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HF 2781

A bill for an act relating to allocations of moneys from the juvenile detention home fund.

2025-2026 Regular Session

Each eligible detention home receives a guaranteed base of 150,000 per year, with remaining funds prorated based on each home's prior-year share of total costs.

Signed by Governor.
#appropriations #juveniledetentionhomes #juvenilefacilities #juvenilejustice
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Bill Summary · HF 2781

Summary of HF 2781 (2025-2026) — Iowa

Purpose

HF 2781 would change how money from the Juvenile Detention Home Fund is allocated to county and multicounty juvenile detention homes. Instead of distributing funds strictly based on each home’s share of the prior year’s total costs, the bill guarantees a base amount and then prorates the remainder according to each home’s relative cost share from the previous year.

Key provisions

  • Fund and authority

    • The Juvenile Detention Home Fund is held by the state Treasury under the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) for establishing, improving, operating, and maintaining juvenile detention homes.

  • New allocation method (Section 232.142, sub sec 6, para b)

    • For each fiscal year, moneys deposited in the Juvenile Detention Home Fund are appropriated to DHHS for distribution.
    • An allocation rule is established:
    • Base distribution: Each eligible county or multicounty juvenile detention home receives a fixed amount of $150,000.
    • Remaining funds distribution: Any funds left after the $150,000 allocations are distributed among eligible homes proportionally based on each home’s share of the costs of all eligible detention homes in the immediately preceding fiscal year.
    • The portion allocated to each home under the proportional distribution is calculated using the home’s proportion of the total costs of all eligible homes in the prior year.

  • Implementation details

    • The percentage of the fund used for distribution to the homes is determined by the DHHS based on the total funds available for distribution in the fiscal year.
    • The bill specifies how the remaining appropriated moneys are prorated among the homes, ensuring that each home receives a baseline plus a proportional share of the remainder.

Affected entities

  • Eligible detention homes: County and multicounty juvenile detention homes in Iowa.
  • State agency: Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) administers the fund and oversees the distribution.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Status: Introduced and placed on the Appropriations calendar as of April 16, 2026.
  • The bill would take effect as part of the fiscal year allocation process once enacted, applying to the current and future fiscal years during the budgeting cycle.

Practical impact

  • Stability with a baseline: Each eligible detention home would receive a guaranteed baseline of $150,000 per fiscal year, providing a predictable level of funding.
  • Relative funding dynamics: The remainder of funds would be allocated in proportion to each home’s prior-year share of total costs, potentially increasing or decreasing funding for individual homes based on cost intensity relative to peers.
  • Fairness and transparency: The combination of a fixed base and a transparent proportional adjustment aims to balance equity (baseline funding for all homes) with accountability to cost-sharing (reflecting relative scale of operations from the prior year).

Notes

  • The monetary figures and proportional methodology are described explicitly in the bill’s text, with the base amount set at $150,000 per eligible home and adjustments made using each home’s prior-year cost share.
  • The bill does not specify any changes to the overall fund size or to eligibility criteria beyond the allocation methodology.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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