Senate File 245 - IntroducedA Bill ForAn Act 1relating to eligibility and reporting requirements for
2the skilled workforce shortage tuition grant program.
3BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
1   Section 1.  Section 261.130, subsection 2, Code 2019, is
2amended to read as follows:
   32.  Skilled workforce shortage tuition grants shall be
4awarded only to students pursuing a career-technical or career
5option program in an industry identified as having a shortage
6of skilled workers by a community college after conducting a
7regional skills gap analysis or as being a high-demand job by
8the department of workforce development in the department’s
9most recent quarterly report pursuant to section 84A.6,
10subsection 4
 list of high-demand jobsIf a community college
11no longer identifies the industry as having a shortage of
12skilled workers or the department no longer identifies the
13industry as a high-demand job, an eligible student who received
14a grant for a career-technical or career option program based
15on that identification shall continue to receive the grant
16until achieving a postsecondary credential, up to an associate
17degree, as long as the student is continuously enrolled in
18that program and continues to meet all other eligibility
19requirements.

20   Sec. 2.  Section 261.130, subsection 8, paragraph d, Code
212019, is amended to read as follows:
   22d.  Make an annual report to the governor and general
23assembly. The report shall include the number of students
24receiving assistance and the industries identified by
25the community colleges and by the department of workforce
26development pursuant to section 84A.6, subsection 4, for which
27students were admitted to a career-technical or career option
28program.
29EXPLANATION
30The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
31the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   32This bill strikes references in eligibility and reporting
33requirements for the skilled workforce shortage tuition grant
34program to the quarterly report by the department of workforce
35development on industries the department identifies as having
-1-1a shortage of skilled workers. The quarterly reporting
2requirement will be stricken July 1, 2019, by 2018 Iowa Acts,
3chapter 1067, section 9. The bill instead provides references
4to a list of high-demand jobs by the department.
   5The bill also provides that if a community college no longer
6identifies an industry as having a shortage of skilled workers
7or the department no longer identifies the industry as a
8high-demand job, an eligible student who received a skilled
9workforce shortage tuition grant for a career-technical or
10career option program based on that identification shall
11continue to receive the grant until achieving a postsecondary
12credential, up to an associate degree, as long as the student
13is continuously enrolled in that program and continues to meet
14all other eligibility requirements.
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