House File 2497 - Introduced
HOUSE FILE
BY COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC GROWTH
(SUCCESSOR TO HSB 536)
Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date
Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays
Approved
A BILL FOR
1 An Act providing for the establishment of a council on
2 homelessness.
3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
4 TLSB 5333HV 82
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PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. NEW SECTION. 16.100A COUNCIL ON HOMELESSNESS.
1 2 1. A council on homelessness is established consisting of
1 3 thirty=eight voting members. At least one voting member at
1 4 all times shall have been less than thirty years of age at the
1 5 time of initial appointment. At least one voting member at
1 6 all times shall be a member of a minority group.
1 7 2. Members of the council shall consist of all of the
1 8 following:
1 9 a. Twenty=six members of the general public appointed to
1 10 two=year staggered terms by the governor in consultation with
1 11 the nominating committee under subsection 4, paragraph "a".
1 12 (1) Voting members from the general public may include,
1 13 but are not limited to the following types of individuals and
1 14 representatives of the following programs: homeless or
1 15 formerly homeless individuals and their family members, youth
1 16 shelters, faith=based organizations, local homeless service
1 17 providers, emergency shelters, transitional housing providers,
1 18 family and domestic violence shelters, private business, local
1 19 government, and community=based organizations.
1 20 (2) Five of the twenty=six voting members selected from
1 21 the general public shall be individuals who are homeless,
1 22 formerly homeless, or family members of homeless or formerly
1 23 homeless individuals.
1 24 (3) One of the twenty=six members selected from the
1 25 general public shall be a representative of the Iowa state
1 26 association of counties.
1 27 (4) One of the twenty=six members selected from the
1 28 general public shall be a representative of the Iowa league of
1 29 cities.
1 30 b. Twelve agency director members consisting of all of the
1 31 following:
1 32 (1) The director of the department of education or the
1 33 director's designee.
1 34 (2) The director of the department of economic development
1 35 or the director's designee.
2 1 (3) The director of human services or the director's
2 2 designee.
2 3 (4) The attorney general or the attorney general's
2 4 designee.
2 5 (5) The director of the department of human rights or the
2 6 director's designee.
2 7 (6) The director of public health or the director's
2 8 designee.
2 9 (7) The director of the department of elder affairs or the
2 10 director's designee.
2 11 (8) The director of the department of corrections or the
2 12 director's designee.
2 13 (9) The director of the department of workforce
2 14 development or the director's designee.
2 15 (10) The director of the department of public safety or
2 16 the director's designee.
2 17 (11) The director of the department of veterans affairs or
2 18 the director's designee.
2 19 (12) The executive director of the Iowa finance authority
2 20 or the executive director's designee.
2 21 3. An agency director's designee may vote on council
2 22 matters in the absence of the director.
2 23 4. a. A nominating committee initially comprised of all
2 24 twelve agency director members shall nominate persons to the
2 25 governor to fill the general public member positions.
2 26 Following appointment of all twenty=six general public
2 27 members, the composition of the nominating committee may be
2 28 modified by rule.
2 29 b. The council may establish other committees and
2 30 subcommittees comprised of members of the council.
2 31 5. A vacancy on the council shall be filled in the same
2 32 manner as the original appointment. A member appointed to
2 33 fill a vacancy created other than by expiration of a term
2 34 shall be appointed for the remainder of the unexpired term.
2 35 6. a. A majority of the members of the council
3 1 constitutes a quorum. Any action taken by the council must be
3 2 adopted by the affirmative vote of a majority of its
3 3 membership.
3 4 b. The council shall elect a chairperson and vice
3 5 chairperson from the membership of the council. The
3 6 chairperson and vice chairperson shall serve two=year terms.
3 7 The chairperson and vice chairperson shall not both be either
3 8 general public members or agency directors. The chairperson
3 9 shall rotate between agency director members and general
3 10 public members.
3 11 c. The council shall meet at least six times per year.
3 12 Meetings of the council may be called by the chairperson or by
3 13 a majority of the members.
3 14 d. General public members shall be reimbursed for actual
3 15 and necessary expenses incurred while engaged in their
3 16 official duties. Expense payments shall be made from
3 17 appropriations made for purposes of this section.
3 18 7. The Iowa finance authority shall provide staff
3 19 assistance and administrative support to the council.
3 20 8. The duties of the council shall include but are not
3 21 limited to the following:
3 22 a. Develop a process for evaluating state policies,
3 23 programs, statutes, and rules to determine whether any state
3 24 policies, programs, statutes, or rules should be revised to
3 25 help prevent and alleviate homelessness.
3 26 b. Evaluate whether state agency resources could be more
3 27 efficiently coordinated with other state agencies to prevent
3 28 and alleviate homelessness.
3 29 c. Work to develop a coordinated and seamless service
3 30 delivery system to prevent and alleviate homelessness.
3 31 d. Use existing resources to identify and prioritize
3 32 efforts to prevent persons from becoming homeless and to
3 33 eliminate factors that keep people homeless.
