S.F. 2042 Section 1. NEW SECTION . 324A.8 Iowa employment and 1 education rides initiative —— grant program —— fund. 2 1. As used in this section, unless the context otherwise 3 requires, “employment and education transportation” means an 4 urban or rural program or service that provides an individual 5 with transportation solely to or from a workplace or adult 6 education venue, including but not limited to community 7 college, evening or weekend class, apprenticeship program, or 8 job training program. Such urban or rural program or service 9 includes but is not limited to the following programs and 10 services: 11 a. Expanding or sustaining existing transportation services 12 or service hours. 13 b. Coordinating ride share services, including car pool or 14 van pool services. 15 c. Shuttle services. 16 2. The Iowa employment and education rides initiative 17 is established in the department to provide funds to public 18 transit systems for programs and services that provide 19 employment and education transportation to Iowans. 20 3. The department shall award funds from the initiative 21 on a competitive grant basis. A grant shall not exceed one 22 hundred fifty thousand dollars. A grant application shall 23 contain a commitment from the public transit system of at least 24 a dollar-for-dollar match of the grant funds awarded. Moneys 25 charged to individuals receiving employment transportation 26 services cannot be used as matching funds. Grant funds shall 27 be used only for operational costs directly associated with 28 providing employment and education transportation and shall not 29 be used for capital expenditures or construction. 30 4. A public transit system may coordinate with other local, 31 state, or federal governmental agencies and private nonprofit 32 organizations in the administration of a program or service 33 receiving a grant under the initiative and in expenditure of 34 grant funds. 35 -1- LSB 5489XS (4) 86 je/sc 1/ 4

S.F. 2042 5. The department shall, by January 1 each year, submit 1 a report to the general assembly on the outcomes of the 2 initiative, including the grant amount, the type of program or 3 service receiving funds, and the number of individuals served 4 for each grant awarded by the initiative. As a condition of 5 having received a grant from the initiative, a public transit 6 system shall provide the department with information on any 7 program or service for which the public transit system is 8 awarded a grant from the initiative. 9 6. The department shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A 10 to administer the initiative, including but not limited to an 11 application process and grant award criteria. 12 7. a. An Iowa employment and education rides fund is 13 created in the state treasury under the control of the 14 department. The fund shall consist of moneys appropriated to 15 the department and any other moneys available to, obtained, or 16 accepted by the department for placement in the fund. 17 b. Moneys in the fund shall be used to provide grants under 18 the Iowa employment and education rides initiative established 19 in this section. 20 c. Moneys in the fund are not subject to section 8.33. 21 Notwithstanding section 12C.7, subsection 2, interest or 22 earnings on moneys in the fund shall be credited to the fund. 23 EXPLANATION 24 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 25 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 26 This bill establishes an Iowa employment and education rides 27 initiative in the department of transportation to provide 28 funds to public transit systems for programs and services that 29 provide employment and education transportation to Iowans. 30 The bill defines “employment and education transportation” 31 as an urban or rural program or service that provides an 32 individual with transportation solely to or from a workplace or 33 adult education venue, including but not limited to community 34 college, evening or weekend class, apprenticeship program, or 35 -2- LSB 5489XS (4) 86 je/sc 2/ 4

S.F. 2042 job training program. The urban or rural program or service 1 includes but is not limited to expanding or sustaining existing 2 transportation services or service hours; coordinating ride 3 share services, including car pool or van pool services; and 4 shuttle services. 5 A “public transit system” is defined under Code section 6 324A.1 as an urban or regional transit system providing 7 transit services accessible to the general public and receiving 8 federal, state, or local tax support. 9 The department shall award funds from the initiative on a 10 competitive grant basis. A grant cannot exceed $150,000. A 11 grant application must contain a commitment from the public 12 transit system of at least a dollar-for-dollar match of the 13 grant funds awarded. Moneys charged to individuals receiving 14 employment and education transportation services cannot be 15 used as matching funds. Grant funds can only be used for 16 operational costs directly associated with providing employment 17 and education transportation and cannot be used for capital 18 expenditures or construction. 19 The bill permits a public transit system to coordinate 20 with other local, state, or federal governmental agencies and 21 private nonprofit organizations in the administration of a 22 program or service receiving a grant under the initiative and 23 in expenditure of grant funds awarded. 24 As a condition of receiving a grant from the initiative, 25 a public transit system must provide the department with 26 information on any program or service for which the public 27 transit system is awarded a grant. The bill requires the 28 department to submit an annual report to the general assembly 29 on the outcomes of the initiative, including the grant amount, 30 the type of program or service receiving funds, and the number 31 of individuals served for each grant awarded by the initiative. 32 The bill requires the department to adopt administrative 33 rules to administer the initiative, including but not limited 34 to an application process and grant award criteria. 35 -3- LSB 5489XS (4) 86 je/sc 3/ 4

S.F. 2042 The bill creates an employment and education rides fund in 1 the state treasury under the control of the department. The 2 fund shall consist of moneys appropriated to the department and 3 any other moneys available to, obtained, or accepted by the 4 department for placement in the fund. The moneys in the fund 5 shall be used to provide grants under the Iowa employment and 6 education rides initiative established in the bill. 7 -4- LSB 5489XS (4) 86 je/sc 4/ 4