Senate File 2280 - Introduced SENATE FILE 2280 BY COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT (SUCCESSOR TO SF 2162) A BILL FOR An Act requiring the chief information officer to implement 1 a confidential common database in conjunction with 2 state agencies involved with administering or verifying 3 eligibility for public benefits programs. 4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 5 TLSB 5716SV (2) 85 jp/nh

S.F. 2280 Section 1. NEW SECTION . 8B.25 Public benefits data sharing. 1 1. For the purposes of this section, “public benefit 2 programs” means programs that assist low-income individuals and 3 families and include but are not limited to the elder Iowan 4 support programs administered by the department on aging, 5 meal and nutrition programs administered by the department of 6 education, the child care, family investment, food assistance, 7 and medical assistance programs administered by the department 8 of human services, the housing programs administered by the 9 Iowa finance authority, and the health and wellness programs 10 administered by the department of public health. 11 2. The chief information officer shall work with the 12 department on aging, the departments of education, health, 13 human services, and revenue, the Iowa finance authority, and 14 other state agencies responsible for administering or verifying 15 eligibility for public benefit programs to develop a common 16 database for the programs. The purpose of the common database 17 is to improve and reduce the costs of administering the public 18 benefits and to enable the sharing of confidential information 19 to assist applicants and recipients. The issues addressed 20 in developing the common database shall include but are not 21 limited to all of the following: 22 a. Maintaining the confidentiality of the personal 23 information provided by applicants and recipients of the public 24 benefits. 25 b. Enabling the capacity for data sharing between the 26 agencies using the database. 27 c. Improving the ability of persons seeking public benefits 28 to have access to the benefits for which they are eligible. 29 d. Enabling applicants for and recipients of public benefits 30 programs to apply for the programs and access their own 31 information relative to the programs through the internet and 32 by use of a mobile information technology device. 33 3. The chief information officer shall initially implement 34 the common database with one or more pilot projects that 35 -1- LSB 5716SV (2) 85 jp/nh 1/ 3

S.F. 2280 shall be expanded as the projects are perfected. The chief 1 information officer and each of the departments and agencies 2 using the common database shall report annually by December 3 15 to the governor and the general assembly concerning the 4 status of the database, including but not limited to any 5 administrative cost reductions realized and improvements made 6 for the applicants for and recipients of each of the public 7 benefit programs included in the database. 8 4. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, 9 the state agencies responsible for administering or verifying 10 eligibility for public benefit programs shall provide 11 individually identifiable information about applicants for and 12 recipients of services from the public benefit programs for 13 use in the common database required by this section. If it is 14 definitely established that implementation of a provision of 15 this section would cause any of the public benefit programs 16 addressed by this section to be ineligible for federal 17 financial participation, implementation of the provision shall 18 be limited or restricted as necessary for the program to retain 19 eligibility for federal financial participation. 20 5. The chief information officer shall adopt rules to 21 implement this section. 22 EXPLANATION 23 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 24 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 25 This bill requires the state’s chief information officer to 26 implement a confidential common database in conjunction with 27 other state agencies involved with administering public benefit 28 programs. 29 The term “public benefit programs” is defined by the bill to 30 mean programs that assist low-income individuals and families, 31 including various programs specifically listed. 32 The purpose of the common database is to improve and 33 reduce the costs of administering the public benefits and to 34 enable the sharing of confidential information. Development 35 -2- LSB 5716SV (2) 85 jp/nh 2/ 3

S.F. 2280 of the database is required to address issues specified by 1 the bill, including capacity to apply for and access public 2 benefit programs and related information through the internet 3 and by using a mobile information technology device. If 4 implementation of a provision of the bill would cause a 5 public benefit program to be ineligible for federal financial 6 participation, implementation of the provision is to be limited 7 to the extent necessary for the eligibility to be retained. 8 Initially, the database is to be implemented with one or 9 more pilot projects that are to be expanded as the projects 10 are perfected. An annual report to the governor and general 11 assembly is required. 12 -3- LSB 5716SV (2) 85 jp/nh 3/ 3