Senate File 2488 - Reprinted SENATE FILE 2488 BY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS (SUCCESSOR TO SF 2462) (SUCCESSOR TO SSB 3111) (As Amended and Passed by the Senate May 1, 2026 ) A BILL FOR An Act relating to early childhood and family services, 1 including the creation of an early childhood and family 2 services system, making appropriations, convening an early 3 childhood Iowa interim study committee, and including 4 applicability, retroactive applicability, and effective date 5 provisions. 6 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 7 SF 2488 (4) 91 dg/ko/mb

S.F. 2488 DIVISION I 1 EARLY CHILDHOOD AND FAMILY SERVICES SYSTEM 2 Section 1. NEW SECTION . 234A.1 Definitions. 3 For the purposes of this chapter, unless the context 4 otherwise requires: 5 1. “Community resources” means locally focused, 6 strength-based programs and supports that aim to enhance family 7 functioning and resilience, promote child development and 8 safety, and prevent future involvement with child protective 9 services or the juvenile justice system. 10 2. “Department” means the department of health and human 11 services. 12 3. “Early childhood and family services district” or “ECFS 13 district” means a health and human services district utilized 14 for the purpose of administering the ECFS system. 15 4. “Early childhood and family services district advisory 16 council” or “ECFS district advisory council” means an advisory 17 council established under section 234A.3. 18 5. “Early childhood and family services district plan” or 19 “ECFS district plan” means a plan developed by the department 20 to outline the ECFS system infrastructure of a district and 21 the programs and services intended to be provided within that 22 district. 23 6. “Early childhood and family services state plan” or “ECFS 24 state plan” means the plan developed by the department that 25 describes the key components of the state’s ECFS system. 26 7. “Early childhood and family services system” or “ECFS 27 system” means the system established in section 234A.2. 28 8. “Early childhood and family services system fund” or “ECFS 29 system fund” means the fund created in section 234A.6. 30 9. “Early intervention strategies” means services and 31 supports designed to proactively identify and address risk 32 factors and includes services that aim to strengthen families, 33 promote healthy development, and reduce the likelihood of abuse 34 or neglect by providing timely, targeted assistance to children 35 -1- SF 2488 (4) 91 dg/ko/mb 1/ 20

S.F. 2488 and caregivers through the ECFS system. 1 10. “Evidence-based” means practices, programs, and policies 2 grounded in the best available research and data, and that have 3 been scientifically tested and shown to be effective through 4 rigorous evaluation. 5 11. “Family support services” include group-based parent 6 education and home visiting programs designed to strengthen 7 protective factors including parenting skills, increase 8 parental knowledge of child development, and increase family 9 functioning and problem-solving skills. Family support 10 services may be used as an early intervention strategy to 11 improve birth outcomes, parental knowledge, family economic 12 success, the home learning environment, family and child 13 involvement with others, and coordination with other community 14 resources. Family support services may have a specific focus 15 on preventing child maltreatment or ensuring children are safe, 16 healthy, and ready to succeed in school. 17 12. “Health and human services district” means the same as 18 defined in section 217.1. 19 13. “HOPES-HFI program” means the healthy opportunities for 20 parents to experience success – healthy families Iowa program 21 established in section 234A.5. 22 14. “Ongoing family and community resources” means a 23 continuum of sustained, accessible, and family-centered 24 resources provided through the ECFS system that help families 25 meet their needs, strengthen protective factors, and prevent 26 child abuse and neglect. 27 15. “Primary prevention strategies” means a comprehensive 28 set of services and supports provided through the ECFS system 29 that are designed to strengthen families, promote healthy child 30 development, and prevent adverse outcomes before they occur. 31 These activities focus on addressing the underlying social, 32 economic, and environmental conditions that place children and 33 families at risk, such as poverty, social isolation, and lack 34 of access to quality early care and education. 35 -2- SF 2488 (4) 91 dg/ko/mb 2/ 20

