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House
File
2221
-
Introduced
HOUSE
FILE
2221
BY
CROKEN
,
MADISON
,
KURTH
,
AMOS
JR.
,
RAMIREZ
,
and
LEVIN
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
modifying
eligibility
and
participation
requirements
for
1
the
state
child
care
assistance
program.
2
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
3
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Section
1.
Section
237A.13,
Code
2026,
is
amended
to
read
1
as
follows:
2
237A.13
State
child
care
assistance.
3
1.
A
state
child
care
assistance
program
is
established
4
in
the
department
to
assist
children
in
families
who
meet
5
eligibility
guidelines
and
are
described
by
any
of
the
6
following
circumstances:
7
a.
The
child’s
parent,
guardian,
or
custodian
is
8
participating
in
approved
academic,
vocational,
or
technical
9
training.
10
b.
The
child’s
parent,
guardian,
or
custodian
is
11
seeking
employment.
Eligibility
for
assistance
while
12
seeking
employment
shall
be
limited
to
thirty
days
during
a
13
twelve-month
period.
14
c.
The
child’s
parent,
guardian,
or
custodian
is
employed
15
a
minimum
of
thirty-two
hours
per
week
or
an
average
of
16
thirty-two
hours
per
week
during
the
month
if
the
child
17
requires
basic
care,
or
twenty-eight
hours
per
week
or
an
18
average
of
twenty-eight
hours
per
week
during
the
month
if
the
19
child
is
a
special
needs
child.
20
d.
The
child’s
parent,
guardian,
or
custodian
is
absent
due
21
to
hospitalization,
physical
illness,
or
mental
illness,
or
is
22
present
but
is
unable
to
care
for
the
child
as
verified
by
a
23
physician
or
physician
assistant.
24
e.
The
child
needs
protective
services
to
prevent
or
25
alleviate
child
abuse
or
neglect.
26
f.
The
person’s
family
circumstances
are
described
in
27
paragraph
“a”
,
“b”
,
“c”
,
or
“d”
,
the
person
is
thirteen
years
28
of
age
or
older
but
younger
than
sixteen
years
of
age,
and
29
state
child
care
assistance
is
approved
for
the
person
by
the
30
director
or
the
director’s
designee
based
on
a
request
for
an
31
exception
to
policy
made
by
the
person’s
parent,
guardian,
or
32
custodian
because
special
family
circumstances
exist
that
would
33
place
the
safety
and
well-being
of
the
person
at
risk
if
the
34
person
is
left
home
alone.
The
definition
of
child
in
section
35
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237A.1
does
not
apply
to
child
care
supported
by
state
child
1
care
assistance
approved
pursuant
to
this
lettered
paragraph.
2
2.
certain
income
requirements.
A
family
shall
only
be
3
initially
eligible
for
state
child
care
assistance
if
the
4
family’s
gross
monthly
income
does
not
exceed
the
lesser
of:
5
a.
(1)
One
hundred
sixty
percent
of
the
federal
poverty
6
level
applicable
to
the
family
size
for
children
needing
basic
7
care.
8
(2)
Two
hundred
percent
of
the
federal
poverty
level
9
applicable
to
the
family
size
for
children
needing
special
10
needs
care.
11
b.
Eighty-five
percent
of
the
state
median
gross
monthly
12
income.
13
3.
2.
Services
under
the
program
may
be
provided
in
a
14
licensed
child
care
center,
a
child
development
home,
the
home
15
of
a
relative,
the
child’s
own
home,
a
child
care
home,
or
in
a
16
facility
exempt
from
licensing
or
registration.
17
4.
3.
a.
The
department
shall
set
reimbursement
rates
18
as
authorized
by
appropriations
enacted
for
payment
of
the
19
reimbursements.
The
department
shall
conduct
a
statewide
20
reimbursement
rate
survey
to
compile
information
on
each
county
21
and
the
survey
shall
be
conducted
at
least
every
two
years.
22
The
department
shall
set
rates
in
a
manner
so
as
to
provide
23
incentives
for
an
unregistered
provider
to
become
registered.
24
b.
The
department
shall
not
modify
reimbursement
rates
25
to
the
state
child
care
assistance
program
or
financial
26
eligibility
requirements
for
a
family
participating
in
the
27
state
child
care
assistance
program
without
prior
enabling
28
legislation
in
this
state
passed
on
or
after
January
1,
2023.
29
5.
4.
The
department’s
billing
and
payment
provisions
for
30
the
program
shall
allow
providers
to
elect
either
biweekly
31
or
monthly
billing
and
payment
for
child
care
provided
under
32
the
program.
The
department
shall
remit
payment
to
a
provider
33
within
ten
business
days
of
receiving
a
bill
or
claim
for
34
services
provided.
However,
if
the
department
determines
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that
a
bill
has
an
error
or
omission,
the
department
shall
1
notify
the
provider
of
the
error
or
omission
and
identify
any
2
correction
needed
before
issuance
of
payment
to
the
provider.
3
The
department
shall
provide
the
notice
within
five
business
4
days
of
receiving
the
billing
from
the
provider
and
shall
remit
5
payment
to
the
provider
within
ten
business
days
of
receiving
6
the
corrected
billing.
7
6.
