Bills › 90th General Assembly
Relating to the staffing of brain health professionals in primary and secondary schools and making appropriations
Topics:K–12 educationHealth care
Where it is now
- Done: IntroducedApril 6, 2023
- Stopped: SubcommitteeDied when the General Assembly ended
- Next: House committee
- Next: Passes the House
- Next: Senate committee
- Next: Passes the Senate
- Next: To the Governor
- Next: Signed into law
Died when the session ended The 2024 session adjourned on April 19, 2024, the General Assembly’s last regular session. Bills that didn’t pass both chambers died. What’s a funnel?
What’s in it
AI summary All public, charter, and accredited private schools in Iowa would be required to have at least one brain health professional on site during school hours to help students. The state would also allow mental health providers to use the term "brain health" instead of "mental health" to help reduce the stigma around these issues. To make this happen, the government will provide money each year to help schools pay for this staff.1
Read the official explanation
This bill relates to the staffing of brain health professionals in primary and secondary schools. The bill includes brain health issues in the legislative findings relating to services to persons with mental illness, an intellectual disability, developmental disabilities, or brain injury in Code chapter 225C (mental health and disability services). The bill provides that the general assembly finds that to reduce the stigma associated with brain health disease and illness and to assist Iowans in receiving brain health diagnosis and treatment, the term “brain health” may be used synonymously with the terms “mental health” and “mental illness” to allow for more preventative and earlier treatments of those Iowans with brain health issues. The bill defines “brain health” as all aspects of the brain impacted by biological and physical characteristics of the brain affecting mood and behavior. The bill adopts the same intent and meaning of “brain health” for Code chapters 135 (department of public health) and 280 (uniform school requirements) as established in Code chapter 225C. The bill creates a duty for the department of public health to adopt rules which allow mental health providers to use the term “brain health” synonymously with the terms “mental health” or “mental illness” and promote the usage of the term “brain health” for the purpose of reducing stigma related to mental health disease and illness. This recognition of the term “brain health” does not replace the terms “mental health” or “mental illness” as it relates to medical billing or state processional licensure. The bill makes it a requirement for all charter schools, public schools, and accredited nonpublic schools to have a minimum of one health care professional with brain health credentials available on site to assist students during normal hours of instruction. The bill annually appropriates to the department of education an amount sufficient to provide this staffing, and requires the department of health and human services to assist the department of education in determining the required amount.