S.F. 2488 16. “Protective factor” means an inherent strength, 1 resource, or capacity of a family, or a resource that helps a 2 family thrive, buffer against stress, and reduce the likelihood 3 of child abuse, neglect, or other poor outcome. 4 17. “Strength-based” means an approach that focuses 5 on identifying and building upon the inherent strengths, 6 resources, and capacities of a family to support the family’s 7 growth, resilience, and well-being. 8 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION . 234A.2 Early childhood and family 9 services system —— department powers and duties. 10 1. An early childhood and family services system is 11 established under the control of the department for the 12 purposes of implementing a statewide array of primary 13 prevention strategies, early intervention strategies, and 14 ongoing family and community resources for families and their 15 children under nineteen years of age. 16 2. The ECFS system shall be administered in a manner to 17 maximize funding opportunities, interagency collaboration, and 18 integration of activities and services that support positive 19 outcomes for children and families. 20 3. The ECFS system shall support equitable statewide access 21 to all services, supports, and other resources offered through 22 the ECFS system that, at a minimum, shall include all of the 23 following: 24 a. Evidence-based primary prevention strategies, including 25 family support services, designed to assist families in 26 establishing healthy, successful futures. 27 b. Tailored early intervention strategies for children and 28 families to ensure long-term well-being, including economic 29 self-sufficiency. 30 c. Ongoing family and community resources for children and 31 families to address the root causes of child abuse and neglect 32 and enhance protective factors. 33 d. Specific service components including early childhood 34 services, evidence-based family support services, and community 35 -3- SF 2488 (4) 91 dg/ko/mb 3/ 20

S.F. 2488 resources. 1 4. To the extent funding is available, the department 2 shall do all of the following to develop and administer the 3 ECFS system and carry out the department’s duties under this 4 chapter: 5 a. Plan, establish, and maintain primary prevention 6 strategies, early intervention strategies, and ongoing family 7 and community resources. 8 b. (1) Develop an early childhood and family services state 9 plan that is consistent with the department’s agency strategic 10 plan adopted pursuant to section 8E.204, and the state health 11 improvement plan developed under section 217.17. 12 (2) When developing the ECFS state plan, the department 13 shall do all of the following: 14 (a) Collaborate with stakeholders including but not 15 limited to experienced public health and medical providers, law 16 enforcement, educators, the early childhood Iowa state board, 17 the early childhood Iowa area boards, and organizations that 18 represent populations including but not limited to children to 19 be served by the ECFS system. 20 (b) Publish the proposed ECFS state plan on the department’s 21 internet site and allow the public to review and comment on the 22 proposed ECFS state plan prior to adoption. 23 c. Administer the ECFS system in each ECFS district based on 24 early childhood and family services district plans. 25 d. Develop ECFS district plans in collaboration with ECFS 26 system partners and stakeholders. 27 e. Establish ECFS district advisory councils pursuant to 28 section 234A.3. 29 f. Coordinate administration of each ECFS district plan with 30 federal and state resources. 31 g. Enter into contracts as necessary to perform activities, 32 and provide services, supports, and other resources in 33 accordance with each ECFS district plan. 34 h. Coordinate district activities with other state agencies 35 -4- SF 2488 (4) 91 dg/ko/mb 4/ 20

S.F. 2488 and state-funded initiatives that support positive outcomes for 1 children and families. 2 i. Administer and distribute federal aid received, and state 3 appropriations, grants, and other moneys deposited into the 4 early childhood and family services system fund. 5 j. Oversee, provide technical assistance to, and monitor 6 department contractors to ensure compliance with ECFS district 7 plans. 8 k. Establish and maintain data collection and management 9 information systems to identify, collect, and analyze service 10 outcomes and performance data to address the needs of clients, 11 providers, the department, and ECFS system programs. 12 l. Collect, maintain, monitor, analyze, and utilize 13 information including but not limited to ECFS client records 14 and programmatic, state, and national data, engage in studies 15 and analyses, and gather relevant statistics to understand 16 emerging needs and effectively deploy information, resources, 17 and technical assistance in response. 18 m. Adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A to administer this 19 chapter. 20 n. Take any other necessary actions to execute the 21 department’s duties under this chapter or maintain compliance 22 with federal requirements. 23 5. The department may do all of the following to develop and 24 administer the ECFS system: 25 a. Cooperate with any state agency, political subdivision, 26 or federal governmental agency to apply for grants. 27 b. Solicit and accept for use any gift of money, by will or 28 otherwise, and any grant of money or services from the federal 29 government, the state, a political subdivision of the state or 30 federal government, or a private source. 31 Sec. 3. NEW SECTION . 234A.3 Early childhood and family 32 services district advisory councils. 33 1. The department shall establish an early childhood 34 and family services district advisory council in each ECFS 35 -5- SF 2488 (4) 91 dg/ko/mb 5/ 20

