Senate Study Bill 1172 - Introduced SENATE FILE _____ BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS BILL BY CHAIRPERSON BOLKCOM) A BILL FOR An Act relating to enhanced E911 emergency communication 1 systems, and providing penalties. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 1422SC (6) 85 rn/nh
S.F. _____ Section 1. Section 34A.7, subsection 1, paragraph a, Code 1 2013, is amended by striking the paragraph and inserting in 2 lieu thereof the following: 3 a. To encourage local implementation of E911 service, one 4 source of funding for E911 emergency communication systems 5 shall come from a surcharge per month, per access line on each 6 access line subscriber, of one dollar. 7 Sec. 2. Section 34A.7, subsection 1, paragraph b, 8 subparagraph (1), Code 2013, is amended to read as follows: 9 (1) The program manager shall notify a local exchange 10 service provider scheduled to provide exchange access line 11 service to an E911 service area that implementation of an E911 12 service plan has been approved by the joint E911 service board 13 and by the service area referendum and that collection of the 14 surcharge is to begin within sixty days. 15 Sec. 3. Section 34A.7, subsection 5, Code 2013, is amended 16 to read as follows: 17 5. Use of moneys in fund —— priority and limitations on 18 expenditure. 19 a. Moneys deposited in the E911 service fund shall be 20 used for the repayment of any bonds issued for the benefit 21 of or loan made to the joint E911 service board pursuant to 22 sections 34A.20 through 34A.22 , and as long as any such bond 23 or loan remains unpaid the surcharge shall not be reduced or 24 eliminated. Moneys deposited in the fund shall be subject to 25 such terms and conditions as may be contained in the relevant 26 bond documents, trust indenture, resolution, loan agreement, or 27 other instrument pursuant to which bonds are issued or a loan 28 is made, without regard to any limitation otherwise provided 29 by law. The surcharge may be increased, but shall not exceed 30 the maximum allowed in subsection 1 , upon approval of the 31 authority upon such terms and conditions as may be contained 32 in the relevant bond documents, trust indenture, resolution, 33 loan agreement, or other instrument pursuant to which bonds are 34 issued or a loan is made, as deemed necessary or prudent by the 35 -1- LSB 1422SC (6) 85 rn/nh 1/ 6
S.F. _____ authority to secure repayment and assure marketability or a 1 reasonable interest rate. 2 b. Moneys deposited in the E911 service fund shall be used 3 for the following, in order of priority if paragraph “a” does 4 not apply: 5 (1) Money shall first be spent for actual recurring costs of 6 operating the E911 service plan. 7 (2) If money remains in the fund after fully paying for 8 recurring costs incurred in the preceding year, the remainder 9 may be spent to pay for nonrecurring costs, not to exceed 10 actual nonrecurring costs as approved by the program manager. 11 (3) If money remains in the fund after fully paying 12 obligations under subparagraphs (1) and (2), the remainder may 13 be accumulated in the fund as a carryover operating surplus. 14 If the surplus is greater than twenty-five percent of the 15 approved annual operating budget for the next year, the program 16 manager shall reduce the surcharge by an amount calculated to 17 result in a surplus of no more than twenty-five percent of the 18 planned annual operating budget. After nonrecurring costs have 19 been paid, if the surcharge is less than the maximum allowed 20 and the fund surplus is less than twenty-five percent of the 21 approved annual operating budget, the program manager shall, 22 upon application of the joint E911 service board, increase the 23 surcharge in an amount calculated to result in a surplus of 24 twenty-five percent of the approved annual operating budget. 25 The surcharge may only be adjusted once in a single year, upon 26 sixty days’ prior notice to the provider. 27 Sec. 4. Section 34A.7, subsection 7, Code 2013, is amended 28 by striking the subsection. 29 Sec. 5. Section 34A.7A, subsection 1, paragraphs a and b, 30 Code 2013, are amended to read as follows: 31 a. Notwithstanding section 34A.6 , the The administrator 32 shall adopt by rule a monthly surcharge of up to sixty-five 33 cents one dollar to be imposed on each communications service 34 number provided in this state. The surcharge shall be 35 -2- LSB 1422SC (6) 85 rn/nh 2/ 6
S.F. _____ imposed uniformly on a statewide basis and simultaneously 1 on all communications service numbers as provided by rule 2 of the administrator. The surcharge shall not be imposed 3 on wire-line-based communications or prepaid wireless 4 telecommunications service. 5 b. The program manager shall provide no less than 6 sixty days’ notice of the surcharge to be imposed to each 7 communications service provider. The program manager, subject 8 to the sixty-five cent limit in paragraph “a” , may adjust the 9 amount of the surcharge as necessary, but no more than once in 10 any calendar year. 11 Sec. 6. Section 34A.7A, subsection 2, Code 2013, is amended 12 by adding the following new paragraph: 13 NEW PARAGRAPH . 0b. The program manager shall allocate 14 thirteen percent of the total amount of surcharge generated 15 to wireless carriers to recover their costs to deliver E911 16 phase 1 services. If the allocation in this paragraph is 17 insufficient to reimburse all wireless carriers for such 18 carrier’s eligible expenses, the program manager shall allocate 19 a prorated amount to each wireless carrier equal to the 20 percentage of such carrier’s eligible expenses as compared to 21 the total of all eligible expenses for all wireless carriers 22 for the calendar quarter during which such expenses were 23 submitted. When prorated expenses are paid, the remaining 24 unpaid expenses shall no longer be eligible for payment under 25 this paragraph. 26 Sec. 7. Section 34A.7A, subsection 2, paragraph e, Code 27 2013, is amended to read as follows: 28 e. If moneys remain in the fund after fully paying all 29 obligations under paragraphs “a” through , “0b” , “b” , “c” , 30 and “d” , the remainder may be accumulated in the fund as a 31 carryover operating surplus. This surplus shall be used 32 to fund future network and public safety answering point 33 improvements, including hardware and software for an internet 34 protocol-enabled next generation network, and wireless 35 -3- LSB 1422SC (6) 85 rn/nh 3/ 6
