HF 2153 (LSB 5802YH (2) 87)

HOUSE FILE 2153

BY  KOESTER

A BILL FOR

An Act establishing an Iowa national service corps program administered by the Iowa commission on volunteer service.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 15H.5, subsection 5, paragraph a, Code 2018, is amended to read as follows:
   a.  Funding for the Iowa summer youth corps program, the Iowa green corps program established pursuant to section 15H.6, the Iowa reading corps program established pursuant to section 15H.7, and the RefugeeRISE AmeriCorps program established pursuant to section 15H.8, and the Iowa national service corps program established pursuant to section 15H.9 shall be obtained from private sector, and local, state, and federal government sources, or from other available funds credited to the community programs account, which shall be created within the economic development authority under the authority of the commission. Moneys available in the account for a fiscal year are appropriated to the commission to be used for the programs. The commission may establish an escrow account within the authority and obligate moneys within that escrow account for tuition or program payments to be made beyond the term of any fiscal year. Notwithstanding section 12C.7, subsection 2, interest earned on moneys in the community programs account shall be credited to the account. Notwithstanding section 8.33, moneys in the community programs account or escrow account shall not revert to the general fund but shall remain available for expenditure in future fiscal years.
    Sec. 2.  NEW SECTION.  15H.9  Iowa national service corps program.
   1.  The Iowa commission on volunteer service may establish an Iowa national service corps program to provide opportunities for state agencies, political subdivisions of the state, and private, nonprofit organizations to create national service programs outside of existing state and federal programs to meet state and local needs and to provide more opportunities for Iowans to serve their state and country and foster a cultural expectation of service in Iowa through a unified service corps.
   2.  The commission may adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A for approving Iowa national service corps programs and national service positions. Existing programs and service positions, including those established through the AmeriCorps programs in Iowa created pursuant to 42 U.S.C. §12501, Senior Corps and AmeriCorps vista in Iowa created pursuant to 42 U.S.C. §4950 et seq., the Iowa summer youth corps program created pursuant to section 15H.5, the Iowa green corps program created pursuant to section 15H.6, the Iowa reading corps program created pursuant to section 15H.7, the RefugeeRISE AmeriCorps program created pursuant to section 15H.8, and the Iowa conservation corps created pursuant to section 84A.7, are part of the Iowa national service corps programs and national service positions.
   3.  State agencies or political subdivisions of the state may enter into an agreement with any approved Iowa national service corps program directly or through an agreement with the commission. State agencies or political subdivisions of the state may establish Iowa national service corps programs or contract with a third-party vendor to assist the agency or political subdivision in establishing such programs.
   4.  State agencies or political subdivisions of the state may give priority to grants or projects funded that utilize Iowa national service corps programs.
   5.  State agencies or political subdivisions of the state may establish hiring preferences for any Iowa national service corps or AmeriCorps participant who has successfully completed a year of full-time service or one thousand seven hundred hours over a period extending beyond a year.
   6.  A person participating in the Iowa national service corps program is not an employee of the organization in which the person is enrolled regardless of whether a stipend is provided, shall be exempt from the merit system requirements of chapter 8, subchapter IV, and is not eligible to receive unemployment compensation benefits under chapter 96 upon completion of service.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with

the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill allows the Iowa commission on volunteer service (commission) to establish an Iowa national service corps program to provide opportunities for state agencies, political subdivisions of the state, and private, nonprofit organizations to create national service programs outside of existing state and federal programs to meet state and local needs and provide opportunities for volunteer service. The bill provides that certain specified, existing programs and service positions are automatically part of the Iowa national service corps program. The bill allows state agencies or political subdivisions of the state to enter into agreements with approved Iowa national service corps programs either directly or through the commission. The bill states a person participating in the Iowa national service corps program is not an employee of the organization in which the person is enrolled, is exempt from the state merit system requirements, and is ineligible to receive unemployment compensation benefits upon completion of service. The bill allows state agencies or political subdivisions of the state to establish hiring preferences for Iowa national service corps or AmeriCorps participants that have successfully completed a year of full-time service or 1,700 hours over a period beyond one year.
   The bill allows the commission to use moneys in and available to the community programs account established in current Code section 15H.5 to fund the program. The account may be credited with private sector, and local, state, and federal government sources, or other available funds, for use by the commission for various programs administered by the commission.