S.F. 2488 district. The department shall develop policies and procedures 1 for the operational functions of each ECFS district advisory 2 council. 3 2. An ECFS district advisory council shall consist of ten 4 members appointed by the department. Individuals eligible 5 for appointment include but are not limited to all of the 6 following: 7 a. Elected public officials who currently hold office within 8 the ECFS district. 9 b. Individuals who have experience or expertise related to 10 health, education, domestic assault response, abuse response, 11 or community-based child abuse prevention. 12 c. Individuals who are representative of the populations 13 served in the ECFS district advisory council’s ECFS district. 14 d. Individuals who represent the faith community or 15 community partners in the ECFS district advisory council’s ECFS 16 district. 17 3. An ECFS district advisory council shall do all of the 18 following: 19 a. Identify opportunities and address challenges based 20 on updates received from the department relating to the 21 implementation of the ECFS district plan for the ECFS district 22 advisory council’s ECFS district. 23 b. Provide feedback to the department while the department 24 is developing ECFS system policies. 25 c. Advise the department on how to best provide families 26 access to primary prevention strategies, early intervention 27 strategies, and ongoing family and community resources 28 throughout the ECFS district advisory council’s ECFS district. 29 4. An ECFS district advisory council shall perform the 30 duties required under this section regardless of whether any 31 seat on the ECFS district advisory council is vacant. 32 Sec. 4. NEW SECTION . 234A.4 Data collection and use. 33 1. The department shall perform all of the following actions 34 related to ECFS system data: 35 -6- SF 2488 (4) 91 dg/ko/mb 6/ 20

S.F. 2488 a. (1) Collect, maintain, monitor, analyze, and utilize 1 data, including but not limited to child welfare data, Medicaid 2 data, ECFS system data, and other data depicting the status of 3 children and families in the state, as necessary to issue cost 4 estimates for serving populations, make and receive payments, 5 conduct operations, and perform ECFS system activities. 6 (2) When performing duties under this paragraph, the 7 department shall maintain compliance with applicable federal 8 and state privacy laws to ensure the confidentiality and 9 integrity of individually identifiable data. 10 (3) The department shall periodically assess the status of 11 the department’s compliance with subparagraph (2) to ensure 12 that data collected and maintained by the department under this 13 paragraph is protected. 14 b. To the extent possible, establish a record for each 15 individual receiving publicly funded ECFS system services. 16 Each record established under this paragraph shall include a 17 unique client identifier for the purposes of identifying and 18 tracking the individual’s record. 19 c. Consult with department contractors and other ECFS system 20 stakeholders on an ongoing basis relating to the administration 21 of the ECFS system, including but not limited to reviewing 22 trends and outcomes as indicators for improving or modifying 23 administration of the ECFS system. 24 d. Engage with entities that maintain information the 25 department is required to collect pursuant to this section to 26 integrate data relating to individuals receiving ECFS system 27 services. 28 e. Engage with entities that maintain general population 29 data relating to the ECFS system to develop action plans, 30 create projections relating to a population’s ECFS system 31 needs, develop ECFS system policies, and otherwise perform 32 activities as necessary to support families in achieving a 33 healthy, successful future. 34 2. The department shall ensure that public and private 35 -7- SF 2488 (4) 91 dg/ko/mb 7/ 20

