DES MOINES – A federal court preliminarily approved a settlement agreement in a class action lawsuit brought against the Director of the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services to ensure that children with mental health disabilities receive legally required and medically necessary care services. It Iowa HHS to develop and roll out a set of key services statewide, including care coordination, in-home mental health services, and mobile crisis services. It also requires a new screening and assessment process, to ensure children with mental health disabilities are screened for appropriate services.

IOWA – The Iowa Supreme Court ruled that tenants in the state no longer need to adhere to a Federal CARES Act mandate that had landlords provide 30 days notice before evictions. The Des Moines Register reports the state will be the first in the nation to break away from the requirement passed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal was to prevent mass homelessness with several different parts of the law, but the 30-day eviction notice standard did not have a specific end date. The Iowa Supreme Court ruled that it was meant to expire.

DES MOINES – After twenty-two years of leadership, Rob Denson announced that he will retire as President and CEO of Des Moines Area Community College at the end of this year. Denson has served in that role since 2003 and helped DMACC form partnerships with the Transportation Security Administration, Goldman Sachs, Amazon, Microsoft, Intel, and Google. The DMACC Board of Trustees will hire a consultant and conduct a national search for Denson’s successor.