State Government Committee – Week 3, 2022

January 27, 2022 Senate Staff Blog, State Government Committee, Votes 0

COMMITTEE ACTION:

SF 2086 – Reorganizing the State Council on Homelessness

SF 2086 is a proposal by the Iowa Finance Authority (IFA) to reorganize the Council on Homelessness by reducing its size and eliminating duties.

The bill makes a number of changes to the structure of the council’s membership:

  • Reduces the size of the board from 38 voting members to 19 total members; 11 of those members would be voting members, and the other eight directors or designees of state agencies.
  • The bill removes requirements for representatives from the League of Cities and the State Association of Counties to be on the council.
  • The current council membership has 12 state agencies as voting members. The bill removes representatives of the Economic Development Authority, the Department of Human Rights, the Department of Public Safety and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
  • The bill also removes the requirement that one voting member of the council be a member of a minority group.
  • The bill removes the current nominating committee structure (composed of the 12 state agency members) and replaces it with a five-member committee, with at least two positions filled by the non-voting members of the board.

The bill also changes the duties of the council by removing requirements that the council identify and use existing resources to reduce homelessness and to identify and use other federal funding opportunities to address and reduce homelessness. According to the Iowa Finance Authority, the council does not have the resources to handle these responsibilities, or the responsibilities are duplicative of other state efforts.

The bill also changes the council’s required reports. Currently, the council must provide recommendations to the Governor on matters that impact homelessness, as well as a biennial report to the Governor and the Legislature on homelessness in Iowa. The new reporting responsibilities will be an annual point-in-time report that will be a snapshot of the number and characteristics of individuals experiencing homelessness.
[1/20: Short Form (No: Celsi; Absent: Boulton, Schultz)]

SF 2087 – DAS comprehensive financial report update

SF 2087 makes a number of technical changes to references to Department of Administrative Services responsibilities regarding the state’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR). The Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) has proposed to change the name of this report to the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR). The bill simply updates the Code references to match the new name.
[1/20: Short Form (Absent: Boulton, Schultz)]

SF 2088 – Administration of immunizations and vaccines; nonresident pharmacies

SF 2088 is a proposal from the Board of Pharmacy that will allow nurses to administer vaccines and immunizations under the order of a pharmacist without having to register with the Board of Pharmacy. Generally, individuals working in support of a pharmacist must register with the Board of Pharmacy.

The bill will also remove the Code requirement that a nonresident pharmacy must include contact information for a pharmacist when dispensing or distributing prescriptions in Iowa. The Board proposes rules be drafted to govern situations where nonresident pharmacies do not dispense or distribute directly to Iowa residents and in what situations waivers may be granted from the requirement.
[1/20: Short Form (Absent: Boulton, Schultz)]