Senate File 27SENATE FILE BY HATCH, KREIMAN, RAGAN, McCOY, OLIVE, APPEL, STEWART, SCHMITZ, and BEALL 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 1063SS 82 6 jp/sh/8 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=four, 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 3. The program requirements shall include but are not 2 2 limited to all of the following: 2 3 a. Program assistance shall cover a program participant's 2 4 expenses associated with attending an approved postsecondary 2 5 education or training program. The expenses shall include 2 6 tuition and fees, books and supplies, child care, 2 7 transportation, housing, and other expenses approved by the 2 8 commission. If a participant is attending on less than a 2 9 full=time basis, assistance provisions shall be designed to 2 10 cover tuition and fees and books and supplies, and assistance 2 11 for other expenses shall be prorated to reflect the hours 2 12 enrolled. 2 13 b. If the approved education or training program is more 2 14 than one year in length, the program assistance may be 2 15 renewed. To renew the assistance, the participant must 2 16 annually reapply for the program and meet the academic 2 17 progress standards of the postsecondary educational 2 18 institution or make satisfactory progress toward completion of 2 19 the training program. 2 20 c. A person shall be less than age twenty=three upon both 2 21 the date of the person's initial application for the program 2 22 and the start date of the education or training program for 2 23 which the assistance is provided. Eligibility for program 2 24 assistance shall end upon the participant reaching age 2 25 twenty=five. 2 26 d. Assistance under the program shall not be used to 2 27 supplant other available assistance to address postsecondary 2 28 education and training program expenses for which a 2 29 participant is eligible. 2 30 e. The commission shall implement assistance provisions in 2 31 a manner to ensure that the total amount of assistance 2 32 provided under the program remains within the funding 2 33 available for the program. 2 34 EXPLANATION 2 35 This bill creates a program under the purview of the 3 1 college student aid commission to provide financial assistance 3 2 for postsecondary education or training for young adults age 3 3 18 through 24 who were involved with the state's foster care 3 4 program. A young adult must apply for the program and 3 5 commence the education or training prior to becoming age 23. 3 6 Code section 261.2, relating to the duties of the 3 7 commission, is amended to include the responsibility for 3 8 developing and implementing the program within the list of the 3 9 commission's duties. 3 10 The program's provisions are codified in new Code section 3 11 261.6. The commission is required to develop and implement 3 12 the program in cooperation with the department of human 3 13 services and the judicial branch. 3 14 To be eligible for the program, a participant must have a 3 15 high school diploma or high school equivalency certificate and 3 16 be described by one of the following: when the person reached 3 17 age 18 or within 30 days preceding or succeeding that date the 3 18 person was under court order for placement in a licensed 3 19 foster care placement or with a relative or other suitable 3 20 adult, or the person was in a licensed foster care placement 3 21 pursuant to an order entered under Code chapter 232 prior to 3 22 being legally adopted after reaching age 16. 3 23 Assistance under the program shall cover a program 3 24 participant's expenses associated with attending an approved 3 25 postsecondary education or training program. These expenses 3 26 include tuition and fees, books and supplies, child care, 3 27 transportation, housing, and other expenses approved by the 3 28 commission. For a participant attending less than full=time, 3 29 assistance other than tuition, fees, books, and supplies is 3 30 required to be prorated. 3 31 Program assistance is available for more than one year 3 32 provided a participant reapplies annually and meets the 3 33 academic progress standards of the postsecondary educational 3 34 institution or makes satisfactory progress toward completion 3 35 of the training program. 4 1 Assistance under the program cannot be used to supplant 4 2 other available assistance for which a participant is 4 3 eligible. 4 4 The commission is required to implement the program in a 4 5 manner so that the total assistance provided under the program 4 6 remains within the funding available for the program. 4 7 LSB 1063SS 82 4 8 jp:nh/sh/8