S.F. 2488 agencies, organizations, and individuals that operate within 1 the ECFS system use uniform methods to maintain statistical 2 information relating to ECFS system outcomes and performance. 3 Sec. 5. NEW SECTION . 234A.5 Healthy families programs —— 4 HOPES-HFI program. 5 1. The department may establish the HOPES-HFI program to 6 provide services to families and children during a child’s 7 prenatal through preschool years. If established, the 8 HOPES-HFI program shall do all of the following: 9 a. Promote optimal child health and development. 10 b. Improve family coping skills and functioning. 11 c. Promote positive parenting skills and intrafamilial 12 interaction. 13 d. Prevent child abuse, child neglect, infant mortality, and 14 infant morbidity. 15 2. The department shall administer the HOPES-HFI program, 16 in whole or in part, by contracting with local organizations 17 that use evidence-based home visiting models. 18 Sec. 6. NEW SECTION . 234A.6 Early childhood and family 19 services system fund. 20 1. An early childhood and family services system fund 21 is created in the state treasury under the control of the 22 department and consisting of any moneys appropriated to the 23 department for the ECFS system fund’s purposes by the general 24 assembly and any other moneys available and obtained or 25 accepted by the department for deposit in the ECFS system fund. 26 The ECFS system fund shall be used to implement and administer 27 the ECFS system. 28 2. Moneys in the ECFS system fund are appropriated to the 29 department for the purposes of implementing and administering 30 the ECFS system. 31 3. Notwithstanding section 8.33, moneys appropriated in 32 this section that remain unencumbered or unobligated at the 33 close of a fiscal year shall not revert but shall remain 34 available for expenditure for the purposes designated. 35 -8- SF 2488 (4) 91 dg/ko/mb 8/ 20

S.F. 2488 4. Notwithstanding section 12C.7, subsection 2, interest or 1 earnings on moneys in the ECFS system fund shall be credited 2 to the ECFS system fund. 3 Sec. 7. REPEAL. Section 135.106, Code 2026, is repealed. 4 Sec. 8. EFFECTIVE DATE. The section of this division of 5 this Act enacting section 234A.6, being deemed of immediate 6 importance, takes effect upon enactment. 7 DIVISION II 8 DECATEGORIZATION INITIATIVE 9 Sec. 9. Section 235.7, subsection 2, Code 2026, is amended 10 to read as follows: 11 2. Membership. The department may authorize the governance 12 boards of decategorization of child welfare and juvenile 13 justice funding projects established under section 232.188 to 14 appoint the transition committee membership and may utilize 15 the boundaries of decategorization projects to establish 16 the service areas for transition committees. The committee 17 A committee’s membership may include but is not limited to 18 department staff involved with foster care, child welfare, 19 and adult services, juvenile court services staff, staff 20 involved with county general assistance or emergency relief 21 under chapter 251 or 252 , school district and area education 22 agency staff involved with special education, and a child’s 23 court appointed special advocate, guardian ad litem, service 24 providers, and other persons knowledgeable about the child. 25 Sec. 10. Section 237A.1, subsection 2, paragraph j, 26 subparagraph (2), Code 2026, is amended by striking the 27 subparagraph. 28 Sec. 11. Section 249A.26, subsection 5, Code 2026, is 29 amended by striking the subsection. 30 Sec. 12. Section 256I.4, subsection 6, Code 2026, is amended 31 by striking the subsection. 32 Sec. 13. REPEAL. Section 232.188, Code 2026, is repealed. 33 Sec. 14. DECATEGORIZATION FUNDING AND INITIATIVES. 34 1. For purposes of this section, unless the context 35 -9- SF 2488 (4) 91 dg/ko/mb 9/ 20

S.F. 2488 otherwise requires: 1 a. “Carryover funding” means unobligated or unencumbered 2 moneys described in section 232.188, subsection 5, paragraph 3 “b”, Code 2026, at the close of the fiscal year beginning July 4 1, 2025. 5 b. “Decategorization initiative” means the services and 6 activities funded through a funding pool. 7 c. “Department” means the department of health and human 8 services. 9 d. “Funding” means moneys transferred to and remaining in a 10 funding pool at the close of the fiscal year that began July 1, 11 2025, and that consist of any of the following: 12 (1) Moneys appropriated by the general assembly and 13 designated for a decategorization initiative. 14 (2) Moneys appropriated by the general assembly to the 15 department for child welfare and juvenile justice services and 16 designated for a decategorization initiative by the department. 17 (3) Moneys appropriated to juvenile court services for 18 juvenile justice programs and designated for a decategorization 19 initiative. 20 (4) Carryover funding. 21 e. “Funding pool” means the same as defined in section 22 232.188, Code 2026. 23 f. “Governance board” means the same as defined in section 24 232.188, Code 2026. 25 2. a. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, 26 funding that consists of moneys designated for decategorization 27 initiatives and transferred to a funding pool by the department 28 that remains in a funding pool at the close of the fiscal year 29 beginning July 1, 2025, that has been encumbered or obligated 30 by the governance board for a decategorization initiative or 31 by contract beyond the end of that fiscal year, shall remain 32 available for expenditure to ensure continuation of such 33 decategorization initiative or contract until the close of the 34 succeeding fiscal year, unless otherwise determined by the 35 -10- SF 2488 (4) 91 dg/ko/mb 10/ 20