5.
A
child
care
provider
shall
be
allowed
to
collect
8
from
a
family
participating
in
the
state
child
care
assistance
9
program
the
difference
between
the
state
child
care
assistance
10
reimbursement
rate
and
the
rate
the
provider
would
typically
11
charge
a
private-pay
family
for
child
care,
provided
the
child
12
care
provider
and
family
agree
in
writing
to
such
additional
13
payments
prior
to
the
provision
of
the
child
care.
14
7.
6.
On
or
before
July
1,
2007,
the
The
department
shall
15
implement
maintain
a
system
for
making
program
payments
by
16
electronic
funds
transfer
or
other
electronic
means.
17
8.
7.
The
department
shall
not
apply
waiting
list
18
requirements
to
any
of
the
following
persons:
19
a.
Persons
deemed
to
be
eligible
for
benefits
under
the
20
state
child
care
assistance
program
in
accordance
with
section
21
239B.24
A
child
of
a
participant
under
chapter
239B
.
22
b.
A
family
that
is
receiving
state
child
care
assistance
23
at
the
time
a
child
is
born
into
the
family.
The
newborn
child
24
shall
be
approved
for
services
when
the
family
reports
the
25
birth
of
the
child.
26
c.
Children
who
need
protective
services
to
prevent
or
27
alleviate
child
abuse
or
neglect.
28
d.
A
child
in
a
family
that
is
eligible
for
state
child
care
29
assistance
and
that
receives
a
state
adoption
subsidy
for
the
30
child.
31
9.
8.
Based
upon
the
availability
of
the
funding
32
appropriated
for
state
child
care
assistance
for
a
fiscal
33
year,
the
department
shall
establish
waiting
lists
for
state
34
child
care
assistance
in
descending
order
of
prioritization
as
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follows:
1
a.
Families
with
an
income
at
or
below
one
hundred
percent
2
of
the
federal
poverty
level
whose
members,
for
at
least
3
thirty-two
hours
per
week
in
the
aggregate,
are
employed
or
4
are
participating
at
a
satisfactory
level
in
an
approved
5
training
program
or
educational
program,
and
parents
with
a
6
family
income
at
or
below
one
hundred
percent
of
the
federal
7
poverty
level
who
are
under
the
age
of
twenty-one
years
and
8
are
participating
in
an
educational
program
leading
to
a
high
9
school
diploma
or
the
equivalent.
10
b.
Parents
with
a
family
income
at
or
below
one
hundred
11
percent
of
the
federal
poverty
level
who
are
under
the
age
12
of
twenty-one
years
and
are
participating,
at
a
satisfactory
13
level,
in
an
approved
training
program
or
in
an
educational
14
program.
15
c.
Families
with
an
income
of
more
than
one
hundred
percent
16
but
not
more
than
one
hundred
sixty
percent
of
the
federal
17
poverty
level
whose
members,
for
at
least
thirty-two
hours
18
per
week
in
the
aggregate,
are
employed
or
are
participating
19
at
a
satisfactory
level
in
an
approved
training
program
or
20
educational
program.
21
d.
Families
with
an
income
at
or
below
two
hundred
percent
22
of
the
federal
poverty
level
whose
members
are
employed
at
23
least
twenty-eight
hours
per
week
with
a
special
needs
child
as
24
a
member
of
the
family
on
a
first-come,
first-served
basis
.
25
10.
9.
Nothing
in
this
This
section
shall
not
be
construed
26
as
or
is
intended
as,
or
shall
imply,
a
grant
of
entitlement
27
for
services
to
persons
who
are
eligible
for
assistance
due
to
28
an
income
level
or
other
eligibility
circumstance
addressed
in
29
under
this
section
.
Any
state
obligation
to
provide
services
30
state
child
care
assistance
pursuant
to
this
section
is
shall
31
be
limited
to
the
extent
of
the
funds
appropriated
for
the
32
purposes
of
state
child
care
assistance.
33
Sec.
2.
DEPARTMENT
OF
HEALTH
AND
HUMAN
SERVICES
——
STATE
34
CHILD
CARE
ASSISTANCE
PROGRAM
ELIGIBILITY.
The
department
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of
health
and
human
services
shall
amend
the
department’s
1
administrative
rules
pursuant
to
chapter
17A
to
remove
all
2
requirements
unrelated
to
family
income
as
a
condition
for
3
eligibility
or
participation
in
the
state
child
care
assistance
4
program.
5
Sec.
3.
REPEAL.
Section
239B.24,
Code
2026,
is
repealed.
6
EXPLANATION
7
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
8
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
9
The
state
child
care
assistance
(CCA)
program
assists
10
families
by
paying
for
all
or
a
portion
of
the
cost
of
a
11
family’s
child
care
depending
on
the
family’s
income.
Under
12
current
law,
to
be
eligible
for
the
CCA
program,
a
family
13
must
meet
certain
income
requirements
as
well
as
certain
14
requirements
not
related
to
family
income.
This
bill
removes
15
the
requirements
unrelated
to
family
income
as
a
condition
for
16
eligibility
or
participation
in
the
CCA
program.
17
The
bill
makes
conforming
changes
to
Code
section
237A.13
18
and
repeals
Code
section
239B.24.
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