House Study Bill 536
SENATE/HOUSE FILE
BY (PROPOSED IOWA FINANCE
AUTHORITY BILL)
Passed Senate, Date Passed House, 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 5333XD 82
5 md/rj/14
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=six voting members.
1 4 2. Members of the council shall consist of all of the
1 5 following:
1 6 a. Twenty=four members of the general public appointed to
1 7 two=year staggered terms by the governor in consultation with
1 8 the nominating committee under subsection 4, paragraph "a".
1 9 (1) Voting members from the general public may include,
1 10 but are not limited to the following types of individuals and
1 11 representatives of the following programs: homeless or
1 12 formerly homeless individuals and their family members, youth
1 13 shelters, faith=based organizations, local homeless service
1 14 providers, emergency shelters, transitional housing providers,
1 15 family and domestic violence shelters, private business, local
1 16 government, and community=based organizations.
1 17 (2) Five of the twenty=four voting members selected from
1 18 the general public shall be individuals who are homeless,
1 19 formerly homeless, or family members of homeless or formerly
1 20 homeless individuals.
1 21 b. Twelve agency director members consisting of all of the
1 22 following:
1 23 (1) The director of the department of education or the
1 24 director's designee.
1 25 (2) The director of the department of economic development
1 26 or the director's designee.
1 27 (3) The director of human services or the director's
1 28 designee.
1 29 (4) The attorney general or the attorney general's
1 30 designee.
1 31 (5) The director of the department of human rights or the
1 32 director's designee.
1 33 (6) The director of public health or the director's
1 34 designee.
1 35 (7) The director of the department of elder affairs or the
2 1 director's designee.
2 2 (8) The director of the department of corrections or the
2 3 director's designee.
2 4 (9) The director of the department of workforce
2 5 development or the director's designee.
2 6 (10) The director of the department of public safety or
2 7 the director's designee.
2 8 (11) The director of the department of veterans affairs or
2 9 the director's designee.
2 10 (12) The executive director of the Iowa finance authority
2 11 or the executive director's designee.
2 12 3. An agency director's designee may vote on council
2 13 matters in the absence of the director.
2 14 4. a. A nominating committee initially comprised of all
2 15 twelve agency director members shall nominate persons to the
2 16 governor to fill the general public member positions.
2 17 Following appointment of all twenty=four general public
2 18 members, the composition of the nominating committee may be
2 19 modified by rule.
2 20 b. The council may establish other committees and
2 21 subcommittees comprised of members of the council.
2 22 5. A vacancy on the council shall be filled in the same
2 23 manner as the original appointment. A member appointed to
2 24 fill a vacancy created other than by expiration of a term
2 25 shall be appointed for the remainder of the unexpired term.
2 26 6. a. A majority of the members of the council
2 27 constitutes a quorum. Any action taken by the council must be
2 28 adopted by the affirmative vote of a majority of its
2 29 membership.
2 30 b. The council shall elect a chairperson and vice
2 31 chairperson from the membership of the council. The
2 32 chairperson and vice chairperson shall serve two=year terms.
2 33 The chairperson and vice chairperson shall not both be either
2 34 general public members or agency directors. The chairperson
2 35 shall rotate between agency director members and general
3 1 public members.
3 2 c. The council shall meet at least six times per year.
3 3 Meetings of the council may be called by the chairperson or by
3 4 a majority of the members.
3 5 d. General public members shall be reimbursed for actual
3 6 and necessary expenses incurred while engaged in their
3 7 official duties. Expense payments shall be made from
3 8 appropriations made for purposes of this section.
3 9 7. The Iowa finance authority shall provide staff
3 10 assistance and administrative support to the council.
3 11 8. The duties of the council shall include but are not
3 12 limited to the following:
3 13 a. Develop a process for evaluating state policies,
3 14 programs, statutes, and rules to determine whether any state
3 15 policies, programs, statutes, or rules should be revised to
3 16 help prevent and alleviate homelessness.
3 17 b. Evaluate whether state agency resources could be more
3 18 efficiently coordinated with other state agencies to prevent
3 19 and alleviate homelessness.
