Relating to and making appropriations to the education system, including the funding and operation of the department for the blind, department of education, and state board of regents, and including contingent effective date provisions

The bill also appropriates moneys from the Iowa skilled worker and job creation fund to the department of education for various purposes. STATE BOARD OF REGENTS. The bill appropriates moneys to the state board of regents for the board office, universities’ general operating budgets, the western Iowa regents resource center, the state university of Iowa, the Iowa state university of science and technology, and the university of northern Iowa. STANDING APPROPRIATIONS.209.51(1) is not enacted. STATE PROGRAM ALLOCATION.13 establishes how moneys appropriated for purposes of the student achievement and teacher quality program are to be allocated. The bill extends such allocations to FY 2025-2026.11. COURT REPORTER EQUIPMENT GRANT PROGRAM. The bill establishes a court reporter equipment grant program and requires the college student aid commission to administer the program. A person is eligible to apply for a grant award under the grant program if the person is enrolled in a court reporter training program in this state. A recipient of a grant under the grant program must use the moneys awarded by the college student aid commission for the purchase of court reporter equipment and software for the court reporter training program in which the recipient is participating. The bill requires the college student aid commission to adopt rules to administer the grant program. The bill establishes a court reporter equipment grant program fund and appropriates moneys from the general fund of the state to the grant program fund in FY 2025-2026.486, which established the court reporter equipment grant program and the court reporter equipment incentive fund. The bill transfers moneys to the new fund from the previous fund. CENTER FOR INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM.2, if enacted by 2025 Iowa Acts, House File 437. The state university of Iowa is required to locate the center for intellectual freedom where the university’s diversity, equity, and inclusion offices were previously located. IOWA TUITION GRANTS.194 appropriates moneys to the college student aid commission for tuition grants to qualified students who are enrolled in accredited private institutions or eligible institutions and for vocational-technical tuition grants.194 to appropriate moneys to the college student aid commission for deposit in funds for these same purposes, and the bill establishes such funds in the state treasury to be administered by the college student aid commission. Moneys appropriated prior to FY 2025-2026 for these tuition grants are transferred to the funds.194(2).193 establishes a scholarship and tuition grant reserve fund to assure that financial assistance will be available to certain specified students who are awarded scholarships or tuition grants through the college student aid commission.193 and makes conforming changes. Any moneys appropriated to the department of education for purposes of the scholarship and tuition grant reserve fund that remain unencumbered or unobligated as of July 1, 2025, are transferred to the general fund of the state. COLLEGE STUDENT AID COMMISSION PROGRAMS. The bill provides that any interest or earnings on moneys in any of the following funds may be used by the college student aid commission for purposes of administering any program described in Code chapter 256, subchapter VII, part 4: the all Iowa opportunity scholarship program, the teach Iowa scholar program, the rural veterinarian loan repayment program, the future ready Iowa skilled workforce last-dollar scholarship program, the future ready Iowa skilled workforce grant program, and the Iowa workforce grant and incentive program.