House File 411 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 411 BY EHLERT , AMOS JR. , BAETH , GOSA , R. JOHNSON , WILSON , WICHTENDAHL , CROKEN , BAGNIEWSKI , JAMES , B. MEYER , MATSON , BROWN-POWERS , KURTH , SRINIVAS , OLSON , SCHOLTEN , WESSEL-KROESCHELL , and WILBURN A BILL FOR An Act relating to state child care assistance program 1 copayments for unhoused persons. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 1814YH (5) 91 dg/ko
H.F. 411 Section 1. Section 237A.1, Code 2025, is amended by adding 1 the following new subsection: 2 NEW SUBSECTION . 16. Unhoused means lacking a fixed, 3 regular, and adequate nighttime residence. Unhoused includes 4 but is not limited to all of the following: 5 a. A person living in the housing of other persons due to 6 the persons loss of housing, economic hardship, or similar 7 reason. 8 b. A person living in a motel, hotel, or campground due to 9 the lack of a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. 10 c. A person living in an emergency or transitional shelter. 11 d. A person abandoned in a hospital. 12 e. A person living in a place not designed for, or 13 ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human 14 beings. 15 f. A person living in a car, park, public space, abandoned 16 building, substandard housing, bus or train station, or similar 17 setting. 18 Sec. 2. Section 237A.13, Code 2025, is amended by adding the 19 following new subsection: 20 NEW SUBSECTION . 2A. A family the department has determined 21 is unhoused shall not be required to make a copayment or 22 similar payment to the state as a condition of participation in 23 the state child care assistance program. The exemption created 24 by this subsection shall continue for a family until six months 25 from the date the department has determined the family is no 26 longer unhoused. 27 EXPLANATION 28 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 29 the explanations substance by the members of the general assembly. 30 This bill relates to state child care assistance (CCA) 31 program copayments for unhoused persons. 32 The bill defines unhoused as lacking a fixed, regular, and 33 adequate nighttime residence, and lists several circumstances 34 in which a person is considered unhoused. 35 -1- LSB 1814YH (5) 91 dg/ko 1/ 2
H.F. 411 To be eligible for the CCA program, a participating family is 1 required to make copayments based on the number of the familys 2 children in a child care providers care and the familys gross 3 monthly income. The bill exempts a family the department of 4 health and human services (HHS) has determined is unhoused 5 from making a CCA copayment, or similar payment to the state, 6 as a condition of CCA program participation. The exemption 7 continues until six months from the date HHS determines the 8 family is no longer unhoused. 9 -2- LSB 1814YH (5) 91 dg/ko 2/ 2