Human Trafficking Prevention

Iowa Code 80.45A

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• Does this apply to out of state travel?

• What is the website where I can check a lodging provider’s certification status?

• Which funding sources are exempt from this Iowa Code section and can be utilized with a provider who is not certified under Iowa Code 80.45A?

           Funding from federal and states other than Iowa are exempt from this requirement.

           Funding from sources other than the State of Iowa are exempt from this requirement.

           Foundation funds are exempt from this requirement.

• Will the compliance of the hotel being on the list be checked before a transaction routes to a cost center manager (CCM) or is the CCM responsible to check compliance?

• How often is the website with approved hotels updated?

• If we are using meeting space only and not guest rooms, does that change the compliance requirements?

• If I am attending a conference held at a location that offers lodging, even if I’m not staying at that location, does my registration fee for the conference fall under Iowa Code 80.45A compliance?

• If we have a contract with a hotel that is not on the list, what is the process? Do we reach out personally or is there someone reaching out centrally and we would reach out to that person?

• If a T and H card was provided for a deposit, or payment was made for a deposit, and the site is not eligible now, what is the process?

           If a contract was signed and/or a financial commitment (deposit) was made prior to 1/1/22, compliance is not required.

• If the hotel can provide documentation that they are certified, but the website doesn’t reflect this, is their certification sufficient to support payment?

           All providers who have certified receive a facility certificate that they are encouraged to post in their lobby. If a copy a valid certification is provided and accompanies the expense report, this will be considered sufficient documentation.

• If we can use a fee or conference program to cover, is there a way that we could cover maybe 50% or 75% of the hotel cost on the first submission where the lodging isn’t on the list and then we would cover 0 if there is a second submission?

          No. If the lodging provider is not certified, non-state funds must be utilized to cover the full expense.

• Do Airbnb and VRBOs have to be certified to accept public funds?

          The platforms themselves are “lodging facilitators” pursuant to Iowa Code section 423A.2(1)(g), but the individual hosts would be considered “lodging providers” and thus, would need to be certified to accept public funds.

• At what point does money become public funds? Example: If ISU hosts a conference and attendees are from a local school district and they pay the registration fee using their state funds, is that money already marked as state funds?

         Anytime the funding source is from state funds, compliance is required. In the example provided, these would be considered state funds.

• Does the date of the certification on the website matter? Example: the hotel lists a certification date of 1/21 but the traveler stayed on 1/6 and submits their expense report on 1/14.

         Yes, the date of certification should be prior to the date the expense is incurred (in this case the date the traveler stayed).

• Can this be linked to the T&H card to reject the charge when trying to do the reservation at a non-compliant hotel?

         This functionality does not exist at this time. We plan to explore whether this might be feasible in the future.

• If I am using state funds to pay for lodging for people interviewing for university jobs, is it required that the lodging provider be certified?

         Yes. If state funds are utilized to pay for the lodging, certification is required.