S.F. 2488 department under subsection 5. 1 b. Any encumbered or obligated moneys remaining in a funding 2 pool as specified in paragraph “a” at the close of the fiscal 3 year that begins July 1, 2026, which are not encumbered or 4 obligated by the department as determined under subsection 5 5 shall be transferred and appropriated to the department. 6 3. a. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, 7 juvenile court services shall terminate all decategorization 8 initiative contracts funded through moneys designated for a 9 decategorization initiative and transferred to a funding pool 10 by juvenile court services at the close of the fiscal year 11 that began July 1, 2025, and shall not renew or extend such 12 contracts. 13 b. Moneys encumbered or obligated under a contract 14 terminated under this subsection that remain in a funding pool 15 at the close of the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, shall 16 be transferred and appropriated to juvenile court services. 17 4. a. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the 18 contrary, moneys that remain in a funding pool at the end of 19 the fiscal year that began July 1, 2025, that are unencumbered 20 or unobligated by the governance board for a decategorization 21 initiative or by contract at the close of the fiscal year, 22 shall be transferred and appropriated to the department and 23 juvenile court services proportionately based on the percentage 24 of moneys designated for decategorization initiatives and 25 transferred to funding pools by each entity for each fiscal 26 year for the fiscal period beginning July 1, 2020, and ending 27 June 30, 2026. 28 b. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary 29 including section 8.33, moneys transferred and appropriated 30 to the department and juvenile court services under this 31 subsection shall not revert but shall remain available to those 32 entities to be used for child welfare and juvenile justice 33 services until expended. 34 5. a. With input from appropriate stakeholders, the 35 -11- SF 2488 (4) 91 dg/ko/mb 11/ 20

S.F. 2488 department shall identify each contract funded through a 1 funding pool impacted by this division of this Act. 2 b. The department shall evaluate each contract identified 3 under paragraph “a” to determine the following: 4 (1) If termination is permitted by the terms of a contract 5 being evaluated, whether the department should exercise the 6 option to terminate the contract by June 30, 2026, or continue 7 the contract until the end of the current contract term. 8 (2) If termination is not permitted by the terms of the 9 contract, whether the contract should be renewed or extended by 10 the department at the end of the current contract term. 11 (3) Whether the department should assume responsibility 12 for a contract for the remainder of the current term of the 13 contract, for the term of the contract if the contract is 14 renewed, or for the term of the contract if the contract is 15 extended to avoid service interruption. 16 c. Unless otherwise provided under this section, a 17 governance board or other entity shall not execute a contract 18 for a decategorization initiative if the contract is funded 19 through moneys in a funding pool after the effective date of 20 this section of this division of this Act, or if the term of the 21 contract extends beyond, or the deliverables under the contract 22 would be provided after, June 30, 2027. 23 Sec. 15. EFFECTIVE DATE. The section of this division of 24 this Act related to decategorization funding and initiatives, 25 being deemed of immediate importance, takes effect upon 26 enactment. 27 Sec. 16. RETROACTIVE APPLICABILITY. The section of this 28 division of this Act related to decategorization funding and 29 initiatives applies retroactively to July 1, 2025. 30 DIVISION III 31 CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION PROGRAM 32 Sec. 17. Section 144.13A, subsection 5, paragraph a, Code 33 2026, is amended to read as follows: 34 a. Ten dollars of each registration fee is appropriated and 35 -12- SF 2488 (4) 91 dg/ko/mb 12/ 20

