House File 2351 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 2351 BY GAINES A BILL FOR An Act establishing the Iowa imagination library program within 1 the department of administrative services. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 5722YH (2) 90 jda/jh
H.F. 2351 Section 1. Section 8A.202, subsection 1, Code 2024, is 1 amended by adding the following new paragraph: 2 NEW PARAGRAPH . n. Administer the Iowa imagination library 3 program established pursuant to section 8A.202A. 4 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION . 8A.202A Iowa imagination library 5 program. 6 1. As used in this section: 7 a. County-based affiliate program means a local affiliate 8 of the program that operates within a county or city in this 9 state. 10 b. Eligible child means a person residing in this state 11 who is five years of age or younger. 12 c. National nonprofit foundation means a national 13 nonprofit foundation that exists for the sole purpose of 14 working with local persons to identify eligible children 15 and mail to those eligible children age-appropriate and 16 high-quality books each month at no cost to an eligible child 17 or the eligible childs family. 18 d. Program means the Iowa imagination library program 19 created pursuant to this section. 20 2. Subject to an appropriation of funds by the general 21 assembly for this purpose, the program is created and shall be 22 administered by the department. The program shall authorize 23 the state librarian to enter into an agreement with a nonprofit 24 entity that shall operate the program. The agreement shall 25 require the nonprofit entity to do all of the following: 26 a. Exist for the sole purpose of creating and operating the 27 program. 28 b. Manage the daily operations of the program, including 29 establishing county-based affiliate programs in all counties 30 and cities in this state and advancing and strengthening the 31 county-based affiliate programs to ensure increased enrollment 32 in the program. 33 c. Develop, promote, and coordinate a public awareness 34 campaign to make donors aware of the opportunity to donate to 35 -1- LSB 5722YH (2) 90 jda/jh 1/ 4
H.F. 2351 county-based affiliate programs and make the public aware of 1 the opportunity to register eligible children to receive books 2 through the program. 3 d. Contract with a national nonprofit foundation to provide 4 eligible children with age-appropriate and high-quality books 5 each month at no cost to an eligible child or the eligible 6 childs family. 7 e. Pay to the national nonprofit foundation fifty percent of 8 the costs the national nonprofit foundation incurs providing 9 books to eligible children under the program, as determined by 10 the national nonprofit foundation. 11 3. The county-based affiliate programs shall pay to the 12 nonprofit entity that is responsible for the operation of the 13 program a combined fifty percent of the costs the national 14 nonprofit foundation incurs providing books to eligible 15 children under the program, as determined by the national 16 nonprofit foundation. The amount that each county-based 17 affiliate program pays shall be prorated to the number of 18 eligible children the county-based affiliate program has 19 enrolled under the program. 20 4. The department shall develop a strategy for attracting 21 additional financial resources for the program from other 22 sources, which may include the private sector and local, state, 23 and federal government funding sources. 24 5. On or before July 1 the year after the state librarian 25 and nonprofit entity enter into an agreement pursuant to 26 subsection 2, and annually after that date on July 1, the 27 nonprofit entity shall submit a report to the department that 28 includes information related to the total number of eligible 29 children residing in each county and city in this state and 30 the total number of eligible children who are enrolled in the 31 program in each county and city in this state. The department 32 shall submit the report to the general assembly, along with any 33 other information related to the program that the department 34 deems pertinent. 35 -2- LSB 5722YH (2) 90 jda/jh 2/ 4
H.F. 2351 EXPLANATION 1 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 2 the explanations substance by the members of the general assembly. 3 This bill establishes the Iowa imagination library program 4 within the department of administrative services (department). 5 The bill provides that, subject to an appropriation of 6 funds by the general assembly, the Iowa imagination library 7 program is created and shall be administered by the department. 8 The program facilitates the mailing of age-appropriate and 9 high-quality books each month to eligible children at no cost 10 to an eligible child or the eligible childs family. Under the 11 program, an eligible child is a person residing in this state 12 who is five years of age or younger. 13 The program authorizes the state librarian to enter into 14 an agreement with a nonprofit entity that shall operate the 15 program. The bill establishes that the agreement shall require 16 the nonprofit entity to exist for the purpose of operating 17 the program; managing the daily operations of the program, 18 including establishing county-based affiliate programs; 19 developing and coordinating a public awareness campaign to 20 make donors aware of the opportunity to donate to county-based 21 affiliate programs and make the public aware of the opportunity 22 to register eligible children to receive books through the 23 program; contracting with a national nonprofit foundation to 24 provide eligible children with books each month at no cost; and 25 paying to the national nonprofit foundation 50 percent of the 26 costs the national nonprofit foundation incurs providing books 27 to eligible children under the program. 28 The bill requires county-based affiliate programs to pay to 29 the nonprofit entity that is responsible for the operation of 30 the program a combined 50 percent of the costs the national 31 nonprofit foundation incurs providing books to eligible 32 children under the program. The bill provides that the amount 33 that each county-based affiliate program pays shall be prorated 34 to the number of eligible children the county-based affiliate 35 -3- LSB 5722YH (2) 90 jda/jh 3/ 4
H.F. 2351 program has enrolled under the program. 1 The bill requires the department to develop a strategy for 2 attracting additional financial resources for the program from 3 other sources. 4 The bill requires the nonprofit entity to submit a report to 5 the department that includes information related to the total 6 number of eligible children residing in each county and city in 7 this state and the total number of eligible children who are 8 enrolled in the program in each county and city in this state. 9 The bill also requires the department to submit this report to 10 the general assembly, along with any other information related 11 to the program that the department deems pertinent. 12 -4- LSB 5722YH (2) 90 jda/jh 4/ 4