Establishing the Iowa imagination library program within the department of administrative services

This bill establishes the Iowa imagination library program within the department of administrative services (department). The bill provides that, subject to an appropriation of funds by the general assembly, the Iowa imagination library program is created and shall be administered by the department. The program facilitates the mailing of age-appropriate and high-quality books each month to eligible children at no cost to an eligible child or the eligible child’s family. Under the program, an “eligible child” is a person residing in this state who is five years of age or younger. The program authorizes the state librarian to enter into an agreement with a nonprofit entity that shall operate the program. The bill establishes that the agreement shall require the nonprofit entity to exist for the purpose of operating the program; managing the daily operations of the program, including establishing county-based affiliate programs; developing and coordinating a public awareness campaign to make donors aware of the opportunity to donate to county-based affiliate programs and make the public aware of the opportunity to register eligible children to receive books through the program; contracting with a national nonprofit foundation to provide eligible children with books each month at no cost; and paying to the national nonprofit foundation 50 percent of the costs the national nonprofit foundation incurs providing books to eligible children under the program. The bill requires county-based affiliate programs to pay to the nonprofit entity that is responsible for the operation of the program a combined 50 percent of the costs the national nonprofit foundation incurs providing books to eligible children under the program. The bill provides that the amount that each county-based affiliate program pays shall be prorated to the number of eligible children the county-based affiliate program has enrolled under the program. The bill requires the department to develop a strategy for attracting additional financial resources for the program from other sources. The bill requires the nonprofit entity to submit a report to the department that includes information related to the total number of eligible children residing in each county and city in this state and the total number of eligible children who are enrolled in the program in each county and city in this state. The bill also requires the department to submit this report to the general assembly, along with any other information related to the program that the department deems pertinent.