S.F. 2488 shall be used for primary and secondary child abuse prevention 1 programs pursuant to section 235A.1 , and ten dollars of each 2 registration fee is appropriated and shall be used for the 3 congenital and inherited disorders central registry established 4 pursuant to section 136A.6 . Notwithstanding section 8.33 , 5 moneys appropriated in this paragraph that remain unencumbered 6 or unobligated at the close of the fiscal year shall not revert 7 but shall remain available for expenditure for the purposes 8 designated until the close of the succeeding fiscal year, and 9 shall not be transferred, used, obligated, appropriated, or 10 otherwise encumbered except as provided in this paragraph. 11 Sec. 18. Section 422.12K, Code 2026, is amended to read as 12 follows: 13 422.12K Income tax checkoff for child abuse prevention 14 program fund . 15 1. A person who files an individual or a joint income tax 16 return with the department of revenue under section 422.13 may 17 designate one dollar or more to be paid to the child abuse 18 prevention program early childhood and family services system 19 fund created in section 235A.2 234A.6, to be used for the 20 purpose of child abuse prevention . If the refund due on the 21 return or the payment remitted with the return is insufficient 22 to pay the additional amount designated by the taxpayer to 23 the child abuse prevention program early childhood and family 24 services system fund, the amount designated shall be reduced to 25 the remaining amount remitted with the return. The designation 26 of a contribution to the child abuse prevention program early 27 childhood and family services system fund under this section 28 is irrevocable. 29 2. The director of revenue shall draft the income tax form 30 to allow the designation of contributions to the child abuse 31 prevention program early childhood and family services system 32 fund on the tax return. The department of revenue, on or 33 before January 31, shall transfer the total amount designated 34 on the tax return forms due in the preceding calendar year to 35 -13- SF 2488 (4) 91 dg/ko/mb 13/ 20

S.F. 2488 the child abuse prevention program early childhood and family 1 services system fund. However, before a checkoff pursuant 2 to this section shall be permitted, all liabilities on the 3 books of the department and accounts identified as owing under 4 section 421.65 shall be satisfied. 5 3. The department of health and human services may authorize 6 payment of moneys from the child abuse prevention program early 7 childhood and family services system fund for the purpose 8 of child abuse prevention in accordance with section 235A.2 9 234A.6 . 10 4. The department of revenue shall adopt rules to administer 11 this section . 12 5. This section is subject to repeal under section 422.12E . 13 Sec. 19. REPEAL. Sections 235A.1, 235A.2, and 235A.3, Code 14 2026, are repealed. 15 Sec. 20. CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION PROGRAM FUND —— TRANSFER 16 OF MONEYS. Any unencumbered or unobligated moneys remaining 17 in the child abuse prevention program fund created in section 18 235A.2, on June 30, 2026, shall be transferred to the early 19 childhood and family services system fund created in section 20 234A.6, as enacted in this Act. 21 Sec. 21. CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION PROGRAM —— REVIEW OF 22 CONTRACTS IMPACTED BY TRANSITION TO THE EARLY CHILDHOOD 23 AND FAMILY SERVICES SYSTEM. With input from appropriate 24 stakeholders, the department shall review the child abuse 25 prevention program’s contract for program administration and 26 each grant project funded through the child abuse prevention 27 program for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, and ending 28 June 30, 2026, impacted by this division of this Act. The 29 department shall work with the child abuse prevention program’s 30 program administrator, local child abuse stakeholders, and 31 grant project recipients to transition the funding and child 32 abuse prevention administration and service delivery to the 33 early childhood and family services system established in 34 division I of this Act. 35 -14- SF 2488 (4) 91 dg/ko/mb 14/ 20

S.F. 2488 Sec. 22. EFFECTIVE DATE. The section of this division of 1 this Act relating to the review of contracts impacted by the 2 transition of the child abuse prevention program to the early 3 childhood and family services system, being deemed of immediate 4 importance, takes effect upon enactment. 5 Sec. 23. RETROACTIVE APPLICABILITY. The section of this 6 division of this Act relating to the review of contracts 7 impacted by the transition of the child abuse prevention 8 program to the early childhood and family services system 9 applies retroactively to July 1, 2025. 10 DIVISION IV 11 EARLY CHILDHOOD IOWA INITIATIVE —— EARLY CHILDHOOD AND FAMILY 12 SERVICES 13 Sec. 24. EARLY CHILDHOOD IOWA INITIATIVE —— EARLY CHILDHOOD 14 AND FAMILY SERVICES. 15 1. For purposes of this section, unless the context 16 otherwise requires: 17 a. “Department” means the department of health and human 18 services. 19 b. “Early childhood Iowa area” means the same as defined in 20 section 256I.1. 21 c. “Early childhood Iowa area board” means the same as 22 defined in section 256I.1. 23 d. “Early childhood Iowa initiative” means the same as 24 described in section 256I.2. 25 e. “ECFS system” means the same as defined in section 26 234A.1, as enacted in division I of this Act. 27 2. If the department receives a request from an early 28 childhood Iowa area board to transition administration of home 29 visiting services to the ECFS system, the department shall 30 develop and implement a plan to facilitate the transfer. The 31 department’s plan shall, at a minimum, include all of the 32 following: 33 a. With input from appropriate stakeholders, the department 34 shall identify each current home visiting services contract 35 -15- SF 2488 (4) 91 dg/ko/mb 15/ 20

