Senate File 2259 - Introduced
SENATE FILE
BY RAGAN and GASKILL
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 community college
2 tuition assistance pilot program for employees of health care
3 facilities serving adults with mental illness or mental
4 retardation.
5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
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PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. TUITION ASSISTANCE FOR INDIVIDUALS SERVING
1 2 INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES == PILOT PROGRAM.
1 3 1. If the general assembly appropriates moneys for the
1 4 establishment of a tuition assistance pilot program for
1 5 employees of health care facilities serving adults with mental
1 6 illness or mental retardation, the department of education, in
1 7 consultation with the department of human services and the
1 8 north Iowa area community college, shall establish such a
1 9 pilot program to provide a grant to a community college for
1 10 purposes of awarding tuition assistance to individuals
1 11 employed by health care facilities who provide services to
1 12 adults with mental illness or mental retardation.
1 13 2. Within the limits set by the appropriation for this
1 14 purpose, the departments of education and human services shall
1 15 work collaboratively to develop a system for determining the
1 16 number of hours a student shall work in a health care facility
1 17 in return for a percentage reduction in the student's tuition
1 18 costs.
1 19 3. A participating community college shall enter into an
1 20 agreement with one or more participating health care
1 21 facilities, and may also enter into an agreement with one or
1 22 more local nonprofit public agencies, to match state funds
1 23 provided on a dollar=for=dollar basis for tuition assistance
1 24 for an eligible student who is employed by a participating
1 25 health care facility to provide services to adults with mental
1 26 illness or mental retardation. A participating health care
1 27 facility shall agree to provide the community college with the
1 28 number of hours the student has accrued in order that the
1 29 community college may determine the percentage reduction in
1 30 the student's tuition costs.
1 31 4. The grant recipient shall compile and submit
1 32 information regarding the program's implementation and level
1 33 of local participation in the program in the manner prescribed
1 34 by the department. The department shall summarize the
1 35 information and shall submit the information and its findings
2 1 and recommendations in a report to the general assembly by
2 2 January 15 of the fiscal year following the completion of the
2 3 pilot program.
2 4 5. For purposes of this section, unless the context
2 5 otherwise requires:
2 6 a. "Eligible student" means an individual who is a
2 7 resident of Iowa, enrolled in a community college, and
2 8 employed by a participating health care facility to serve
2 9 adults with mental illness or mental retardation.
2 10 b. "Health care facility" means as defined in section
2 11 135C.1.
2 12 c. "Participating health care facility" means a health
2 13 care facility that has entered into an agreement with a
2 14 community college in accordance with this section and which
2 15 employs an eligible student.
2 16 EXPLANATION
2 17 This bill provides if the general assembly appropriates
2 18 moneys for the purpose of the establishment by the department
2 19 of education, in consultation with the department of human
2 20 services and the north Iowa area community college, of a
2 21 tuition assistance pilot program to provide a grant to a
2 22 community college for purposes of awarding tuition assistance
2 23 to residents of Iowa who are students enrolled in the
2 24 community college and who are employed by a health care
2 25 facility to provide services to adults with mental illness or
2 26 mental retardation.
2 27 The departments of education and human services are
2 28 directed to work collaboratively to develop a system for
2 29 determining the number of hours a student shall work in a
2 30 health care facility in return for a percentage reduction in
2 31 the student's tuition costs within the limits set by the
2 32 appropriation for this purpose.
2 33 A participating community college must enter into an
2 34 agreement with one or more participating health care
2 35 facilities, and may also enter into an agreement with one or
3 1 more local nonprofit public agencies, to match state funds
3 2 provided on a $1=for=$1 basis for tuition assistance for
3 3 eligible students. A participating health care facility must
3 4 agree to provide the community college with the number of
3 5 hours the student has accrued in order that the community
3 6 college may determine the percentage reduction in the
3 7 student's tuition costs.
3 8 The grant recipient must compile and submit information
3 9 regarding the program's implementation and level of local
3 10 participation in the program in the manner prescribed by the
3 11 department. The department must summarize the information and
3 12 shall submit the information and its findings and
3 13 recommendations in a report to the general assembly.
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