Relating to and making appropriations to the department of veterans affairs and the department of health and human services, including aging and disability services, behavioral health, public health, and community access and eligibility; the medical assistance program, state supplementary assistance, Hawki, and other health-related programs; family well-being and protection; state-operated specialty care; administration and compliance; prior appropriations; child welfare and juvenile justice decategorization; commitment or hospitalization of certain persons with mental illness or substance abuse disorders; child abuse prevention; creation of a comprehensive family support program; and repeal of expenditure projections for state child care assistance and adoption subsidy programs; and including effective date and retroactive applicability provisions

This bill makes appropriations from the general fund of the state to the department of veterans affairs and to the department of health and human services (HHS) for FY 2026-2027. The appropriations from the general fund of the state to the department of veterans affairs include appropriations for administration, the Iowa veterans home, and the home ownership assistance program. The appropriations from the general fund of the state to HHS include appropriations for aging and disability services; behavioral health; public health; community access and eligibility including for child support services; the medical assistance program, state supplementary assistance, the healthy and well kids in Iowa (Hawki) program, and other specified health-related programs including health program operations; reimbursement rates; family well-being and protection including state child care assistance, early intervention and supports, and child protective services; state-operated specialty care; and administration and compliance. The bill also makes appropriations to HHS from the sports wagering receipts fund, the pharmaceutical settlement account, the quality assurance trust fund, the hospital health care access trust fund, and behavioral health fund. In addition, the bill appropriates to HHS the moneys received by the state under the federal temporary assistance for needy families block grant. _____ The bill includes transfer, cash flow, and nonreversion provisions, emergency rulemaking authority, and reporting requirements. The bill eliminates child welfare and juvenile justice decategorization initiative projects and appropriates carryover funding to HHS and juvenile court services. The bill requires the county to pay the cost of transport to a detention location by the sheriff for certain persons with substance abuse disorders prior to a commitment hearing. The bill eliminates the child abuse prevention program, fund, and advisory committee. A taxpayer may still receive a nonrefundable reduction in the taxpayer’s income taxes for contributing to child abuse prevention, but the moneys received will be administered through the early childhood and family services (ECFS) system instead of the child abuse prevention program fund. Moneys in the child abuse prevention program fund are transferred to the ECFS fund, if created by enactment of 2026 Iowa Acts, House File 2712 or Senate File 2462. The bill creates a comprehensive family support program. The bill repeals the expenditure projections for the state child care assistance and adoption subsidy programs.