S.F. 2488 executed by the early childhood Iowa area board requesting the 1 transfer of administration of home visiting services. The 2 early childhood Iowa area board shall, if permitted by the 3 terms of a contract, exercise the option to terminate the 4 contract. If a contract does not permit early termination, the 5 contract shall be terminated at the end of the current term of 6 the contract. A contract identified under this paragraph shall 7 not be renewed or extended at the end of the current contract 8 term. 9 b. All debts, claims, or other liabilities owed to an early 10 childhood Iowa area board, or the board’s early childhood 11 Iowa area, due to home visiting services provided or rendered 12 pursuant to chapter 256I prior to transfer of administration 13 of home visiting services to the ECFS system shall remain due 14 and owing after administration of home visiting services is 15 transferred to the ECFS system. Each fiscal agent contracted 16 with an early childhood Iowa area board shall collect such 17 outstanding debts, claims, or other liabilities. 18 c. An early childhood Iowa area board or an agent of an 19 early childhood Iowa area board shall not enter into, renew, or 20 extend a home visiting services contract related to the early 21 childhood Iowa initiative or related activities if the term 22 of the contract extends past, or the deliverables under the 23 contract would be provided after, the date administration of 24 the home visiting services is transferred to the ECFS system. 25 d. The department shall ensure that individuals currently 26 receiving home visiting services provided through the early 27 childhood Iowa initiative by the early childhood Iowa area 28 board requesting the transfer of administration of home 29 visiting services have uninterrupted continuity of care during 30 the transition. 31 e. The department shall maintain ongoing communication 32 with, and provide a means to receive input from, the early 33 childhood Iowa area board requesting the transfer of 34 administration of home visiting services during the selection 35 -16- SF 2488 (4) 91 dg/ko/mb 16/ 20

S.F. 2488 process for home visiting services providers in the early 1 childhood Iowa area board’s early childhood Iowa area. The 2 department shall collaborate with the director of the early 3 childhood Iowa area board when selecting a home visiting 4 services provider. The department shall ensure that each 5 contract the department enters into for home visiting services 6 requires that the contracted home visiting services provider 7 inform the early childhood Iowa area board that the home 8 visiting services provider will provide home visiting services 9 in the early childhood Iowa area board’s early childhood Iowa 10 area. 11 3. During and after the transfer of administration of home 12 visiting services to the ECFS system, and contingent upon the 13 department’s receipt of additional federal funds for home 14 visiting services pursuant to the Social Security Act, Tit. 15 IV-E, the department shall annually redistribute among all 16 early childhood Iowa areas that made a request under subsection 17 2 the following percentages of the additional federal funds 18 received for coordination of early childhood services for 19 children from age zero through age five: 20 a. For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2027, and ending 21 June 30, 2028, twenty-five percent. 22 b. For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2028, and ending 23 June 30, 2029, fifteen percent. 24 c. For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2029, and ending 25 June 30, 2030, five percent. 26 DIVISION V 27 EARLY CHILDHOOD IOWA INTERIM STUDY COMMITTEE 28 Sec. 25. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL —— EARLY CHILDHOOD IOWA 29 INTERIM STUDY COMMITTEE. 30 1. The legislative council shall convene a study committee 31 during the 2026 legislative interim to review the most 32 efficient means to transition home visiting services offered 33 through an early childhood Iowa area, as that term is defined 34 in section 256I.1, to another system based on districts created 35 -17- SF 2488 (4) 91 dg/ko/mb 17/ 20

