Relating to and making appropriations to the justice system, including by providing for payments associated with indigent defense and representation, the funding of activities relating to consumer fraud and antitrust, a corrections capital reinvestment fund, an Iowa law enforcement academy study, a human trafficking study, and the funding of peace officer retirement, and including effective date and retroactive applicability provisions

This bill relates to and makes appropriations to the justice system. The bill is organized by divisions. FY 2023-2024 APPROPRIATIONS. The bill makes appropriations for FY 2023-2024 from the general fund of the state to the departments of justice, corrections, public defense, public safety, and homeland security and emergency management, and the Iowa law enforcement academy, office of the state public defender, and board of parole. The bill appropriates moneys from the commerce revolving fund to the office of consumer advocate of the department of justice; from the gaming enforcement revolving fund to the department of public safety; from the 911 emergency communications fund to the department of homeland security and emergency management; and from the consumer education and litigation fund to the department of justice for farm mediation services and salaries, support, maintenance, and miscellaneous purposes for criminal prosecutions, criminal appeals, and performing certain duties. INDIGENT DEFENSE AND REPRESENTATION. The bill increases the hourly rates for court-appointed counsel by $5 per hour and provides that for appointments made on or after July 1, 2023, compensation is calculated on the basis of $83 per hour for class “A” felonies, $78 per hour for class “B” felonies, and $73 per hour for all other cases. The bill provides that compensation for time spent by an attorney or guardian ad litem traveling outside of the attorney’s or guardian ad litem’s county of domicile is payable when the travel is reasonable and necessary to represent the indigent client and shall be calculated at a rate of $35 per hour. Compensation for travel for a court proceeding other than a trial or other contested proceeding shall only be paid if the attorney or guardian ad litem files a motion for a remote hearing and the motion is denied. Under those circumstances, compensation paid for travel for an uncontested or nontestimonial proceeding must be reimbursed by the judicial branch. ATTORNEY GENERAL —— ANTITRUST FUND —— CONSUMER EDUCATION AND LITIGATION FUND.16C appropriations to the department of justice to June 30, 2025.16C are increased from $1,250,000 to $1,875,000 and $75,000 to $125,000, respectively. The bill provides that any moneys not otherwise appropriated from the antitrust fund and the consumer education and litigation fund are appropriated to the department of justice for salaries, support, maintenance, and miscellaneous purposes. This provision takes effect upon enactment and is retroactively applicable to July 1, 2022. DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS. The bill provides that upon an approved sale of real estate by the director of the department of corrections, the proceeds shall be deposited in a corrections capital reinvestment fund established by the bill. The bill transfers associated moneys remaining in the general fund to the new fund. The funding source for costs incident to the acquisition and sale of real estate shall be reimbursed from the proceeds of the sale. These provisions take effect June 30, 2023. IOWA LAW ENFORCEMENT ACADEMY —— STUDY COMMITTEE. The bill requests the establishment of a legislative interim study committee on the Iowa law enforcement academy to review and evaluate the following: minimum entrance requirements, the course of study, attendance requirements, and the sufficiency of current equipment and facilities; minimum basic training requirements; minimum standards of physical, mental, educational, and moral fitness; and additional locations for law enforcement training schools and other facility needs. HUMAN TRAFFICKING STUDY COMMITTEE. The bill requests the establishment of a legislative interim study committee on human trafficking to review and evaluate the following: current initiatives to eliminate the human trafficking of minors in the state; current services available for minor victims of human trafficking; laws of other states that focus on minor victims of human trafficking; a model of rehabilitative services for minor victims of human trafficking; barriers that prevent minor victims of human trafficking from seeking legal assistance or medical attention; a procedure to be followed if a law enforcement officer encounters a minor who may be a victim of human trafficking; the efficacy of safe harbor laws; potential routes to eliminate human trafficking of minors in the state; recommendations on appropriate human trafficking-related training for law enforcement officers, county attorneys, and juvenile service officers; and funding needs. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY DIRECTIVE. The bill requires the department of public safety to pay the peace officers’ retirement, accident, and disability system, from moneys appropriated in the bill, the amount sufficient to fund the actuarial cost of the remaining transfer due to the transition of motor vehicle enforcement duties to the department of public safety from the department of transportation, after the required trustee-to-trustee lump sum transfer has been performed. This provision takes effect July 1, 2023, if the bill providing for the transition (2023 Iowa Acts, Senate File 513) is enacted.