HF 2394 (LSB 5458YH (7) 91)

HOUSE FILE 2394

BY  CROKEN, BROWN-POWERS, WESSEL-KROESCHELL, KURTH, OLSON, EHLERT, MADISON, and WILBURN

A BILL FOR

An Act creating a food bank donation matching fund and making appropriations.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  NEW SECTION.  135.16E  Food bank donations fund —— appropriations.
   1.  As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires, “nonprofit food bank” means an organization organized under chapter 504 and qualifying under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code as an organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code that maintains an established operation involving the provision of food or edible commodities or the products thereof on a regular basis to persons in need or to food pantries, soup kitchens, hunger relief centers, or other food or feeding centers that, as an integral part of their normal activities, provide meals or food on a regular basis to persons in need.
   2.  An Iowa food bank donation matching fund is created in the state treasury under the control of the department. There is appropriated from the general fund of the state to the department of health and human services for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, and each fiscal year thereafter, one million dollars, or so much thereof as is necessary, to match the aggregate amount of private donations as reported to the state for tax purposes by nonprofit food banks over the immediately preceding fiscal year. Moneys appropriated to the department under this subsection shall be deposited by the department into the fund.
   3.  Moneys in the fund are appropriated to the department to be distributed annually to nonprofit food banks pursuant to rules promulgated by the department under chapter 17A.
   4.  Notwithstanding section 8.33, moneys appropriated in this section that remain unencumbered or unobligated at the close of the fiscal year shall not revert but shall remain available for expenditure for the purposes designated until the close of the succeeding fiscal year. Notwithstanding section 12C.7, subsection 2, interest or earnings on moneys in the fund shall be credited to the fund.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill creates the Iowa food bank donation matching fund (fund). Under the bill, the fund is under the control of the department of health and human services (HHS). The general assembly is to appropriate $1 million, or so much as is necessary to match the aggregate amount of private donations to nonprofit food banks over the immediately preceding fiscal year, to the department of health and human services. The moneys shall be appropriated by the general assembly each fiscal year beginning on July 1, 2026, and deposited into the fund by the department.
   HHS is to annually distribute the moneys to nonprofit food banks and must promulgate rules governing the distribution of moneys from the fund. Notwithstanding Code section 8.33, moneys in the fund that remain unencumbered or unobligated at the close of a fiscal year shall not revert but shall remain available for expenditure for the purposes designated. Notwithstanding Code section 12C.7(2), interest or earnings on moneys in the fund shall be credited to the fund.