Relating to early childhood and family services, including the creation of an early childhood and family services system, making appropriations, convening an early childhood Iowa interim study committee, and including applicability, retroactive applicability, and effective date provisions

The ECFS system must be administered in a manner that maximizes funding opportunities, interagency collaboration, and integration of activities and services that support positive outcomes for children and families. The bill details actions HHS must perform, to the extent funding is available, to develop and administer the ECFS system. The bill directs HHS to establish an ECFS district advisory council (council) in each district, and develop policies and procedures for the operational functions of the councils. A council shall consist of members appointed by HHS. The bill specifies individuals who are eligible for appointment, and the duties of a council. The bill specifies the duties of HHS related to data collection and use for the ECFS system. The bill requires HHS to maintain compliance with applicable federal and state privacy laws to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of individually identifiable data related to the ECFS system collected by HHS.106 (healthy opportunities for parents to experience success – healthy families Iowa (HOPES-HFI)) is placed in the new Code chapter and becomes part of the ECFS system. The bill specifies the requirements for the HOPES-HFI program and directs HHS to develop and administer the HOPES-HFI program, in whole or in part, by contracting with local organizations that use evidence-based home visiting models. The bill establishes an ECFS system fund (ECFS fund) consisting of moneys appropriated to HHS for the ECFS fund’s purposes by the general assembly and any other moneys available and obtained or accepted by HHS for deposit in the ECFS fund. Moneys in the ECFS fund are appropriated to HHS for the purposes of implementing and administering the ECFS system. Moneys appropriated that remain unencumbered or unobligated at the close of a fiscal year shall not revert to the general fund of the state, and interest or earnings on moneys in the fund shall be credited to the ECFS fund. The section of the division that establishes the ECFS fund takes effect upon enactment. DIVISION II —— DECATEGORIZATION INITIATIVE. The bill eliminates the decategorization initiative. The bill details how moneys available for a decategorization initiative will be made available or appropriated to HHS and juvenile court services. The bill prohibits a governance board, as defined in the bill, or other entity from entering into certain contracts if the contract extends past, or the deliverables under the contract would be provided after, June 30, 2027. The section of this division of the bill relating to decategorization carryover funding, as defined in the bill, is effective upon enactment and applies retroactively to July 1, 2025. DIVISION III —— CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION PROGRAM. The bill eliminates the child abuse prevention program (CAPP), fund, and advisory committee. A taxpayer may still receive a nonrefundable reduction in the taxpayer’s income taxes for contributing one or more dollars to child abuse prevention, but the moneys received will be administered through the ECFS system instead of the CAPP fund. Funding for child abuse prevention and moneys currently in the CAPP fund are directed to the ECFS fund to be used by HHS for child abuse prevention. The bill requires HHS to review CAPP’s contract for program administration and each grant project funded through CAPP for FY 2025-2026 that is impacted by the bill. HHS must work with CAPP’s program administrator, local child abuse stakeholders, and grant project recipients to transition CAPP funding and CAPP service delivery to the ECFS system. The provisions of the bill relating to review of CAPP contracts and CAPP funding take effect upon enactment and applies retroactively to July 1, 2025. DIVISION IV —— EARLY CHILDHOOD IOWA INITIATIVE —— HOME VISITING SERVICES ADMINISTRATION TRANSITION. The bill requires HHS, during the period beginning on the effective date of this division of the bill and concluding January 1, 2028 (transition period), to develop and implement a plan to transfer administration of home visiting services (HVS) currently funded by the early childhood Iowa (ECI) initiative to the ECFS system by the end of the transition period. HHS’s plan must address funding expended by ECI areas and ECI area boards during the transition period; funding for HVS during the transition period; HVS contracts, debts, claims, and other liabilities owed to an ECI area or ECI area board; continuity of care for families receiving HVS; and communication and input between HHS and ECI area boards as detailed in the bill. The bill requires HHS, contingent on HHS’s receipt of federal funds, to annually redistribute such moneys through the ECI initiative in amounts as detailed in the bill for FY 2027-2028, FY 2028-2029, and FY 2029-2030. DIVISION V —— EARLY CHILDHOOD IOWA INITIATIVE —— EVALUATION —— REPORT. The bill requires HHS, in collaboration with the association of ECI area boards and advocates and the ECI state board, to evaluate operational functions of the ECI initiative and the feasibility and potential impacts of leveraging additional federal resources to inform recommendations to modernize ECI initiative operations to support statewide prevention activities designed to strengthen families. HHS shall gather information to accomplish goals detailed in the bill. No later than February 5, 2027, HHS shall submit a final report to the governor and the general assembly with information detailed in the bill. Prior to HHS submitting the final report, HHS shall allow the ECI area boards and advocates and the ECI state board to review the final report. DIVISION VI —— HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES DISTRICTS. The bill directs HHS to divide the state into health and human services districts (districts), as that term is defined in the bill, to be used by HHS for statewide delivery of programs and services. The initial district boundaries shall be the same as the behavioral health district boundaries, as the behavioral health district boundaries existed on July 1, 2025. HHS must review the designation of the districts at least once every seven consecutive fiscal years. The bill provides factors HHS must consider when modifying a district, and modification is not subject to judicial review.1B are enacted on or before July 1, 2026. DIVISION VII —— CONFORMING CHANGES. The bill includes conforming changes. DIVISION VIII —— CODE EDITOR DIRECTIVES. The bill provides Code editor directives.