HF 2351 (LSB 5722YH (2) 90)

HOUSE FILE 2351

BY  GAINES

A BILL FOR

An Act establishing the Iowa imagination library program within the department of administrative services.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 8A.202, subsection 1, Code 2024, is amended by adding the following new paragraph:
   NEW PARAGRAPH.  n.  Administer the Iowa imagination library program established pursuant to section 8A.202A.
    Sec. 2.  NEW SECTION.  8A.202A  Iowa imagination library program.
   1.  As used in this section:
   a.  “County-based affiliate program” means a local affiliate of the program that operates within a county or city in this state.
   b.  “Eligible child” means a person residing in this state who is five years of age or younger.
   c.  “National nonprofit foundation” means a national nonprofit foundation that exists for the sole purpose of working with local persons to identify eligible children and mail to those eligible children age-appropriate and high-quality books each month at no cost to an eligible child or the eligible child’s family.
   d.  “Program” means the Iowa imagination library program created pursuant to this section.
   2.  Subject to an appropriation of funds by the general assembly for this purpose, the program is created and shall be administered by the department. The program shall authorize the state librarian to enter into an agreement with a nonprofit entity that shall operate the program. The agreement shall require the nonprofit entity to do all of the following:
   a.  Exist for the sole purpose of creating and operating the program.
   b.  Manage the daily operations of the program, including establishing county-based affiliate programs in all counties and cities in this state and advancing and strengthening the county-based affiliate programs to ensure increased enrollment in the program.
   c.  Develop, promote, and coordinate a public awareness campaign to make donors aware of the opportunity to donate to county-based affiliate programs and make the public aware of the opportunity to register eligible children to receive books through the program.
   d.  Contract with a national nonprofit foundation to provide eligible children with age-appropriate and high-quality books each month at no cost to an eligible child or the eligible child’s family.
   e.  Pay to the national nonprofit foundation fifty percent of the costs the national nonprofit foundation incurs providing books to eligible children under the program, as determined by the national nonprofit foundation.
   3.  The county-based affiliate programs shall pay to the nonprofit entity that is responsible for the operation of the program a combined fifty percent of the costs the national nonprofit foundation incurs providing books to eligible children under the program, as determined by the national nonprofit foundation. The amount that each county-based affiliate program pays shall be prorated to the number of eligible children the county-based affiliate program has enrolled under the program.
   4.  The department shall develop a strategy for attracting additional financial resources for the program from other sources, which may include the private sector and local, state, and federal government funding sources.
   5.  On or before July 1 the year after the state librarian and nonprofit entity enter into an agreement pursuant to subsection 2, and annually after that date on July 1, the nonprofit entity shall submit a report to the department that includes information related to the total number of eligible children residing in each county and city in this state and the total number of eligible children who are enrolled in the program in each county and city in this state. The department shall submit the report to the general assembly, along with any other information related to the program that the department deems pertinent.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill establishes the Iowa imagination library program within the department of administrative services (department).
   The bill provides that, subject to an appropriation of funds by the general assembly, the Iowa imagination library program is created and shall be administered by the department. The program facilitates the mailing of age-appropriate and high-quality books each month to eligible children at no cost to an eligible child or the eligible child’s family. Under the program, an “eligible child” is a person residing in this state who is five years of age or younger.
   The program authorizes the state librarian to enter into an agreement with a nonprofit entity that shall operate the program. The bill establishes that the agreement shall require the nonprofit entity to exist for the purpose of operating the program; managing the daily operations of the program, including establishing county-based affiliate programs; developing and coordinating a public awareness campaign to make donors aware of the opportunity to donate to county-based affiliate programs and make the public aware of the opportunity to register eligible children to receive books through the program; contracting with a national nonprofit foundation to provide eligible children with books each month at no cost; and paying to the national nonprofit foundation 50 percent of the costs the national nonprofit foundation incurs providing books to eligible children under the program.
   The bill requires county-based affiliate programs to pay to the nonprofit entity that is responsible for the operation of the program a combined 50 percent of the costs the national nonprofit foundation incurs providing books to eligible children under the program. The bill provides that the amount that each county-based affiliate program pays shall be prorated to the number of eligible children the county-based affiliate program has enrolled under the program.
   The bill requires the department to develop a strategy for attracting additional financial resources for the program from other sources.
   The bill requires the nonprofit entity to submit a report to the department that includes information related to the total number of eligible children residing in each county and city in this state and the total number of eligible children who are enrolled in the program in each county and city in this state. The bill also requires the department to submit this report to the general assembly, along with any other information related to the program that the department deems pertinent.