Bill Text: IA SF190 | 2019-2020 | 88th General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: A bill for an act establishing a home modification grant program within the department on aging, and providing an appropriation.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 17-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-02-05 - Subcommittee: Costello, Carlin, and Jochum. S.J. 247. [SF190 Detail]

Download: Iowa-2019-SF190-Introduced.html
Senate File 190 - Introduced SENATE FILE 190 BY RAGAN , MATHIS , DANIELSON , BOULTON , WAHLS , KINNEY , DOTZLER , R. TAYLOR , CELSI , BISIGNANO , LYKAM , QUIRMBACH , BOLKCOM , PETERSEN , J. SMITH , JOCHUM , and T. TAYLOR A BILL FOR An Act establishing a home modification grant program within 1 the department on aging, and providing an appropriation. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 1979XS (5) 88 pf/rh
S.F. 190 Section 1. NEW SECTION . 231.67 Home modification grant 1 program —— established —— requirements. 2 1. As used in this section, unless the context otherwise 3 requires: 4 a. “Accommodate” means to make a residence accessible for 5 a qualified person in a manner that is necessary due to the 6 qualified person’s age, disability, or condition. 7 b. “Medical provider” means a physician, physician 8 assistant, advanced registered nurse practitioner, physical 9 therapist, or occupational therapist. 10 c. “Modification or improvement” means a modification of or 11 improvement to a qualified person’s residence that is certified 12 by a medical provider as being necessary to accommodate the 13 qualified person. 14 (1) A “modification or improvement” includes one or more of 15 the following: 16 (a) Providing for or installing a nonstep entrance. 17 (b) Providing for or installing exterior or interior ramps. 18 (c) Providing for or installing stairway lifts or 19 elevators. 20 (d) Providing for or installing handrails or grab bars, or 21 the reinforcement of grab bars. 22 (e) Providing for or installing hardware for doors. 23 (f) Widening exterior doors or interior hallways to more 24 than thirty-six inches. 25 (g) Widening interior doors to more than thirty-two inches. 26 (h) Modifying electrical components, including moving 27 electrical outlets and switches. 28 (i) Modifying bathrooms, including but not limited to 29 providing for the modification or installation of accessible 30 toilets, bathtubs, showers, plumbing, or fixtures. 31 (j) Modifying kitchens including but not limited to 32 providing for the modification or installation of accessible 33 countertops, cabinets, appliances, plumbing, or fixtures. 34 (k) Modifying bedrooms including but not limited to 35 -1- LSB 1979XS (5) 88 pf/rh 1/ 4
S.F. 190 the relocation of a bedroom to an accessible space in the 1 residence. 2 (2) A “modification or improvement” does not include 3 the construction of a new residence, or an addition to or 4 modification of an existing residence that expands the living 5 area but is not otherwise described in this paragraph “c” , 6 subparagraph (1). 7 d. “Qualified homeowner” means a person who meets all of the 8 following conditions: 9 (1) Has an income at or below the annual Iowa median 10 household income. 11 (2) Is the owner of residential real property in this state, 12 including a condominium, that is the primary residence of the 13 owner. 14 (3) Is a qualified person or resides with a spouse or 15 dependent who is a qualified person. 16 e. “Qualified person” means a person who is at least sixty 17 years of age, or who is living with a disability, as defined in 18 42 U.S.C. §12102, or who has a chronic condition the prognosis 19 for which requires a permanent modification to the qualified 20 person’s residence. 21 2. a. A home modification grant program is established in 22 the department. The department shall administer the program 23 and provide grants through expenditure of funds appropriated 24 to the department for this purpose. Grants shall be made, 25 in amounts not to exceed five thousand dollars per primary 26 residence, to qualified homeowners for the purposes of 27 modification or improvement to a qualified person’s residence 28 to accommodate the qualified person. 29 b. The department shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A 30 to administer the program. 31 c. Notwithstanding section 8.33, funds appropriated to 32 the department for the purposes of the home modification 33 grant program under this section that remain unencumbered or 34 unobligated at the close of a fiscal year shall not revert 35 -2- LSB 1979XS (5) 88 pf/rh 2/ 4
S.F. 190 but shall remain available for expenditure for the purposes 1 designated. 2 Sec. 2. HOME MODIFICATION GRANT PROGRAM —— 3 APPROPRIATION. There is appropriated from the general 4 fund of the state to the department on aging for the fiscal 5 year beginning July 1, 2019, and ending June 30, 2020, the 6 following amount, or so much thereof as is necessary, to be 7 used for the purpose designated: 8 For administration of and the issuance of grants pursuant 9 to the home modification grant program established in section 10 231.67: 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 600,000 12 EXPLANATION 13 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 14 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 15 This bill establishes a home modification grant program to 16 be administered by the department on aging. To receive a grant 17 under the program, a qualified homeowner must have an income 18 at or below the annual Iowa median household income, be the 19 owner of a residential real property in the state that is the 20 primary residence of the owner, and be a qualified person or 21 reside with a spouse or dependent who is a qualified person. 22 Under the bill, a “qualified person” means a person who meets 23 one of the following conditions: is at least 60 years of age, 24 is living with a disability as defined under federal law, or 25 has a chronic condition the prognosis for which requires a 26 permanent modification to the qualified person’s residence. 27 Grants under the program are limited to not more than $5,000 28 per primary residence and may only be used for modifications 29 or improvements to a qualified person’s residence that are 30 certified by a medical provider as necessary to accommodate 31 the qualified person. Under the bill, a “modification or 32 improvement” does not include the construction of a new 33 residence, or an addition to or modification of an existing 34 residence that expands the living area but is not otherwise 35 -3- LSB 1979XS (5) 88 pf/rh 3/ 4
S.F. 190 described as an allowable modification or improvement under the 1 bill. 2 -4- LSB 1979XS (5) 88 pf/rh 4/ 4
feedback