3 20 c. Work to develop a coordinated and seamless service
3 21 delivery system to prevent and alleviate homelessness.
3 22 d. Use existing resources to identify and prioritize
3 23 efforts to prevent persons from becoming homeless and to
3 24 eliminate factors that keep people homeless.
3 25 e. Identify and use federal and other funding
3 26 opportunities to address and reduce homelessness within the
3 27 state.
3 28 f. Work to identify causes and effects of homelessness and
3 29 increase awareness among policymakers and the general public.
3 30 g. Advise the governor's office, the Iowa finance
3 31 authority, state agencies, and private organizations on
3 32 strategies to prevent and eliminate homelessness.
3 33 9. a. The council shall make annual recommendations to
3 34 the governor regarding matters which impact homelessness on or
3 35 before September 15.
4 1 b. The council shall prepare and file with the governor
4 2 and the general assembly on or before the first day of
4 3 December in each odd=numbered year, a report on homelessness
4 4 in Iowa.
4 5 c. The council shall assist in the completion of the
4 6 state's continuum of care application to the United States
4 7 department of housing and urban development.
4 8 10. a. The Iowa finance authority, in consultation with
4 9 the council, shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A for
4 10 carrying out the duties of the council pursuant to this
4 11 section.
4 12 b. The council shall establish internal rules of procedure
4 13 consistent with the provisions of this section.
4 14 c. Rules adopted or internal rules of procedure
4 15 established pursuant to paragraph "a" or "b" shall be
4 16 consistent with the requirements of the federal McKinney=Vento
4 17 Homeless Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. } 11301, et seq.
4 18 11. The council shall comply with the requirements of
4 19 chapters 21 and 22. The Iowa finance authority shall be the
4 20 official repository of council records.
4 21 EXPLANATION
4 22 This bill creates a council on homelessness consisting of
4 23 36 voting members. The bill provides that 24 members of the
4 24 council shall be members of the general public appointed by
4 25 the governor after consultation with the council's nominating
4 26 committee. The general public members shall serve two=year
4 27 terms staggered at the governor's discretion.
4 28 The other 12 members of the council shall consist of
4 29 specified state agency directors or each director's designee.
4 30 The bill allows designees to vote on council matters.
4 31 The bill requires a vacancy on the council to be filled in
4 32 the same manner as the original appointment. The council
4 33 shall elect a chairperson and vice chairperson from the
4 34 membership of the council to serve two=year terms. The bill
4 35 provides, however, that the chairperson and vice chairperson
5 1 shall not both be either general public members or agency
5 2 directors. The bill requires the chairperson to rotate
5 3 between general public members and agency director members.
5 4 The bill provides that meetings of the council may be
5 5 called by the chairperson or by a majority of the members.
5 6 The bill requires the council to meet at least six times per
5 7 year. The bill provides that council members shall be
5 8 reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses incurred while
5 9 engaged in their official duties.
5 10 The bill describes the duties of the council. In addition
5 11 to a list of duties described in the bill, the council is also
5 12 required to make annual recommendations to the governor
5 13 regarding matters which impact homelessness, prepare and file
5 14 with the governor and the general assembly in each
5 15 odd=numbered year, a report on homelessness in Iowa, and
5 16 assist in the completion of the state's continuum of care
5 17 application to the United States department of housing and
5 18 urban development.
5 19 The bill provides that the Iowa finance authority shall
5 20 provide staff assistance and administrative support to the
5 21 council. The bill requires the Iowa finance authority to
5 22 adopt rules under Code chapter 17A in consultation with the
5 23 council. The bill requires the council to adopt internal
5 24 rules of procedure and to comply with the open meeting and
5 25 records requirements of Code chapters 21 and 22. The bill
5 26 requires rules adopted by the Iowa finance authority or
5 27 internal rules of procedure established by the council to
5 28 comply with the federal McKinney=Vento Homeless Assistance
5 29 Act.
5 30 LSB 5333XD 82
5 31 md/rj/14.2