3 34 e. Identify and use federal and other funding
3 35 opportunities to address and reduce homelessness within the
4 1 state.
4 2 f. Work to identify causes and effects of homelessness and
4 3 increase awareness among policymakers and the general public.
4 4 g. Advise the governor's office, the Iowa finance
4 5 authority, state agencies, and private organizations on
4 6 strategies to prevent and eliminate homelessness.
4 7 9. The council shall conduct a study of issues relating to
4 8 the following:
4 9 a. Low=income seniors and low=income persons with any form
4 10 of disability, including but not limited to physical
4 11 disability, developmental disability, mental illness,
4 12 co=occurring mental illness and substance abuse disorders, or
4 13 AIDS and AIDS=related conditions. For purposes of this
4 14 section, "AIDS" and "AIDS=related conditions" mean the same as
4 15 defined in section 141A.1.
4 16 b. Low=income and moderate=income persons unable to afford
4 17 transportation or housing near work, and adequate affordable
4 18 housing able to support economic growth and development of a
4 19 community, including new construction, community
4 20 redevelopment, and urban renewal.
4 21 c. Low=income persons residing in existing affordable
4 22 housing that is in danger of becoming unaffordable or lost,
4 23 and persons determined to be or at risk of becoming homeless.
4 24 d. Affordable rental housing, access to available
4 25 financing for housing, first=time home buyers, and
4 26 relationships between landlords and tenants.
4 27 10. a. The council shall make annual recommendations to
4 28 the governor regarding matters which impact homelessness on or
4 29 before September 15.
4 30 b. The council shall prepare and file with the governor
4 31 and the general assembly on or before the first day of
4 32 December in each odd=numbered year, a report on homelessness
4 33 in Iowa.
4 34 c. The council shall assist in the completion of the
4 35 state's continuum of care application to the United States
5 1 department of housing and urban development.
5 2 11. a. The Iowa finance authority, in consultation with
5 3 the council, shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A for
5 4 carrying out the duties of the council pursuant to this
5 5 section.
5 6 b. The council shall establish internal rules of procedure
5 7 consistent with the provisions of this section.
5 8 c. Rules adopted or internal rules of procedure
5 9 established pursuant to paragraph "a" or "b" shall be
5 10 consistent with the requirements of the federal McKinney=Vento
5 11 Homeless Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. } 11301, et seq.
5 12 12. The council shall comply with the requirements of
5 13 chapters 21 and 22. The Iowa finance authority shall be the
5 14 official repository of council records.
5 15 EXPLANATION
5 16 This bill creates a council on homelessness consisting of
5 17 38 voting members. The bill provides that 26 members of the
5 18 council shall be members of the general public appointed by
5 19 the governor after consultation with the council's nominating
5 20 committee. The general public members shall serve two=year
5 21 terms staggered at the governor's discretion. The bill
5 22 specifies certain minority and demographic groups that must be
5 23 represented in the council membership.
5 24 The other 12 members of the council shall consist of
5 25 specified state agency directors or each director's designee.
5 26 The bill allows designees to vote on council matters.
5 27 The bill requires a vacancy on the council to be filled in
5 28 the same manner as the original appointment. The council
5 29 shall elect a chairperson and vice chairperson from the
5 30 membership of the council to serve two=year terms. The bill
5 31 provides, however, that the chairperson and vice chairperson
5 32 shall not both be either general public members or agency
5 33 directors. The bill requires the chairperson to rotate
5 34 between general public members and agency director members.
5 35 The bill provides that meetings of the council may be
6 1 called by the chairperson or by a majority of the members.
6 2 The bill requires the council to meet at least six times per
6 3 year. The bill provides that council members shall be
6 4 reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses incurred while
6 5 engaged in their official duties.
6 6 The bill describes the duties of the council and specifies
6 7 certain issues to be studied by the council. In addition to a
6 8 list of duties described in the bill, the council is also
6 9 required to make annual recommendations to the governor
6 10 regarding matters which impact homelessness, prepare and file
6 11 with the governor and the general assembly in each
6 12 odd=numbered year, a report on homelessness in Iowa, and
6 13 assist in the completion of the state's continuum of care
6 14 application to the United States department of housing and
6 15 urban development.
6 16 The bill provides that the Iowa finance authority shall
6 17 provide staff assistance and administrative support to the
6 18 council. The bill requires the Iowa finance authority to
6 19 adopt rules under Code chapter 17A in consultation with the
6 20 council. The bill requires the council to adopt internal
6 21 rules of procedure and to comply with the open meeting and
6 22 records requirements of Code chapters 21 and 22. The bill
6 23 requires rules adopted by the Iowa finance authority or
6 24 internal rules of procedure established by the council to
6 25 comply with the federal McKinney=Vento Homeless Assistance
6 26 Act.
6 27 LSB 5333HV 82
6 28 md/rj/14