Signed by Governor Terry Branstad

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to adopt a conference report that amends the Mental Health and Disability Services Program, effective July 1, 2013.

Highlights:

• Requires counties to create mental health and disabilities services funds.

• Requires county revenues from taxes and other sources designated by a county for mental health disabilities to be credited to the county's mental health and disabilities fund.

• Establishes a “per capita expenditure target”  in order to fund mental health and disability services for the fiscal years 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 equivalent to a specific county property tax of $47.28 per person plus a percentage of the previous fiscal year's specific county property tax.

• Requires the per capita growth amount to cover increases in funding for non-Medicaid expenditures from county services funds.

• Requires the county Finance committee to consult with the Department of Human Services and Department of Management in order to administer the county mental health and disabilities services funds.

• Authorizes counties to pool together appropriations from the county mental health and disabilities services funds of other counties.

• Prohibits county revenues from taxes specifically raised for mental health and disabilities services from exceeding the “base year expenditures” for mental health and disabilities services.

• Defines “base year expenditures” as the amount of net expenditures made by the county for qualified mental health and disabilities services minus the amount the county received for that purpose from the state Property Tax Relief Fund.

• Prohibits county revenues from taxes during the fiscal years beginning July 1, 2013 and July 1, 2014 from exceeding the lesser of the following amounts:
• The county's base year expenditures for mental health and disabilities services; or
• The product of the statewide per capita expenditure target for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2013 multiplied by the county's population for the same fiscal year.

• Requires the Department of Human Services to compensate counties with a per capita expenditure target that exceeds the amount of the county's base year expenditures for mental health and disabilities services.

Full Bill Text