SSB 3197 (LSB 6970XC (2) 91)

SENATE FILE _____ 

BY  (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS BILL BY CHAIRPERSON KRAAYENBRINK)

A BILL FOR

An Act establishing a grant program for a nonprofit organization providing sexual assault forensic examination centers.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  NEW SECTION.  915.47  Sexual assault forensic examination center grant program.
   1.  The terms defined in section 915.46 shall have the same meaning when used in this section.
   2.  A sexual assault forensic examination center grant program is established in the department of justice. Contingent upon funding, the attorney general shall contract with an eligible nonprofit organization to operate and maintain sexual assault forensic examination centers in this state.
   3.  A nonprofit organization must comply with all of the following to be eligible for a contract under this section:
   a.  Be a nonprofit organization incorporated in this state pursuant to chapter 504 that is not owned, controlled, or affiliated with any hospital, health system, or inpatient medical facility.
   b.  Employ or otherwise retain services from sexual assault nurse examiners.
   c.  Maintain, or be in the process of establishing, one or more treatment facilities in this state that are primarily dedicated to providing a diverse range of services to sexual assault survivors, including but not limited to medical forensic services.
   d.  Provide services for sexual assault survivors, including providing sexual assault care and related trainings, as the overall primary purpose of the organization.
   4.  The contracting nonprofit organization shall do all of the following:
   a.  Provide services, including medical forensic services, to sexual assault survivors including adults, persons with disabilities, rural Iowans, and other underserved populations.
   b.  Offer or facilitate trainings to law enforcement officers, prosecuting attorneys, health care professionals, and members of the public regarding sexual assault services and sexual assault prevention.
   c.  Provide a cooperative team approach regarding sexual assault services, deliver accessible services to sexual assault survivors, and establish an approach that emphasizes the best interests of the sexual assault survivor and that provides investigation, assessment, and rehabilitative services.
   d.  Involve or consult with persons from various professional disciplines who have training and expertise in addressing special types of sexual assault as necessary to address serious cases of sexual assault such as those involving intimate partner violence, dating violence, domestic violence, incest, human trafficking, and drug-facilitated sexual assault. These persons may include but are not limited to physicians and other health care professionals, law enforcement, mental health professionals, social workers, child protection workers, attorneys, juvenile court officers, public health workers, educators, and advocates.
   e.  Submit an annual report to the attorney general and the general assembly no later than January 15 of each calendar year describing, in aggregated and anonymized form, the types of services offered, total number of unduplicated clients served, demographic breakdown of clients served including age, gender, and county of residence, number of individuals by county trained, referrals made to other agencies or services, description of service gaps identified during the reporting period, and barriers to service access identified.
   5.  The requirements in subsection 4 are not intended to restrict or otherwise limit the contracting nonprofit organization from seeking funding or reimbursement from other sources.
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 a grant program in the department of justice for a nonprofit organization providing sexual assault forensic examination centers.
   The bill requires, contingent upon funding, the attorney general to contract with an eligible nonprofit organization to operate and maintain sexual assault forensic examination centers in the state.
   The bill provides that a nonprofit organization must comply with all of the following to be eligible for a contract under this section: be a nonprofit organization incorporated in the state that is not owned, controlled, or affiliated with any hospital, health system, or inpatient medical facility; employ or otherwise retain services from sexual assault nurse examiners; maintain, or be in the process of establishing, one or more treatment facilities in the state that are primarily dedicated to providing a diverse range of services to sexual assault survivors, including but not limited to medical forensic services; and provide services for sexual assault survivors, including providing sexual assault care and related trainings, as the overall primary purpose of the organization.
   The bill provides that a contracting nonprofit organization shall: provide services, including medical forensic services, to sexual assault survivors including adults, persons with disabilities, rural Iowans, and other underserved populations; offer or facilitate trainings to law enforcement officers, prosecuting attorneys, health care professionals, and members of the public regarding sexual assault services and prevention; provide a cooperative team approach regarding sexual assault services and establish an approach that emphasizes the best interests of the sexual assault survivor; involve or consult with persons from various professional disciplines who have training and expertise in addressing special types of sexual assault; and submit an annual report to the attorney general and the general assembly regarding the services offered.
   The bill provides that a contracting nonprofit organization may seek funding or reimbursement from other sources.