House Study Bill 692 - Introduced HOUSE FILE _____ BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS BILL BY CHAIRPERSON MOHR) A BILL FOR An Act relating to school security, including by modifying 1 provisions related to the issuance of school bonds, 2 requiring schools to conduct school safety reviews and have 3 access to the statewide interoperable communications system, 4 establishing the school emergency radio access grant program 5 and the firearm detection software grant program within the 6 department of homeland security and emergency management, 7 requiring the department of public safety to convene a 8 task force related to the safety and security standards of 9 schools and school infrastructure, making appropriations, 10 and including effective date provisions. 11 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 12 TLSB 6271YC (7) 90 jda/jh
H.F. _____ Section 1. Section 298.21, Code 2024, is amended to read as 1 follows: 2 298.21 School bonds. 3 1. The Subject to subsection 2, the board of directors of 4 any school corporation when authorized by the voters at an 5 election held on a date specified in section 39.2, subsection 6 4 , paragraph d , may issue the negotiable, interest-bearing 7 school bonds of the corporation for borrowing money for any or 8 all of the following purposes: 9 1. a. To acquire sites for school purposes. 10 2. b. To erect, complete, or improve buildings authorized 11 for school purposes. 12 3. c. To acquire equipment for schools, sites, and 13 buildings. 14 2. The board of directors of a school corporation shall not 15 issue negotiable, interest-bearing school bonds for borrowing 16 money for purposes of constructing a new school building or 17 site to be used primarily for interscholastic athletic contests 18 or competitions, or renovating or improving a school building 19 or site that is currently used primarily for interscholastic 20 athletic contests or competitions, unless all of the attendance 21 centers of the school corporation are in compliance with the 22 provisions of the state building code, adopted on or after the 23 effective date of this Act, related to the construction of new 24 attendance centers and the renovation of existing attendance 25 centers that incorporate standards designed to increase the 26 safety of schools and school infrastructure. 27 Sec. 2. REQUIRED SCHOOL SAFETY REVIEW. 28 1. Each school district, accredited nonpublic school, 29 charter school established pursuant to chapter 256E, charter 30 school established pursuant to chapter 256F, and innovation 31 zone school established pursuant to chapter 256F shall complete 32 a comprehensive review and evaluation of the schools ability 33 to ensure the safety of students enrolled in the school and 34 of school employees, including a review and evaluation of 35 -1- LSB 6271YC (7) 90 jda/jh 1/ 10
H.F. _____ the schools plan for responses to active shooter scenarios 1 and natural disasters and the schools safety and security 2 infrastructure. The results of the comprehensive review and 3 evaluation shall be confidential and shall not be a public 4 record subject to disclosure under chapter 22. 5 2. On or before the first day of the school calendar 6 established pursuant to section 279.10, subsection 1, for the 7 school year beginning July 1, 2024, each school district, 8 accredited nonpublic school, charter school established 9 pursuant to chapter 256E, charter school established pursuant 10 to chapter 256F, and innovation zone school established 11 pursuant to chapter 256F shall submit the results of 12 the comprehensive review and evaluation to all local law 13 enforcement agencies, including police forces of the counties 14 in which school attendance centers are located, the local 15 district office of the state patrol, and, if applicable, the 16 police forces of the cities in which school attendance centers 17 are located. 18 Sec. 3. REQUIRED ACCESS TO STATEWIDE INTEROPERABLE 19 COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND 20 EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT GRANT PROGRAM APPROPRIATION. 21 1. On or before the first day of the school calendar 22 established pursuant to section 279.10, subsection 1, for the 23 school year beginning July 1, 2024, each school district, 24 accredited nonpublic school, charter school established 25 pursuant to chapter 256E, charter school established pursuant 26 to chapter 256F, and innovation zone school established 27 pursuant to chapter 256F is required to have at least one 28 handheld or console radio that is capable of accessing 29 the statewide interoperable communications system at each 30 attendance center. 31 2. a. The department of homeland security and emergency 32 management shall establish a school emergency radio access 33 grant program to provide grants to school districts, accredited 34 nonpublic schools, charter schools established pursuant to 35 -2- LSB 6271YC (7) 90 jda/jh 2/ 10