S.F. _____ carriers’ transport costs related to wireless E911 services, if 1 those costs are not otherwise recovered by wireless carriers 2 through customer billing or other sources and approved by the 3 program manager in consultation with the E911 communications 4 council . Notwithstanding section 8.33 , any moneys remaining 5 in the fund at the end of each fiscal year shall not revert to 6 the general fund of the state but shall remain available for 7 the purposes of the fund. 8 Sec. 8. Section 34A.7A, Code 2013, is amended by adding the 9 following new subsection: 10 NEW SUBSECTION . 5. a. The program manager, in consultation 11 with the E911 communications council, shall establish a 12 methodology for determining and collecting comprehensive public 13 safety answering point cost and expense data. The methodology 14 shall include the collection of data for all costs and expenses 15 related to the operation of a public safety answering point and 16 account for the extent to which identified costs and expenses 17 are compensated for or addressed through E911 surcharges versus 18 other sources of funding. 19 b. Data collection pursuant to paragraph “a” shall commence 20 no later than January 1, 2014. The program manager shall 21 prepare a report detailing the methodology developed and 22 the data collected after such data has been collected for a 23 two-year period. The report shall be submitted to the general 24 assembly by March 1, 2016, and every two years thereafter. 25 c. A public safety answering point which fails to submit 26 expenses and costs pursuant to the methodology developed 27 pursuant to paragraph “a” by March 31, 2014, shall be allocated 28 sixty-five cents out of the one dollar emergency communications 29 service surcharge until March 31, 2015. A public safety 30 answering point which fails to submit expenses and costs by 31 March 31, 2015, shall continue to be allocated sixty-five 32 cents out of the one dollar emergency communications service 33 surcharge until March 31, 2016, and all revenue derived during 34 this second year shall, notwithstanding any provision to the 35 -4- LSB 1422SC (6) 85 rn/nh 4/ 6
S.F. _____ contrary, be deposited in the emergency communications fund and 1 accumulated as operating surplus as provided in subsection 2, 2 paragraph “e” . These provisions shall remain applicable for 3 failure to submit required data for every successive two-year 4 period. 5 Sec. 9. REPEAL. Sections 34A.6 and 34A.6A, Code 2013, are 6 repealed. 7 EXPLANATION 8 This bill modifies provisions applicable to the 9 administration and funding of enhanced E911 emergency 10 communication systems. 11 The bill eliminates existing voter referendum requirements 12 regarding imposition of the local wire-line E911 service 13 surcharge and the alternative surcharge applicable to wire-line 14 communications contained in Code sections 34A.6 and 34A.6A, 15 respectively. The bill replaces current provisions authorizing 16 imposition of the wire-line E911 service surcharge in an amount 17 up to $1 per access line with a requirement that the surcharge 18 be imposed at the $1 level. The bill increases the level of 19 the emergency communications service surcharge from the current 20 level of up to 65 cents per communications service number to 21 $1 per service number. 22 The bill reinstates provisions authorizing wireless carriers 23 to recover their E911 service delivery costs which were 24 eliminated during the 2012 legislative session. However, the 25 bill specifies that the program manager shall allocate 13 26 percent of the total amount of emergency communications service 27 surcharge revenue for such cost recovery. Further, the bill 28 requires the E911 program manager to consult with the E911 29 communications council regarding how revenue accumulated in the 30 emergency communications fund as carryover operating surplus 31 shall be allocated. Currently, this determination is made 32 strictly with the approval of the program manager. 33 Additionally, the bill directs the program manager, in 34 consultation with the council, to establish a methodology 35 -5- LSB 1422SC (6) 85 rn/nh 5/ 6
S.F. _____ for determining and collecting comprehensive public safety 1 answering point cost and expense data. The bill states that 2 data collection shall commence no later than January 1, 2014, 3 and that the program manager shall prepare a report detailing 4 the methodology and the data collected after the data has 5 been collected for two years. The report is required to 6 be submitted to the general assembly by March 1, 2016, and 7 every two years thereafter. The bill provides that a public 8 safety answering point which fails to submit expenses and 9 costs pursuant to the methodology by March 31, 2014, shall 10 be allocated 65 cents out of the emergency communications 11 service surcharge until March 31, 2015, and that a public 12 safety answering point which fails to submit expenses and costs 13 by March 31, 2015, shall continue to be allocated 65 cents 14 until March 31, 2016, with all revenue derived during this 15 second year deposited and accumulated as operating surplus in 16 the emergency communications fund. The bill specifies that 17 these provisions remain applicable to public safety answering 18 points for failure to submit required data for every successive 19 two-year period. 20 -6- LSB 1422SC (6) 85 rn/nh 6/ 6