House File 659 - Introduced
HOUSE FILE 659
BY PRICHARD, HANSEN, McCONKEY,
COHOON, KURTH, JAMES,
KONFRST, HALL, B. MEYER,
SUNDE, ANDERSON, HUNTER,
BOHANNAN, JUDGE, GJERDE,
WILBURN, WESSEL-KROESCHELL,
WILLIAMS, OLSON, MASCHER,
JACOBY, EHLERT, CAHILL,
WINCKLER, STAED, OLDSON,
BROWN-POWERS, THEDE,
DONAHUE, RUNNING-MARQUARDT,
FORBES, BENNETT, STECKMAN,
and WOLFE
A BILL FOR
1 An Act establishing a school district pandemic recovery
2 competitive grant program in the department of education and
3 making appropriations.
4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
TLSB 2304YH (4) 89
kh/jh
 H.F. 659
1 Section 1. NEW SECTION. 256.20 School district pandemic
2 recovery competitive grant program.
3 1. There is established a school district pandemic recovery
4 competitive grant program to assist school districts with
5 COVID-19 pandemic recovery efforts.
6 2. The department shall establish a grant application and
7 selection criteria, including but not limited to a method for
8 prioritizing grant applications submitted by school districts.
9 3. Moneys awarded to a school district pursuant to this
10 section may be expended for student mental health services,
11 academic support and remediation services, before- and
12 after-school services, preschool services, or reading recovery
13 services.
14 4. The department shall make every effort to award grants
15 geographically throughout the state.
16 5. Grant funding may be awarded for one or more fiscal years
17 as proposed in an application submitted by a school district
18 and approved by the department.
19 6. This section is repealed July 1, 2025.
20 Sec. 2. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION —— SCHOOL DISTRICT COVID-19
21 PANDEMIC RECOVERY EFFORTS. There is appropriated from the
22 general fund of the state to the department of education for
23 the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2021, and ending June 30,
24 2022, the following amount, or so much thereof as is necessary,
25 to be used for the purposes designated:
26 For implementation and purposes of the school district
27 pandemic recovery competitive grant program established
28 pursuant to section 256.20, if enacted:
29 .................................................. $100,000,000
30 Notwithstanding section 8.33, moneys received by the
31 department pursuant to this section that remain unencumbered or
32 unobligated at the close of the fiscal year shall not revert
33 but shall remain available for expenditure for the purposes
34 specified in this section for the following fiscal year.
35 Sec. 3. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION —— SCHOOL DISTRICT COVID-19
LSB 2304YH (4) 89
-1- kh/jh 1/3
 H.F. 659
1 PANDEMIC RECOVERY EFFORTS. There is appropriated from the
2 general fund of the state to the department of education for
3 the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2022, and ending June 30,
4 2023, the following amount, or so much thereof as is necessary,
5 to be used for the purposes designated:
6 For purposes of the school district pandemic recovery
7 competitive grant program established pursuant to section
8 256.20, if enacted:
9 .................................................. $ 50,000,000
10 Notwithstanding section 8.33, moneys received by the
11 department pursuant to this section that remain unencumbered or
12 unobligated at the close of the fiscal year shall not revert
13 but shall remain available for expenditure for the purposes
14 specified in this section for the following fiscal year.
15 Sec. 4. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION – SCHOOL DISTRICT COVID-19
16 PANDEMIC RECOVERY EFFORTS. There is appropriated from the
17 general fund of the state to the department of education for
18 the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2023, and ending June 30,
19 2024, the following amount, or so much thereof as is necessary,
20 to be used for the purposes designated:
21 For purposes of the school district pandemic recovery
22 competitive grant program established pursuant to section
23 256.20, if enacted:
24 .................................................. $ 50,000,000
25 Notwithstanding section 8.33, moneys received by the
26 department pursuant to this section that remain unencumbered or
27 unobligated at the close of the fiscal year shall not revert
28 but shall remain available for expenditure for the purposes
29 specified in this section for the following fiscal year.
30 EXPLANATION
31 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
32 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
33 This bill makes appropriations from the general fund of
34 the state to the department of education for fiscal years
35 2021-2022, 2022-2023, and 2023-2024 in amounts of $100 million,
LSB 2304YH (4) 89
-2- kh/jh 2/3
 H.F. 659
1 $50 million, and $50 million, respectively, for a competitive
2 grant program. The grant program is established under the
3 department of education to assist school districts with
4 COVID-19 pandemic recovery efforts, including but not limited
5 to services and programs that address student mental health,
6 provide academic support, before- and after-school programs,
7 preschool services and programs, or reading recovery services
8 and programs.
9 The department is directed to establish a grant application
10 and selection criteria, including but not limited to a method
11 for prioritizing grant applications submitted by school
12 districts. The department must make every effort to award
13 grants geographically throughout the state. Grant funding may
14 be awarded for one or more fiscal years. Moneys appropriated
15 do not revert to the general fund of the state at the end of a
16 fiscal year but instead are available for expenditure for the
17 same purposes in the following fiscal year.
18 The provision establishing the grant program is repealed
19 July 1, 2025.
LSB 2304YH (4) 89
-3- kh/jh 3/3


Statutes affected:
Introduced: 256.20