H.F. _____ chapter 256E, charter schools established pursuant to chapter 1 256F, and innovation zone schools established pursuant to 2 chapter 256F that, as of January 1, 2024, did not have at least 3 one handheld or console radio that was capable of accessing 4 the statewide interoperable communications system at each 5 attendance center operated by the school, to help such schools 6 offset the cost associated with purchasing and, if applicable, 7 installing, such a handheld or console radio. 8 b. The department of homeland security and emergency 9 management shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A to 10 administer this section, including rules relating to grant 11 application materials and award criteria. 12 c. Moneys awarded under this section shall be used to 13 supplement, not supplant, existing public funding used by 14 school districts for similar purposes. 15 3. a. There is appropriated from the 911 emergency 16 communications fund established pursuant to section 34A.7A to 17 the department of homeland security and emergency management 18 for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2023, and ending June 30, 19 2024, the following amount, or so much thereof as is necessary, 20 to be used for the purposes designated: 21 For purposes of the school emergency radio access grant 22 program established pursuant to subsection 2, if enacted: 23 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 3,000,000 24 b. Notwithstanding section 8.33, moneys appropriated in 25 this subsection that remain unencumbered or unobligated at the 26 close of the fiscal year shall not revert but shall remain 27 available for expenditure for the purposes designated until the 28 close of the succeeding fiscal year. 29 Sec. 4. FIREARM DETECTION SOFTWARE PILOT PROGRAM 30 DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT 31 APPROPRIATION. 32 1. The department of homeland security and emergency 33 management shall establish a firearm detection software grant 34 program to provide grants to school districts to help such 35 -3- LSB 6271YC (7) 90 jda/jh 3/ 10
H.F. _____ school districts offset the cost associated with purchasing, 1 installing, and operating software that meets all of the 2 following requirements: 3 a. Is designed to detect and alert school district employees 4 and first responders if there is a visible, unholstered firearm 5 on property owned by the school district. 6 b. Is designated by the secretary of homeland security as 7 qualified anti-terrorism technology under 6 U.S.C. 441 et seq. 8 c. Is designed to integrate with a school districts 9 existing security camera infrastructure. 10 d. Was developed in the United States without the use of any 11 third-party data or open-source data. 12 2. The department of homeland security and emergency 13 management shall provide at least one grant under the firearm 14 detection software grant program to each of the following 15 school districts: 16 a. A school district with a total enrollment in the school 17 year beginning July 1, 2023, that was among the forty-eight 18 largest total enrollment amounts in the state. 19 b. A school district with a total enrollment in the school 20 year beginning July 1, 2023, that was among the next sixty-four 21 largest total enrollment amounts in the state, after the school 22 districts described in paragraph a. 23 c. A school district that is not described in paragraph a 24 or b. 25 3. The department of homeland security and emergency 26 management shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A to 27 administer this section, including rules relating to grant 28 application materials and award criteria. 29 4. Moneys awarded under this section shall be used to 30 supplement, not supplant, existing public funding used by 31 school districts for similar purposes. 32 5. a. Each school district that receives a grant pursuant 33 to this section shall, in coordination with the department of 34 homeland security and emergency management and the department 35 -4- LSB 6271YC (7) 90 jda/jh 4/ 10
H.F. _____ of public safetys school safety bureau, evaluate the 1 effectiveness of the software purchased with moneys awarded 2 under this section in protecting students, school personnel, 3 and the public. 4 b. Each school district that receives a grant pursuant 5 to this section shall submit an initial evaluation of the 6 effectiveness of the software purchased with moneys awarded 7 under this section to the general assembly on or before 8 December 15, 2024. 9 c. Each school district that receives a grant pursuant 10 to this section shall submit a final evaluation of the 11 effectiveness of the software purchased with moneys awarded 12 under this section to the general assembly on or before 13 December 15, 2025. 14 6. a. There is appropriated from the general fund of the 15 state to the department of homeland security and emergency 16 management for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2023, and 17 ending June 30, 2024, the following amount, or so much thereof 18 as is necessary, to be used for the purposes designated: 19 For purposes of the firearm detection software grant program 20 established pursuant to subsection 1, if enacted: 21 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 350,000 22 b. Notwithstanding section 8.33, moneys appropriated in 23 this subsection that remain unencumbered or unobligated at the 24 close of the fiscal year shall not revert but shall remain 25 available for expenditure for the purposes designated until the 26 close of the succeeding fiscal year. 27 Sec. 5. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY, DEPARTMENT OF 28 EDUCATION, AND DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY 29 MANAGEMENT SCHOOL SAFETY AND SECURITY INFRASTRUCTURE 30 STANDARDS TASK FORCE. 31 1. The department of public safety, in collaboration with 32 the department of education and the department of homeland 33 security and emergency management, shall convene and provide 34 administrative support to a task force that shall study 35 -5- LSB 6271YC (7) 90 jda/jh 5/ 10
H.F. _____ and make recommendations related to the safety and security 1 standards of schools and school infrastructure, including 2 safety and security standards related to doors, windows, 3 cameras, and locks. 4 2. Any expenses incurred by a member of the task force 5 shall be the responsibility of the individual member or the 6 respective entity represented by the member. 7 3. The task force shall submit its findings and 8 recommendations to the general assembly on or before December 9 31, 2024. The findings and recommendations shall include a 10 proposal for modifications to the state building code that 11 are applicable to the construction of new attendance centers 12 and the renovation of existing attendance centers and that 13 incorporate standards designed to increase the safety of 14 schools and school infrastructure. 15 Sec. 6. EMERGENCY RULES. The department of homeland 16 security and emergency management may adopt emergency 17 rules under section 17A.4, subsection 3, and section 17A.5, 18 subsection 2, paragraph b, to implement the provisions of 19 this Act establishing the school emergency radio access grant 20 program and the firearm detection software grant program, and 21 the rules shall be effective immediately upon filing unless 22 a later date is specified in the rules. Any rules adopted 23 in accordance with this section shall also be published as a 24 notice of intended action as provided in section 17A.4. 25 Sec. 7. STATE MANDATE FUNDING SPECIFIED. In accordance 26 with section 25B.2, subsection 3, the state cost of requiring 27 compliance with any state mandate included in this Act shall 28 be paid by a school district from state school foundation aid 29 received by the school district under section 257.16. This 30 specification of the payment of the state cost shall be deemed 31 to meet all of the state funding-related requirements of 32 section 25B.2, subsection 3, and no additional state funding 33 shall be necessary for the full implementation of this Act 34 by and enforcement of this Act against all affected school 35 -6- LSB 6271YC (7) 90 jda/jh 6/ 10
H.F. _____ districts. 1 Sec. 8. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act, being deemed of immediate 2 importance, takes effect upon enactment. 3 EXPLANATION 4 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 5 the explanations substance by the members of the general assembly. 6 This bill relates to school security, including by modifying 7 provisions related to the issuance of school bonds, requiring 8 schools to conduct school safety reviews and have access to the 9 statewide interoperable communications system, establishing the 10 school emergency radio access grant program and the firearm 11 detection software grant program within the department of 12 homeland security and emergency management, and requiring the 13 department of public safety to convene a task force related 14 to the safety and security standards of schools and school 15 infrastructure. 16 The bill requires each school district, accredited nonpublic 17 school, charter school, and innovation zone school to complete 18 a comprehensive review and evaluation of the schools ability 19 to ensure the safety of students enrolled in the school and of 20 school employees. The bill provides that the results of the 21 comprehensive review and evaluation shall be confidential and 22 shall not be a public record subject to disclosure. The bill 23 establishes that, on or before the first day of the school 24 calendar for the school year beginning July 1, 2024, each 25 school is required to submit the results of the comprehensive 26 review and evaluation to all local law enforcement agencies. 27 The bill requires that, on or before the first day of 28 the school calendar for the school year beginning July 1, 29 2024, each school district, accredited nonpublic school, 30 charter school, and innovation zone school is required to have 31 at least one handheld or console radio that is capable of 32 accessing the statewide interoperable communications system 33 at each attendance center operated by the school. The bill 34 provides that the department of homeland security and emergency 35 -7- LSB 6271YC (7) 90 jda/jh 7/ 10
