House File 2442 - Introduced
HOUSE FILE
BY PETERSEN
Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date
Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays
Approved
A BILL FOR
1 An Act relating to early childhood programs by creating an early
2 childhood Iowa advisory council.
3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
4 TLSB 6111HH 82
5 jp/nh/5
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. Section 28.9, subsection 5, Code 2007, is
1 2 amended to read as follows:
1 3 5. A community empowerment gifts and grants first years
1 4 first account is created in the Iowa empowerment fund under
1 5 the authority of the department of management. The account
1 6 shall consist of gift or grant moneys obtained from any
1 7 source, including but not limited to the federal government.
1 8 Moneys credited to the account are appropriated to the
1 9 department of management to be used for the community
1 10 empowerment=related purposes for which the moneys were
1 11 received.
1 12 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION. 135.155 EARLY CHILDHOOD IOWA
1 13 ADVISORY COUNCIL.
1 14 1. COUNCIL CREATED. An early childhood Iowa advisory
1 15 council is created as an alliance of stakeholders in early
1 16 care, health, and education systems that affect children ages
1 17 zero through five in Iowa.
1 18 2. PURPOSE. The purpose of the early childhood Iowa
1 19 advisory council is to support the development of an Iowa
1 20 early childhood system by integrating the early care, health,
1 21 and education systems addressing the needs of children ages
1 22 zero through five and their families. The advisory council
1 23 shall advise the governor, general assembly, and public and
1 24 private policy bodies and service providers in addressing its
1 25 purpose.
1 26 3. VISION STATEMENT. All activities of the system
1 27 addressed by the advisory council shall be aligned around the
1 28 following vision statement for the children of Iowa: "Every
1 29 child, beginning at birth, will be healthy and successful."
1 30 4. MEMBERSHIP. The advisory council membership shall
1 31 include a representative of any organization that touches the
1 32 lives of young children in the state ages zero through five,
1 33 has endorsed the purpose and vision statement for the advisory
1 34 council, has endorsed the guiding principles adopted by the
1 35 advisory council for the early childhood system, and has
2 1 formally asked to be a member and remains actively engaged in
2 2 council activities. The advisory council shall designate
2 3 additional members to ensure there is geographic, cultural,
2 4 and ethnic diversity among the membership.
2 5 5. PROCEDURE. Except as otherwise provided by law, the
2 6 advisory council shall determine its own rules of procedure
2 7 and operating provisions.
2 8 6. STEERING COMMITTEE. The advisory council shall operate
2 9 with a steering committee to organize, manage, and coordinate
2 10 the activities of the advisory council and its component
2 11 groups. The steering committee may act on behalf of the
2 12 advisory council as necessary. The steering committee
2 13 membership shall consist of the co=chairpersons of the
2 14 advisory council's component groups, the chairperson of the
2 15 state agency liaison team, the community empowerment
2 16 facilitator or the facilitator's designee, and other leaders
2 17 designated by the advisory council.
2 18 7. COMPONENT GROUPS. The advisory council shall establish
2 19 component groups to address the key components of the Iowa
2 20 early childhood system. Each component group shall have one
2 21 private and one public agency co=chairperson. The advisory
2 22 council may change the component groups as deemed necessary by
2 23 the advisory council. Initially, there shall be a component
2 24 group for each of the following:
2 25 a. Governance planning and administration.
2 26 b. Professional development.
2 27 c. Public engagement.
2 28 d. Quality services and programs.
2 29 e. Resources and funding.
2 30 f. Results accountability.
2 31 8. STATE AGENCY LIAISON TEAM. A state agency liaison team
2 32 shall support the efforts of the advisory council. In
2 33 addition to designees of the governor, the team shall consist
2 34 of the directors or chief administrators, or their designees,
2 35 from the following state agencies and programs:
3 1 a. Child health specialty clinics.
3 2 b. Office of community empowerment in the department of
3 3 management.
3 4 c. Department of education.
3 5 d. Office of the governor.
3 6 e. Department of human rights.
3 7 f. Department of human services.
3 8 g. Iowa state university extension service.
3 9 h. Department of public health.
3 10 9. DUTIES. In addition to the advisory function specified
3 11 in subsection 2, the advisory council's duties shall include
3 12 but are not limited to all of the following regarding the Iowa
3 13 early childhood system:
3 14 a. Adopt and update a strategic plan for developing the
3 15 system.
3 16 b. Regularly assess progress in implementing the strategic
3 17 plan.
3 18 c. Review, design, and participate in cross=functional
3 19 proposals.
