Iowa Code Title I. State Sovereignty and Management [Chs. 1-38D] § 15H.9. Iowa national service corps program

1. The commission may establish an Iowa national service corps program to provide opportunities for state agencies, political subdivisions of the state, and private, nonprofit organizations to create national service programs outside of existing state and federal programs to meet state and local needs and to provide more opportunities for Iowans to serve their state and country and foster a cultural expectation of service in Iowa through a unified service corps.

2. The commission may adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A for approving Iowa national service corps programs and national service positions. Existing programs and service positions, including those established through the AmeriCorps programs in Iowa created pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 12501, Senior Corps and AmeriCorps vista in Iowa created pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 4950 et seq., the Iowa summer youth corps program created pursuant to section 15H.5, the Iowa green corps program created pursuant to section 15H.6, the Iowa reading corps program created pursuant to section 15H.7, the RefugeeRISE AmeriCorps program created pursuant to section 15H.8, and the Iowa conservation corps created pursuant to section 84A.7, are part of the Iowa national service corps programs and national service positions.

3. State agencies or political subdivisions of the state may enter into an agreement with any approved Iowa national service corps program directly or through an agreement with the commission. State agencies or political subdivisions of the state may establish Iowa national service corps programs or contract with a third-party vendor to assist the agency or political subdivision in establishing such programs.

4. State agencies or political subdivisions of the state may give priority to grants or projects funded that utilize Iowa national service corps programs.

5. State agencies or political subdivisions of the state may establish hiring preferences for any Iowa national service corps or AmeriCorps participant who has successfully completed a year of full-time service or one thousand seven hundred hours over a period extending beyond a year.

6. A person participating in the Iowa national service corps program is not an employee of the organization in which the person is enrolled regardless of whether a stipend is provided, shall be exempt from the merit system requirements of chapter 8, subchapter IV, and is not eligible to receive unemployment compensation benefits under chapter 96 upon completion of service.