Senate File 259 - Introduced
SENATE FILE
BY COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOURCES
(SUCCESSOR TO SF 27)
Passed Senate, Date Passed House, Date
Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays
Approved
A BILL FOR
1 An Act creating a program to provide financial assistance for
2 postsecondary education for young adults who were involved
3 with the state's foster care program.
4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
5 TLSB 1063SV 82
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PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. Section 261.2, subsection 6, Code 2007, is
1 2 amended to read as follows:
1 3 6. Develop and implement, in cooperation with the
1 4 department of human services and the judicial branch, a
1 5 program to assist juveniles who are sixteen years of age or
1 6 older and who have a case permanency plan under chapter 232 or
1 7 237 or are otherwise under the jurisdiction of chapter 232 in
1 8 applying for federal and state aid available for higher
1 9 education. The commission shall also develop and implement
1 10 the Iowa foster care education and training program in
1 11 accordance with section 261.6.
1 12 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION. 261.6 IOWA FOSTER CARE EDUCATION
1 13 AND TRAINING PROGRAM.
1 14 1. The commission shall develop and implement, in
1 15 cooperation with the department of human services and the
1 16 judicial branch, the Iowa foster care education and training
1 17 program in accordance with this section.
1 18 2. The program shall provide financial assistance for
1 19 postsecondary education or training to persons who have a high
1 20 school diploma or a high school equivalency diploma under
1 21 chapter 259A, are age eighteen through twenty=three, and are
1 22 described by any of the following:
1 23 a. On the date the person reached age eighteen or during
1 24 the thirty calendar days preceding or succeeding that date,
1 25 the person was in a licensed foster care placement pursuant to
1 26 a court order entered under chapter 232 under the care and
1 27 custody of the department of human services or juvenile court
1 28 services.
1 29 b. On the date the person reached age eighteen or during
1 30 the thirty calendar days preceding or succeeding that date,
1 31 the person was under a court order under chapter 232 to live
1 32 with a relative or other suitable person.
1 33 c. The person was in a licensed foster care placement
1 34 pursuant to an order entered under chapter 232 prior to being
1 35 legally adopted after reaching age sixteen.
2 1 d. On the date the person reached age eighteen or during
2 2 the thirty calendar days preceding or succeeding that date,
2 3 the person was placed in the state training school or the Iowa
2 4 juvenile home pursuant to a court order entered under chapter
2 5 232 under the care and custody of the department of human
2 6 services.
2 7 3. The program requirements shall include but are not
2 8 limited to all of the following:
2 9 a. Program assistance shall cover a program participant's
2 10 expenses associated with attending an approved postsecondary
2 11 education or training program in this state. The expenses
2 12 shall include tuition and fees, books and supplies, child
2 13 care, transportation, housing, and other expenses approved by
2 14 the commission. If a participant is attending on less than a
2 15 full=time basis, assistance provisions shall be designed to
2 16 cover tuition and fees and books and supplies, and assistance
2 17 for other expenses shall be prorated to reflect the hours
2 18 enrolled.
2 19 b. If the approved education or training program is more
2 20 than one year in length, the program assistance may be
2 21 renewed. To renew the assistance, the participant must
2 22 annually reapply for the program and meet the academic
2 23 progress standards of the postsecondary educational
2 24 institution or make satisfactory progress toward completion of
2 25 the training program.
2 26 c. A person shall be less than age twenty=three upon both
2 27 the date of the person's initial application for the program
2 28 and the start date of the education or training program for
2 29 which the assistance is provided. Eligibility for program
2 30 assistance shall end upon the participant reaching age
2 31 twenty=four.
2 32 d. Assistance under the program shall not be provided for
2 33 expenses that are paid for by other programs for which funding
2 34 is available to assist the participant.
2 35 e. The commission shall implement assistance provisions in
3 1 a manner to ensure that the total amount of assistance
3 2 provided under the program remains within the funding
3 3 available for the program.
3 4 4. The commission shall develop and implement a tracking
3 5 system that maintains a record of the postsecondary and
3 6 workforce participation for those assisted under the program.
3 7 The system shall maintain a record for each participant for up
3 8 to ten years after the first year of assistance. The
3 9 commission shall deliver a report on the outcomes of the
3 10 program to the governor and general assembly by January 1
3 11 annually.
3 12 EXPLANATION
3 13 This bill creates a program under the purview of the
3 14 college student aid commission to provide financial assistance
3 15 for postsecondary education or training for young adults age
3 16 18 through 23 who were involved with the state's foster care
3 17 or juvenile justice programs. A young adult must apply for
3 18 the financial assistance program and commence the education or
3 19 training prior to becoming age 23.
3 20 Code section 261.2, relating to the duties of the
3 21 commission, is amended to include the responsibility for
3 22 developing and implementing the program within the list of the
3 23 commission's duties.
3 24 The program's provisions are codified in new Code section
3 25 261.6. The commission is required to develop and implement
3 26 the program in cooperation with the department of human
3 27 services and the judicial branch.
3 28 To be eligible for the program, a participant must have a
3 29 high school diploma or high school equivalency certificate and
3 30 be described by one of the following: when the person reached
3 31 age 18 or within 30 days preceding or succeeding that date the
3 32 person was under court order for placement in a licensed
3 33 foster care placement, the state training school, or the Iowa
3 34 juvenile home, or with a relative or other suitable adult, or
3 35 the person was in a licensed foster care placement pursuant to
4 1 an order entered under Code chapter 232 prior to being legally
4 2 adopted after reaching age 16.
4 3 Assistance under the program shall cover a program
4 4 participant's expenses associated with attending an approved
4 5 postsecondary education or training program in this state.
4 6 These expenses include tuition and fees, books and supplies,
4 7 child care, transportation, housing, and other expenses
4 8 approved by the commission. For a participant attending less
4 9 than full=time, assistance other than tuition, fees, books,
4 10 and supplies is required to be prorated.
4 11 Program assistance is available for more than one year
4 12 provided a participant reapplies annually and meets the
4 13 academic progress standards of the postsecondary educational
4 14 institution or makes satisfactory progress toward completion
4 15 of the training program.
4 16 Assistance under the program cannot be provided for
4 17 expenses that are paid for by other programs for which funding
4 18 is available to assist a participant.
4 19 The commission is required to submit an annual report to
4 20 the governor and general assembly concerning the program
4 21 outcomes.
4 22 LSB 1063SV 82
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