S.F. 2488 by the department of health and human services and to implement 1 the transition with minimal disruption to home visitation 2 services. At a minimum, the study committee shall review all 3 of the following: 4 a. The financial and logistical consequences to the early 5 childhood Iowa system and home visitation services. 6 b. The effects on statewide access to services currently 7 provided through early childhood Iowa, including but not 8 limited to the quality of services and the coordination between 9 providers and the department. 10 c. The impact on rural and underserved communities. 11 d. Possible courses of action to transition home visitation 12 services to ensure the early childhood Iowa system remains 13 viable and effective in the long term. 14 2. a. The study committee’s voting members shall consist 15 of the following: 16 (1) Two members of the senate appointed by the senate 17 majority leader. 18 (2) One member of the senate appointed by the senate 19 minority leader. 20 (3) Two members of the house of representatives appointed 21 by the house majority leader. 22 (4) One member of the house of representatives appointed by 23 the house minority leader. 24 b. The study committee’s nonvoting members shall consist of 25 the following: 26 (1) Two members of the association of early childhood Iowa 27 area boards and advocates appointed by the association of early 28 childhood Iowa area boards and advocates. 29 (2) Two early childhood Iowa stakeholders appointed by the 30 association of early childhood Iowa area boards and advocates. 31 (3) Two persons with relevant expertise appointed by the 32 association of early childhood Iowa area boards and advocates. 33 (4) Two representatives of the department of health and 34 human services. 35 -18- SF 2488 (4) 91 dg/ko/mb 18/ 20

S.F. 2488 (5) One representative of the department of education. 1 (6) One representative of the department of workforce 2 development. 3 (7) One representative of the economic development 4 authority. 5 3. The department of health and human services shall 6 cooperate with any formal request for data from the study 7 committee. All personal identifying information shall be 8 redacted prior to submitting the requested data to the study 9 committee. 10 4. The study committee shall submit a final report with the 11 study committee’s findings and recommendations to the general 12 assembly no later than January 8, 2027. In lieu of a final 13 report, the study committee may submit a bill draft to the 14 general assembly with proposed changes to the Code based on the 15 study committee’s findings. 16 DIVISION VI 17 CONFORMING CHANGES 18 Sec. 26. Section 232.69, subsection 1, paragraph b, 19 subparagraph (5), Code 2026, is amended to read as follows: 20 (5) An employee or operator of a licensed child care center, 21 registered child development home, head start program, family 22 development and self-sufficiency grant program under section 23 216A.107 , or healthy opportunities for parents to experience 24 success – healthy families Iowa program under section 135.106 25 234A.5 . 26 Sec. 27. Section 237A.30, subsection 1, Code 2026, is 27 amended to read as follows: 28 1. The department shall work with the early childhood 29 Iowa program established in section 256I.5 in designing and 30 implementing implement a voluntary quality rating system for 31 each provider type of child care facility. 32 Sec. 28. Section 256I.13, subsection 1, Code 2026, is 33 amended to read as follows: 34 1. In order to implement the legislative intent stated 35 -19- SF 2488 (4) 91 dg/ko/mb 19/ 20

S.F. 2488 in sections 135.106 and section 256I.9 , that priority for 1 family support program funding be given to programs using 2 evidence-based or promising models for family support, it is 3 the intent of the general assembly that ninety percent of state 4 funds expended for family support programs shall be used for 5 evidence-based or promising program models. The remaining ten 6 percent of funds may be used for innovative program models that 7 do not yet meet the definition of evidence-based or promising 8 programs. 9 DIVISION VII 10 CODE EDITOR DIRECTIVES 11 Sec. 29. CODE EDITOR DIRECTIVES. The Code editor is 12 directed to do all of the following: 13 1. Make changes in any Code sections amended or enacted 14 by any other Act to correspond with the changes made in this 15 Act if there appears to be no doubt as to the proper method of 16 making the changes and the changes would not be contrary to or 17 inconsistent with the purposes of this Act or any other Act. 18 2. Correct internal references in the Code and in enacted 19 legislation as necessary due to the enactment of this Act. 20 -20- SF 2488 (4) 91 dg/ko/mb 20/ 20