HF 462 (LSB 2450HH (5) 86)

HOUSE FILE 462

BY  WESSEL-KROESCHELL and JORGENSEN

A BILL FOR

An Act providing for a waiver of eligibility requirements to receive a high school equivalency diploma.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 259A.2, Code 2015, is amended to read as follows:
   259A.2  Age —— waiver.
   1.  Every applicant must have attained the age of eighteen years, be a nonhigh school graduate, and not currently enrolled in a secondary school. However, an applicant is not eligible for the diploma until after the class in which the applicant was enrolled has graduated.  An applicant may request a waiver of the requirements of this subsection from the department of education. The department shall grant such a waiver if the department determines that such a waiver would be in the best interests of the applicant.
   2.  Application shall be made to a testing center approved by the department of education, accompanied by an application fee in an amount prescribed by the department. The test scores shall be forwarded by the scorer of the test to the department.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with

the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill permits an applicant for a high school equivalency diploma to request a waiver from the department of education of the eligibility requirements for a diploma. The bill requires the department to grant such a waiver if the department determines that such a waiver would be in the best interests of the applicant.
   To be eligible for a high school equivalency diploma under current law, an applicant must have attained the age of 18 years, not be a high school graduate, and not be currently enrolled in a secondary school, and an applicant is not eligible for the diploma until after the class in which the applicant was enrolled has graduated.