Relating to public safety answering points, including limitations, property tax allocation, service requirements, management, consolidation, transfer of duties from joint 911 service boards to local emergency management commissions, and reporting requirements, and including transfer and effective date provisions

This bill relates to public safety answering points, including setting limitations, property tax allocation, service requirements, management, consolidation, transfer of duties from joint 911 service boards to local emergency management commissions, and reporting requirements. DIVISION I —— PUBLIC SAFETY ANSWERING POINTS. The bill authorizes the Iowa finance authority to exercise the same bonding and fund-pooling powers when delegated by a local emergency management commission as currently allowed when delegated by a joint 911 service board. The bill requires each local emergency management commission to annually submit to the department of homeland security and emergency management (department) a five-year plan addressing anticipated 911 service infrastructure needs and an inventory of personnel, equipment, structures, and public safety agency equipment within the commission’s jurisdiction. The department must publish this information on its internet site. The bill requires each public safety answering point that accesses criminal justice information to comply with the security policy of the federal bureau of investigation’s criminal justice information services and any requirements imposed by the Iowa department of public safety. The bill requires a local emergency management commission to maintain a countywide 911 service plan unless an exemption is granted. The bill limits each county to not more than one PSAP, with exceptions relating to certain cities and for PSAPs operated by the national guard, any branch of the armed forces of the United States, or the department of public safety. The bill requires a city located in more than one county to enter into an agreement with the counties and the local emergency management commissions serving the city to determine how 911 calls originating from the city are allocated to the public safety answering points in the counties where the city is located. The bill requires all PSAPs within a county to maintain communications capabilities with each other and all public safety agencies in the county. The bill requires each joint 911 service board existing on the effective date of the bill to submit to the department by December 31, 2026, a letter of intent to consolidate all public safety answering points within the county to one and transfer all funds, debts, contract rights, and obligations to the applicable commission by December 31, 2031. The bill also requires each county to submit a plan to the department by December 31, 2027, detailing how the county will reform or consolidate within the required time frame. The bill provides that an employee employed by a public safety answering point that is discontinued due to consolidation must be given a hiring preference for one year following the employee’s last date of employment with the public safety answering point for any similar position with another public safety answering point in Iowa.7A, as amended by the bill. The bill directs the remaining allocation to be distributed evenly to all other compliant counties. The consolidation requirements of the bill do not apply to counties with only one public safety answering point or to public safety answering points operated by the national guard, any branch of the armed forces of the United States, or the department of public safety. The bill requires the transfer of all funds, debts, contract rights, and obligations of each joint 911 service board to the local emergency management commission by December 31, 2031. The bill provides that the local emergency management commission and its member political subdivisions are responsible for the costs of providing 911 service. The bill directs property tax revenues to support PSAP operations to be paid only to the commission that operates the primary PSAP serving the political subdivision.00 per month on each access line and originating service number for purposes of supporting 911 service.20 per month and makes conforming changes. Under current law, joint 911 service boards have numerous duties, powers, and responsibilities concerning 911 services. The bill requires local emergency management commissions to take over the current joint 911 service boards’ responsibilities, including the maintenance of a 911 service plan, strikes provisions concerning formation of joint 911 service boards, waivers, and alternatives to joint 911 service boards, and makes certain conforming changes to signify this transfer. The bill continues existing requirements that PSAP cost and expense data be submitted annually to the program manager, and applies the statutory allocation reductions and reversion consequences to a commission that fails to timely submit required information. Division I of the bill takes effect upon enactment. DIVISION II —— CONFORMING CHANGES. The bill makes conforming changes, in addition to the changes made in division I of the bill, to signify local emergency management commissions taking over the duties, powers, and responsibilities of joint 911 service boards. Division II of the bill takes effect upon enactment.