HF 2292 (LSB 5437HV (2) 91)

HOUSE FILE 2292

BY  COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

(SUCCESSOR TO HF 2094)

(As Amended and Passed by the House 2026-02-26)

A BILL FOR

An Act directing the department of health and human services to increase the number of inpatient psychiatric beds at each state mental health institute.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS.  The general assembly finds all of the following:
   1.  The state concurs with President Donald Trump’s executive order pertaining to ending crime and disorder on America’s streets issued July 24, 2025.
   2.  Nearly two-thirds of homeless individuals have reported having regularly used hard drugs like methamphetamines, cocaine, or opioids, and an equally large share of homeless individuals reported suffering from at least one mental health condition.
   3.  Vagrancy, disorderly behavior, sudden confrontations, and violent attacks often caused by a homeless individual with a substance use disorder or mental health condition have made cities unsafe.
   4.  The state needs to create space for many homeless individuals in a long-term institutional setting to provide the humane treatment these individuals need to address the root cause of homelessness and restore public order.
    Sec. 2.  DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES —— STATE MENTAL HEALTH INSTITUTE INPATIENT PSYCHIATRIC BEDS.
   1.  No later than July 1, 2027, the department of health and human services shall apply to the centers for Medicare and Medicaid services of the United States department of health and human services for a waiver of Medicaid’s institution for mental diseases exclusion.
   2.  No later than one calendar year after the centers for Medicare and Medicaid services approves the waiver requested under subsection 1, the department of health and human services shall double the number of inpatient psychiatric beds in the state based on the number of beds that were at each state mental health institute on June 30, 2025.