H.F. _____ management shall establish a school emergency radio access 1 grant program to provide grants to schools that, as of January 2 1, 2024, did not have at least one handheld or console radio 3 that was capable of accessing such system at each attendance 4 center operated by the school, to help such schools offset the 5 cost associated with purchasing and installing such radio. 6 The bill authorizes the department to adopt emergency rules 7 to implement the program. The bill appropriates $3 million 8 from the 911 emergency communications fund for FY 2023-2024 9 for purposes of the grant program. The bill provides that if 10 these moneys remain unencumbered or unobligated at the close of 11 the fiscal year, the moneys shall not revert but shall remain 12 available for expenditure for the purposes designated until 13 the close of the succeeding fiscal year. The bill establishes 14 that moneys awarded under this provision shall be used to 15 supplement, not supplant, existing public funding used by 16 school districts for similar purposes. 17 The bill requires the department of homeland security 18 and emergency management to establish a firearm detection 19 software grant program to provide grants to school districts 20 to help such school districts offset the cost associated 21 with purchasing, installing, and operating software that is 22 designed to detect and alert school district employees and 23 first responders if there is a visible, unholstered firearm on 24 property owned by the school district, is designated by the 25 secretary of homeland security as qualified anti-terrorism 26 technology, is designed to integrate with a school districts 27 existing security camera infrastructure, and was developed in 28 the United States without the use of any third-party data or 29 open-source data. The bill authorizes the department to adopt 30 emergency rules to implement the program. The bill requires 31 the department to award at least one grant under the program to 32 certain specified schools. The bill appropriates $350,000 from 33 the general fund of the state for FY 2023-2024 for purposes 34 of the grant program. The bill provides that if these moneys 35 -8- LSB 6271YC (7) 90 jda/jh 8/ 10
H.F. _____ remain unencumbered or unobligated at the close of the fiscal 1 year, the moneys shall not revert but shall remain available 2 for expenditure for the purposes designated until the close of 3 the succeeding fiscal year. The bill establishes that moneys 4 awarded under this provision shall be used to supplement, not 5 supplant, existing public funding used by school districts for 6 similar purposes. The bill requires school districts that 7 receive a grant to, in coordination with the department of 8 homeland security and emergency management and the department 9 of public safetys school safety bureau, evaluate the 10 effectiveness of the software purchased with moneys awarded 11 under this provision in protecting students, school personnel, 12 and the public and submit reports to the general assembly. 13 The bill requires the department of public safety, in 14 collaboration with the department of education and the 15 department of homeland security and emergency management, to 16 convene a task force to study and make recommendations related 17 to the safety and security standards of schools and school 18 infrastructure. The bill requires the task force to submit 19 its findings and recommendations to the general assembly on or 20 before December 31, 2024. The findings and recommendations are 21 required to include a proposal for modifications to the state 22 building code that are applicable to the construction of new 23 attendance centers and the renovation of existing attendance 24 centers and that incorporate standards designed to increase 25 the safety of schools and school infrastructure. The bill 26 prohibits the board of directors of a school corporation from 27 issuing negotiable, interest-bearing school bonds for borrowing 28 money for purposes of constructing a new school building or 29 site to be used primarily for interscholastic athletic contests 30 or competitions, or renovating or improving a building or site 31 that is currently used for such purposes, unless all of the 32 attendance centers of the school corporation are in compliance 33 with these modified provisions of the state building code, if 34 adopted. 35 -9- LSB 6271YC (7) 90 jda/jh 9/ 10
H.F. _____ The bill may include a state mandate as defined in Code 1 section 25B.3. The bill requires that the state cost of 2 any state mandate included in the bill be paid by a school 3 district from state school foundation aid received by the 4 school district under Code section 257.16. The specification 5 is deemed to constitute state compliance with any state mandate 6 funding-related requirements of Code section 25B.2. The 7 inclusion of this specification is intended to reinstate the 8 requirement of political subdivisions to comply with any state 9 mandates included in the bill. 10 The bill takes effect upon enactment. 11 -10- LSB 6271YC (7) 90 jda/jh 10/ 10