Bill Text: IA SF369 | 2015-2016 | 86th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: A bill for an act establishing a refugee family support services pilot program, making appropriations, and including effective date provisions. (Formerly SF 144.)
Spectrum: Committee Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-03-12 - Subcommittee, Ragan, Dvorsky, and Segebart. S.J. 591. [SF369 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2015-SF369-Introduced.html
Senate File 369 - Introduced SENATE FILE BY COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOURCES (SUCCESSOR TO SF 144) A BILL FOR 1 An Act establishing a refugee family support services pilot 2 program, making appropriations, and including effective date 3 provisions. 4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: TLSB 1145SV (2) 86 rh/rj PAG LIN 1 1 Section 1. NEW SECTION. 217.41A Refugee family support 1 2 services pilot program. 1 3 1. The bureau of refugee services shall establish, promote, 1 4 and administer a refugee family support services pilot program 1 5 for purposes of providing grants to state, local, or community 1 6 organizations working with refugee populations to contract 1 7 with and train multiple refugees to act as refugee community 1 8 navigators. Financial assistance under the program shall be 1 9 provided from moneys allocated to the refugee family support 1 10 services fund created in section 217.41B. 1 11 2. The organizations awarded a grant pursuant to this 1 12 section shall recruit and train multiple refugee community 1 13 navigators to educate and provide direct assistance to their 1 14 respective refugee communities so the refugee communities can 1 15 successfully access and utilize existing community resources 1 16 and services. 1 17 3. The refugee community navigators shall train other 1 18 refugee community members and shall offer home=based, 1 19 peer=group learning sessions about resources in the community. 1 20 4. The grants awarded pursuant to this section shall be 1 21 used for employment costs of a program manager and community 1 22 navigator coordinator, and contract and stipend costs for 1 23 multiple refugee community navigators for each organization. 1 24 5. The bureau of refugee services shall award four grants to 1 25 state, local, or community organizations through a competitive 1 26 application process. The bureau shall provide moneys over a 1 27 three=year period to the organizations awarded a grant. 1 28 6. A state, local, or community organization awarded a grant 1 29 pursuant to this section shall provide the state board with 1 30 annual progress reports. The bureau of refugee services shall 1 31 present a report of the program goals and outcomes of each 1 32 awarded grant to the general assembly. 1 33 7. The bureau of refugee services shall conduct a 1 34 comprehensive review of the refugee family support services 1 35 pilot program and shall, by December 31, 2017, submit a 2 1 report of its review, as well as any recommendations and cost 2 2 projections of its recommendations to the governor and the 2 3 general assembly. 2 4 8. The bureau of refugee services may expend program moneys 2 5 for administrative expenses as provided by law. 2 6 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION. 217.41B Refugee family support 2 7 services fund. 2 8 1. A refugee family support services fund is created in 2 9 the state treasury under the control of the department. The 2 10 fund includes but is not limited to amounts appropriated by 2 11 the general assembly, and other moneys available from federal 2 12 or private sources which are to be used for purposes of the 2 13 refugee family support services pilot program established in 2 14 section 217.41A. 2 15 2. Moneys remaining in the fund at the end of each fiscal 2 16 year shall not revert to the general fund of the state but 2 17 shall remain in the refugee family support services fund, 2 18 notwithstanding section 8.33. 2 19 Sec. 3. REFUGEE FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES PILOT PROGRAM 2 20 APPROPRIATION. There is appropriated from the general fund of 2 21 the state to the department of human services for the following 2 22 fiscal years, the following amounts, or so much thereof as is 2 23 necessary, to be used for the purposes designated: 2 24 For deposit in the refugee family support services fund 2 25 created in section 217.41B to be used for the purposes of the 2 26 refugee family support services pilot program established in 2 27 section 217.41A: 2 28 FY 2015=2016 ..................................... $ 746,400 2 29 FY 2016=2017 ..................................... $ 746,400 2 30 FY 2017=2018 ..................................... $ 746,400 2 31 Of the moneys appropriated for each fiscal year, $40,000 may 2 32 be used for bureau of refugee services' administration costs 2 33 for establishing, promoting, and administering the program. 2 34 Sec. 4. 2013 Iowa Acts, chapter 141, section 54, subsection 2 35 1, paragraph b, subparagraph (4), as amended by 2014 Iowa Acts, 3 1 chapter 1135, section 29, is amended to read as follows: 3 2 (4) From the moneys appropriated in this paragraph, 3 3$210,000$500,000 shall be transferred to the department of 3 4 human services for purposes of administeringapilotproject 3 5projects to provide access to international resources to Iowans 3 6 and new Iowans to provide economic and leadership development 3 7 resulting in Iowa being a more inclusive and welcoming place 3 8 to live, work, and raise a family. The pilotprojectprojects 3 9 shall provide supplemental support services for international 3 10 refugees to improve learning, English literacy, and life 3 11 skills, cultural competencies, andassimilation in 10 locations 3 12 withinintegration. Of the moneys transferred pursuant to 3 13 this subparagraph, $210,000 shall be used for administering a 3 14 pilot project in a county with a population over 350,000 as 3 15 determined by the 2010 federal decennial census, and $290,000 3 16 shall be used for administering up to two pilot projects in 3 17 counties with populations under 350,000 as determined by 3 18 the 2010 federal decennial census. The department of human 3 19 services shall utilize a request for proposals process to 3 20 identify theentityentities best qualified to implement the 3 21 pilotprojectprojects. 3 22 Sec. 5. EFFECTIVE UPON ENACTMENT. The section of this Act 3 23 amending 2013 Iowa Acts, chapter 141, section 54, being deemed 3 24 of immediate importance, takes effect upon enactment. 3 25 EXPLANATION 3 26 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 3 27 the explanation's substance by the members of the general assembly. 3 28 This bill establishes a refugee family support services 3 29 pilot program and makes appropriations. The bill directs the 3 30 bureau of refugee services within the department of human 3 31 services to establish and administer the refugee family support 3 32 services pilot program to provide grants to state, local, or 3 33 community organizations working with refugee populations for 3 34 contracting with and training multiple refugees to act as 3 35 refugee community navigators. The bill requires the grants 4 1 to be used for employment costs of a program manager and a 4 2 community navigator coordinator, and the contract and stipend 4 3 costs for multiple refugee community navigators. The bill 4 4 directs the bureau of refugee services to award four grants 4 5 through a competitive application process and to provide 4 6 funding for those organizations over a three=year period. The 4 7 bill requires the organizations selected to provide the bureau 4 8 with annual progress reports and requires the bureau to present 4 9 an outcomes report to the general assembly. 4 10 The bill appropriates $746,400 from the general fund of 4 11 the state to the department of human services in fiscal years 4 12 2015=2016, 2016=2017, and 2017=2018, for deposit in the refugee 4 13 family support services fund created in the bill to be used for 4 14 purposes of the program established in the bill. 4 15 The bill increases the amount of moneys transferred to the 4 16 department of human services from an appropriation from the 4 17 Iowa skilled worker and job creation fund created in Code 4 18 section 8.75 to the department of education for an organization 4 19 to provide resources and support services for international 4 20 refugees for FY 2014=2015. The bill increases the number of 4 21 projects and decreases the number of locations that may provide 4 22 such supplemental support services for international refugees. 4 23 These provisions are made immediately effective. LSB 1145SV (2) 86 rh/rj