1. A disaster aid individual assistance grant fund is created in the state treasury for the use of the executive council. Moneys in the fund may be expended following the governor’s proclamation of a state of disaster emergency. The executive council may make financial grants to meet disaster-related expenses or serious needs of individuals or families adversely affected by a disaster which cannot otherwise be met by other means of financial assistance. The aggregate total of grants awarded shall not be more than one million dollars during a fiscal year. However, within the same fiscal year, additional funds may be specifically authorized by the executive council to meet additional needs.

Terms Used In Iowa Code 29C.20A

  • Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
  • Applicant: means a person authorized to regularly lend moneys to be secured by a mortgage on real property in this state, a licensed real estate broker, a licensed attorney, a participating abstractor, or a licensed closing agent. See Iowa Code 16.92
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
  • following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute mean the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
  • Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" may include the said district and territories. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • United States: includes all the states. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • year: means twelve consecutive months. See Iowa Code 4.1
 2. The grant funds shall be administered by the department. The department shall adopt rules to create the Iowa disaster aid individual assistance grant program. The rules shall specify the eligibility of applicants and eligible items for grant funding. The executive council shall use grant funds to reimburse the department for its actual expenses associated with the administration of the grants. The department may implement an ongoing contract with a provider or providers of a statewide program with local offices throughout the state to serve as the local administrative entity for the grant program so that the program can be implemented with minimal delay when a disaster occurs in a local area. The rules adopted by the department for the program shall include but are not limited to all of the following:

 a. If a local administrative entity is under contract with the state to provide other services or is implementing a state or federal program and the contract contains a sufficient surety bond or other adequate financial responsibility provision, the department shall accept the existing surety bond or financial responsibility provision in lieu of applying a new or additional surety bond or financial responsibility requirement.
 b. If the president of the United States has declared a major disaster to exist in this state and federal aid is made available to provide assistance grants to individuals similar to that provided by the Iowa disaster aid individual assistance grant program, the Iowa program shall be discontinued.
 c. Authorization for the local administrative entity to draw grant funding to pay valid claims on at least a weekly basis.
 3. To be eligible for a grant, an applicant shall have an annual household income that is less than two hundred percent of the federal poverty level based on the number of people in the applicant’s household as defined by the most recently revised poverty income guidelines published by the United States department of health and human services. The amount of a grant for a household shall not exceed five thousand dollars. Expenses eligible for grant funding shall be limited to personal property, home repair, food assistance, and temporary housing assistance. An applicant for a grant shall sign an affidavit committing to refund any part of the grant that is duplicated by any other assistance, such as but not limited to insurance or assistance from community development groups, charities, the small business administration, and the federal emergency management agency.
 4. A recipient of grant funding shall receive reimbursement for expenses upon presenting a receipt for an eligible expense or shall receive a voucher through a voucher system developed by the department and administered locally within the designated disaster area. A voucher system shall ensure sufficient data collection to discourage and prevent fraud. The department shall consult with long-term disaster recovery committees and disaster recovery case management committees in developing a voucher system.
 5. The department shall submit an annual report, by January 1 of each year, to the legislative fiscal committee and the general assembly’s standing committees on government oversight concerning the activities of the grant program in the previous fiscal year.
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