3 20 d. Develop a common understanding of all parts of the
3 21 system.
3 22 e. Assess, understand, and respond to internal and
3 23 external threats to the system.
3 24 f. Serve as a liaison to constituency groups.
3 25 g. Move the system toward seamless services to children
3 26 and families through braided funding streams.
3 27 h. Maximize resources and expertise across the system.
3 28 i. Agree on common language and terminology for the
3 29 system.
3 30 j. Develop a menu of best practices and rationales for
3 31 quality services.
3 32 k. Encourage personal relationships across disciplines.
3 33 l. Serve as an advocate for the system.
3 34 m. Identify guiding principles for the early childhood
3 35 system and the agencies providing services in the system.
4 1 n. Work with the Iowa empowerment board in developing
4 2 public=private partnerships to support the early childhood
4 3 system through the first years first account in the Iowa
4 4 empowerment fund and other efforts for expanding investment of
4 5 private funding in the early childhood system. As this and
4 6 similar efforts to expand and coordinate investments from all
4 7 public and private sources evolve and mature, make
4 8 recommendations for designation of or contracting with a
4 9 private nonprofit organization to serve as a fiscal agent for
4 10 the early childhood system or another approach for increasing
4 11 public and private investment in the system.
4 12 o. Report annually by December 31 to the governor and
4 13 general assembly. The report content shall include but is not
4 14 limited to all of the following:
4 15 (1) The status and results of the advisory council's
4 16 efforts to engage the public regarding the early care, health,
4 17 and education needs of children ages zero through five and the
4 18 efforts to develop and promote private sector involvement with
4 19 the early childhood system.
4 20 (2) The status of the efforts to improve the key
4 21 components of the early childhood system and the progress in
4 22 achieving the results identified for the key components.
4 23 (3) The status of the community empowerment initiative and
4 24 the overall early childhood system in achieving the following
4 25 initial set of desired results identified in section 28.2:
4 26 (a) Healthy children.
4 27 (b) Children ready to succeed in school.
4 28 (c) Safe and supportive communities.
4 29 (d) Secure and nurturing families.
4 30 (e) Secure and nurturing early care and education
4 31 environments.
4 32 Sec. 3. NEW SECTION. 135.156 LEAD AGENCY AND OTHER STATE
4 33 AGENCIES.
4 34 1. The lead agency for support of the early childhood Iowa
4 35 advisory council for state agency efforts to develop an early
5 1 childhood system for Iowa shall be the department of public
5 2 health.
5 3 2. The department shall work with the advisory council in
5 4 integrating early care, health, and education systems to
5 5 develop an early childhood system for Iowa. The department
5 6 shall do all of the following in developing the system:
5 7 a. Work with state agencies to enter into memorandums of
5 8 understanding outlining the agencies' responsibilities in the
5 9 system.
5 10 b. Work with private businesses, foundations, and
5 11 nonprofit organizations in implementing a public=private
5 12 partnership to develop and provide funding for the system.
5 13 c. Maintain an internet site for distributing the
5 14 information provided through the advisory council and its
5 15 component groups.
5 16 EXPLANATION
5 17 This bill relates to early childhood programs by creating
5 18 the early childhood Iowa advisory council to support the
5 19 development of an early childhood system for Iowa by
5 20 integrating early care, health, and education systems.
5 21 Code section 28.9, relating to the community empowerment
5 22 fund, is amended to change the name of the community
5 23 empowerment gifts and grants account within the fund to the
5 24 first years first account.
5 25 New Code section 135.155 creates the advisory council, and
5 26 includes a purpose and vision statement, provides that the
5 27 council membership is open to a representative of any
5 28 organization that touches the lives of young children in the
5 29 state ages zero through five, authorizes the council to adopt
5 30 its own procedures, provides for creation of component groups
5 31 and for a steering committee consisting of the co=chairpersons
5 32 of the component groups and others, provides for a state
5 33 agency team to support the activities of the advisory council,
5 34 and outlines the duties of the advisory council.
5 35 New Code section 135.156 designates the department of
6 1 public health as the lead agency for the support of the
6 2 development and integration of an early childhood system for
6 3 Iowa. The lead agency's duties include working with state
6 4 agencies to enter into memorandums of understanding outlining
6 5 the agencies' responsibilities in the system; working with
6 6 private businesses, foundations, and nonprofit organizations
6 7 in implementing a public=private partnership to develop and
6 8 provide funding for the system; and maintaining an internet
6 9 site for the advisory council and its component groups.
6 10 LSB 6111HH 82
6 11 jp/nh/5.1