Bills › 91st General Assembly
Relating to establishing the school security personnel grant program within the department of homeland security and emergency management and making appropriations
Sponsored by Sen. Mark Costello (R)
Topics:State budgetK–12 educationPublic safety & emergenciesSchool safety
Where it is now
- Done: IntroducedMarch 4, 2025
- Done: SubcommitteeMarch 6, 2025
- Stopped: Senate committeeDied when the General Assembly ended
- Next: Passes the Senate
- Next: House committeeFunnel: by March 20, 2026
- Next: Passes the House
- Next: To the Governor
- Next: Signed into law
Died when the session ended The 2026 session adjourned on May 3, 2026, the General Assembly’s last regular session. Bills that didn’t pass both chambers died. What’s a funnel?
What’s in it
AI summary Iowa will create a new grant program to help school districts pay for security officers or private security guards. The state's Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management will manage these grants, which can provide up to $30,000 to a district that provides its own matching funds. This program aims to help schools cover the costs of keeping their buildings safe.1
Read the official explanation
This bill establishes the school security personnel grant program within the department of homeland security and emergency management. Current law requires each school district with a total enrollment of at least 8,000 students to employ, or retain the services of, at least one private school security officer or school resource officer to guard each attendance center where students enrolled in grade 9, 10, 11, or 12 regularly attend classes, unless a majority of the members of the board of directors of the school district vote to not employ or retain a private school security officer or a school resource officer. Current law also encourages each school district with a total enrollment of less than 8,000 students to employ, or retain the services of, at least one private school security officer or school resource officer to guard each attendance center where students enrolled in grade 9, 10, 11, or 12 regularly attend classes. The bill requires the department of homeland security and emergency management to develop and administer a school security personnel grant program to provide annual grants to match moneys provided by school districts to allow the school districts to offset costs associated with employing, or retaining the services of, a private school security officer or school resource officer to guard an attendance center within the school district. The amount of an annual grant provided by the department of homeland security and emergency management to a school district that has provided matching moneys shall not exceed $30,000. The bill establishes a school security personnel grant program fund in the state treasury and appropriates $9,750,000 from the general fund of the state to the school security personnel grant program fund for FY 2025-2026.
Why it matters. School districts can apply for annual grants of up to $30,000 to help offset the costs of employing private school security officers or school resource officers. The department of homeland security and emergency management will manage this program using $9,750,000 appropriated from the general fund for FY 2025-2026.2
Senate subcommittee
Named March 6, 2025. It hasn’t reported yet.
Three legislators hear a bill first and recommend what the committee should do; it’s the best time to weigh in. How to take part