5 percent. Mr. Prouty informed the committee that the 4.5 percent figure was a compromise between the figure recommended by LFB and the figure recommended by the Department of Management.
ICN Update.
Mary Shipman, LFB, presented an update on the Iowa Communications Network. The ICN will experience an operating loss this year which will be absorbed by the ICN enterprise fund without the need for an additional appropriation to cover the loss. Ms. Shipman told the committee that the Iowa Telecommunications and Technology Commission has appointed a task force to study the authorized uses and users of the ICN as it starts the administrative rules writing process. The task force includes Senators Priebe and Dvorsky and Representatives Metcalf and Brunkhorst and it will solicit outside input regarding authorized uses and users.
Housing.
The committee heard several presentations regarding housing development and other housing programs in Iowa. Ted Chapler, Executive Director of the Iowa Finance Authority, described the history of the authority and described the housing programs currently undertaken by the authority. Kathy Beery discussed housing programs under the Community and Rural Development Division of the Department of Economic Development. For its November meeting, the committee directed the Legislative Fiscal Bureau, the Iowa Finance Authority, and the Department of Economic Development to provide the committee a listing of all housing programs undertaken by those entities and to provide the information using a common set of terms. The committee also heard presentations from Loyd Ogle, Iowa Coalition for Housing and the Homeless, and Charles Wasker, Iowa Association of Homebuilders, regarding housing development recommendations.
Prison Issues.
Dwayne Ferguson, LFB, presented an issue review regarding prison privatization, including a discussion of the higher costs associated with the privatized medical services provided at the Fort Madison prison versus the costs for medical services at other Department of Corrections institutions. Mr. Ferguson noted that much of the initial cost savings through privatization comes through lower personnel costs but that some savings also occurs due to private entities not being subject to state purchasing requirements.
The committee also discussed issues surrounding recent staffing problems at the women's facility in Mitchellville. Several persons representing the Department of Corrections and the staff at the prison spoke regarding the problems. It was noted that the population of the prison has changed and is now more violent and volatile, and that the staffing situation at the prison is being affected by the completion of new men's facilities.
Next meeting.
The next meeting of the committee is tentatively scheduled for November 20. The agenda is to be announced.

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