House File 2544 - Introduced



                                     HOUSE FILE       
                                     BY  COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOURCES

                                     (SUCCESSOR TO HF 2055)


    Passed House,  Date               Passed Senate, Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act relating to student eye care and providing an
  2    applicability date.
  3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  4 TLSB 5776HV 82
  5 ak/rj/24

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  NEW SECTION.  280.7A  STUDENT EYE CARE.
  1  2    1.  A parent or guardian who registers a child for
  1  3 kindergarten or a preschool program shall be given a student
  1  4 vision card.
  1  5    2.  Prior to being evaluated for special education services
  1  6 pursuant to chapter 256B, a student shall receive an eye
  1  7 examination by a licensed ophthalmologist or optometrist.  A
  1  8 parent or guardian is responsible for ensuring a student
  1  9 receives an eye examination if required under this subsection.
  1 10    3.  Area education agencies, pursuant to section 273.3,
  1 11 shall make every effort to provide, in collaboration with
  1 12 local community organizations, vision screening services to
  1 13 children ages two through four.
  1 14    Sec. 2.  STATE MANDATE FUNDING SPECIFIED.  In accordance
  1 15 with section 25B.2, subsection 3, the state cost of requiring
  1 16 compliance with any state mandate included in this Act shall
  1 17 be paid by a school district from state school foundation aid
  1 18 received by the school district under section 257.16.  This
  1 19 specification of the payment of the state cost shall be deemed
  1 20 to meet all the state funding=related requirements of section
  1 21 25B.2, subsection 3, and no additional state funding shall be
  1 22 necessary for the full implementation of this Act by and
  1 23 enforcement of this Act against all affected school districts.
  1 24    Sec. 3.  APPLICABILITY DATE.  This Act applies to school
  1 25 years beginning on or after July 1, 2009.
  1 26                           EXPLANATION
  1 27    This bill requires that a parent or guardian receive a
  1 28 student vision card when a child is registered for
  1 29 kindergarten or a preschool program.
  1 30    The bill requires that prior to being evaluated for special
  1 31 education services, a student must receive an eye examination
  1 32 by a licensed ophthalmologist or optometrist; ensuring that
  1 33 the examination is conducted is the responsibility of the
  1 34 student's parent or guardian.
  1 35    Area education agencies are directed to collaborate with
  2  1 local organizations to provide vision screenings to children
  2  2 ages two through four.
  2  3    The bill may include a state mandate as defined in Code
  2  4 section 25B.3.  The bill requires that the state cost of any
  2  5 state mandate included in the bill be paid by a school
  2  6 district from state school foundation aid received by the
  2  7 school district under Code section 257.16.  The specification
  2  8 is deemed to constitute state compliance with any state
  2  9 mandate funding=related requirements of Code section 25B.2.
  2 10 The inclusion of this specification is intended to reinstate
  2 11 the requirement of political subdivisions to comply with any
  2 12 state mandates included in the bill.
  2 13 LSB 5776HV 82
  2 14 ak/rj/24