House Study Bill 659 



                                       HOUSE FILE       
                                       BY  (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON
                                            PUBLIC SAFETY BILL BY
                                            CHAIRPERSON LYKAM)


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

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act concerning the disaster aid individual assistance grant
  2    program.
  3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  4 TLSB 6437HC 82
  5 ec/nh/5

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  Section 29C.20A, subsections 2 and 3, Code
  1  2 Supplement 2007, are amended to read as follows:
  1  3    2.  The grant funds shall be administered by the department
  1  4 of human services.  The department shall adopt rules to create
  1  5 the Iowa disaster aid individual assistance grant program.
  1  6 The rules shall specify the eligibility of applicants and
  1  7 eligible items for grant funding.  The rules shall be adopted
  1  8 no later than January 1, 2008.  The executive council shall
  1  9 use grant funds to reimburse the department of human services
  1 10 for its actual expenses associated with the administration of
  1 11 the grants.  The department of human services is authorized
  1 12 one full=time equivalent position to administer the grant
  1 13 program in coordination with the homeland security and
  1 14 emergency management division.
  1 15    3.  To be eligible for a grant, an applicant shall have an
  1 16 annual household income that is less than one two hundred
  1 17 thirty percent of the federal poverty level based on the
  1 18 number of people in the applicant's household as defined by
  1 19 the most recently revised poverty income guidelines published
  1 20 by the United States department of health and human services.
  1 21 The amount of a grant for a household shall not exceed
  1 22 twenty=five percent of one hundred thirty percent of the
  1 23 federal poverty level for a household of one five thousand
  1 24 dollars.  Expenses eligible for grant funding shall be limited
  1 25 to personal property, home repair, food assistance, and
  1 26 temporary housing assistance.  An applicant for a grant shall
  1 27 sign an affidavit committing to refund any part of the grant
  1 28 that is duplicated by any other assistance, such as but not
  1 29 limited to insurance or assistance from community development
  1 30 groups, charities, the small business administration, and the
  1 31 federal emergency management agency.
  1 32                           EXPLANATION
  1 33    This bill makes changes to the disaster aid individual
  1 34 assistance grant program.
  1 35    The bill provides that the department of human services is
  2  1 authorized one full=time equivalent position to administer the
  2  2 program.
  2  3    The bill also provides that an applicant is eligible for a
  2  4 grant if their annual household income is less than 200
  2  5 percent of the federal poverty level.  Current law requires an
  2  6 applicant's income to be less than 130 percent of the federal
  2  7 poverty level.
  2  8    The bill also provides that the maximum grant per household
  2  9 shall not exceed $5,000.  Current law sets the maximum payment
  2 10 per household at 25 percent of 130 percent of the federal
  2 11 poverty level for a household of one.
  2 12 LSB 6437HC 82
  2 13 ec/nh/5