Senate File 79 - Introduced SENATE FILE 79 BY McCOY A BILL FOR An Act establishing a case navigator pilot program, making 1 appropriations, and including effective date provisions. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 1075XS (3) 87 hb/rj

S.F. 79 Section 1. NEW SECTION . 13B.9A Case navigator pilot 1 program. 2 1. The state public defender shall establish, promote, and 3 administer a case navigator pilot program for the purposes 4 of assisting parents involved in child in need of assistance 5 cases. Financial assistance under the program shall be 6 provided from moneys appropriated to the case navigator 7 program. 8 2. The case navigators shall provide monthly services to 9 fifty parents involved in child in need of assistance cases. 10 3. The case navigators shall work with parents to educate 11 them with regard to case procedures, terms, court room location 12 and procedures, expectations of attorneys, the department of 13 human services, and the court, and their own expectations. 14 The case navigators shall assist parents in accessing online 15 case management programs. The case navigators shall develop 16 strategies to assist the parents when the child in need of 17 assistance case is closed and the case navigators pilot program 18 services end. 19 4. a. The state public defender shall conduct a 20 comprehensive review of the case navigator pilot program 21 and shall, by December 31, 2019, submit a report of the 22 review, and any recommendations and cost projections of such 23 recommendations to the governor and the general assembly. 24 b. If the report deems the case navigator pilot program 25 successful, the state public defender shall seek appropriated 26 moneys to expand the program statewide. 27 c. If the report deems the case navigator pilot program 28 unsuccessful, the case navigator pilot program shall not accept 29 any additional parents as clients and the program shall expend 30 resources to provide services to parents already in the program 31 through the end of their case involvement, if possible. 32 Sec. 2. CASE NAVIGATOR PILOT PROGRAM APPROPRIATIONS. There 33 is appropriated from the general fund of the state to the 34 office of the state public defender of the department of 35 -1- LSB 1075XS (3) 87 hb/rj 1/ 3

S.F. 79 inspections and appeals for the following fiscal years, the 1 following amounts, or so much thereof as is necessary, to be 2 used for the purposes designated: 3 For the case navigator pilot program: 4 1. FY 2018-2019: 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 150,000 6 2. FY 2019-2020: 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 150,000 8 Of the moneys appropriated for each fiscal year, up to $250 9 each month may be used for each client and the case navigator 10 pilot program may accept no more than 50 cases each year for 11 the two-year program. Of the moneys appropriated, moneys may 12 be expended for interpreters where necessary. 13 Sec. 3. EFFECTIVE UPON ENACTMENT. This Act, being deemed of 14 immediate importance, takes effect upon enactment. 15 EXPLANATION 16 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 17 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 18 This bill establishes a case navigator pilot program for 19 child in need of assistance cases and makes appropriations. 20 The bill directs the state public defender to establish and 21 administer the case navigator pilot program to provide services 22 to parents involved in child in need of assistance cases. 23 The bill requires the state public defender to report 24 by December 31, 2019, to the governor and the general 25 assembly. If the report finds the case navigator pilot program 26 successful, the bill directs the state public defender’s office 27 to seek appropriations to expand the program statewide. If the 28 report finds the case navigator pilot program unsuccessful, 29 the bill directs the state public defender to expend moneys to 30 ongoing cases and not to accept new cases. 31 The bill appropriates $150,000 from the general fund of the 32 state to the state public defender’s office in fiscal years 33 2018-2019 and 2019-2020. The pilot program may provide up to 34 $250 a month, per client, for a total of no more than 50 clients 35 -2- LSB 1075XS (3) 87 hb/rj 2/ 3

S.F. 79 in the case navigator pilot program each year. 1 -3- LSB 1075XS (3) 87 hb/rj 3/ 3