Text: SF02382 Text: SF02384 Text: SF02300 - SF02399 Text: SF Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
PAG LIN 1 1 Section 1. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. There is appropriated 1 2 from the rebuild Iowa infrastructure fund to the department of 1 3 education for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2000, and 1 4 ending June 30, 2001, the following amount, or so much thereof 1 5 as is necessary, to be used for the purpose designated: 1 6 For fire and health safety grants for eligible school 1 7 districts: 1 8 .................................................. $ 3,400,000 1 9 From the funds appropriated in this section, the sum of 1 10 $100,000 may be allocated for use by the state fire marshal 1 11 for a collection and reporting system of fire code violations. 1 12 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION. 422E.6 FIRE AND HEALTH SAFETY 1 13 GRANTS. 1 14 1. If the general assembly appropriates moneys for 1 15 purposes of fire and health safety grants for eligible school 1 16 districts, the department of education shall establish a fire 1 17 and health safety task force and shall award fire and health 1 18 safety grants based upon the recommendations of the task 1 19 force. 1 20 2. Voting members of the fire and health safety task force 1 21 shall include the members of the school budget review 1 22 committee and the state fire marshal. Nonvoting members shall 1 23 be appointed by the director of the department of education, 1 24 in consultation with the state fire marshal, and shall include 1 25 representatives from the education community and individuals 1 26 knowledgeable about school infrastructure and construction 1 27 issues. Nonvoting members may be eligible to receive per diem 1 28 and expenses as provided in section 7E.6. The task force 1 29 shall develop an equitable ranking system based upon the 1 30 following criteria: 1 31 a. The severity of the deficiencies. 1 32 b. The ability of the district to finance fire and health 1 33 safety repairs. 1 34 c. The percentage of at-risk students enrolled in the 1 35 district. 2 1 d. The history of the district's effort to address fire 2 2 and health safety repair issues. 2 3 The task force shall give primary consideration to the 2 4 severity of the deficiencies. The task force shall review 2 5 applications submitted to the department of education and, if 2 6 necessary, conduct site visits to determine final eligibility 2 7 and identify inconsistencies in state and local fire and 2 8 building inspection standards. 2 9 3. A school district is eligible for a grant under this 2 10 section if the district agrees to provide matching funds in 2 11 the amount of twenty-five cents for every dollar of state fire 2 12 and health safety grant moneys received and if either of the 2 13 following occurs: 2 14 a. The school district receives an order or citation from 2 15 the state fire marshal or local fire department officials for 2 16 one or more fire safety or state building code violations in a 2 17 school facility used for instructional purposes. 2 18 b. A school facility used for instructional purposes is 2 19 operating with significant fire or health safety deficiencies 2 20 in the opinion of the state fire marshal or local fire or 2 21 building department officials. 2 22 4. Each school district that wishes to receive a fire and 2 23 health safety grant shall submit an application to the 2 24 department of education, on forms prescribed by the 2 25 department, and shall include with the application a written 2 26 plan to remedy fire or health safety defects within the time 2 27 specified in the plan, a plan budget, and a five-year history 2 28 of infrastructure repairs made within the district. 2 29 5. The department of education shall ensure that grant 2 30 projects are consistent with the Americans with Disabilities 2 31 Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. } 12101 et seq., and section 504 of the 2 32 federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The department of 2 33 education shall award grants of not more than two hundred 2 34 fifty thousand dollars annually to districts in the following 2 35 three size categories: 3 1 a. Small school districts with enrollments of less than 3 2 two thousand students. 3 3 b. Medium school districts with enrollments of not less 3 4 than two thousand or more than four thousand nine hundred 3 5 ninety-nine students. 3 6 c. Large school districts with enrollments of five 3 7 thousand students or more. 3 8 To the extent possible, after consideration of the severity 3 9 of the deficiencies of all applicant school districts, funding 3 10 shall be awarded equitably among the three size categories. 3 11 6. The department of education shall prepare and submit a 3 12 report of the activities and expenditures funded under this 3 13 section to the chairpersons and ranking members of the 3 14 standing education committees and the joint subcommittees on 3 15 education appropriations, and the legislative fiscal bureau, 3 16 by December 1, 2001. The state fire marshal shall submit to 3 17 the department of education for inclusion in the report an 3 18 estimate of the percentage of schools left with serious fire 3 19 or state building code violations. 3 20 EXPLANATION 3 21 This bill appropriates $3.4 million from the rebuild Iowa 3 22 infrastructure fund to the department of education for fiscal 3 23 year 2000-2001, for fire and health safety grants for eligible 3 24 school districts. The bill directs the department to award 3 25 fire and health safety grants based upon the recommendations 3 26 of the fire and health safety task force. The task force is 3 27 composed of voting and nonvoting members. 3 28 Nonvoting members are to be appointed by the director of 3 29 the department of education, in consultation with the state 3 30 fire marshal and shall include representatives from the 3 31 education community and individuals knowledgeable about school 3 32 infrastructure and construction issues. Voting members 3 33 include the members of the school budget review committee and 3 34 the state fire marshal. 3 35 The task force is charged with developing grant criteria 4 1 and an equitable ranking system, with reviewing the 4 2 applications submitted to the department and, if necessary, 4 3 with conducting site visits to determine final eligibility and 4 4 identify inconsistencies in state and local fire and building 4 5 inspection standards. The bill lists the criteria upon which 4 6 the task force is to base its recommendations. 4 7 School districts are eligible for a grant if they agree to 4 8 provide matching funds in the amount of $.25 on each dollar of 4 9 grant moneys and if either the school district receives an 4 10 order or citation from the state fire marshal or local fire 4 11 department officials for one or more fire safety or state 4 12 building code violations in a school facility used for 4 13 instructional purposes; or a school facility used for 4 14 instructional purposes is operating with significant fire or 4 15 health safety deficiencies in the opinion of the state fire 4 16 marshal or local fire or building department officials. 4 17 Each school district that wishes to receive a fire and 4 18 health safety grant must submit an application to the 4 19 department that includes a written plan to remedy fire or 4 20 health safety defects within a time specified in the plan, a 4 21 plan budget, and a five-year history of infrastructure repairs 4 22 made within the district. 4 23 The department must ensure that grant projects are 4 24 consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 4 25 42 U.S.C. } 12101 et seq., and section 504 of the federal 4 26 Rehabilitation Act of 1973. 4 27 Grants are awarded to small, medium, and large districts 4 28 with the awards capped at $250,000. 4 29 The department is required to submit a report of the 4 30 activities and expenditures funded to the general assembly's 4 31 education committees and the legislative fiscal bureau by 4 32 December 1, 2001. The state fire marshal must submit to the 4 33 department of education for inclusion in the report an 4 34 estimate of the percentage of schools left with serious fire 4 35 or state building code violations. 5 1 LSB 5434XS 78 5 2 kh/as/5
Text: SF02382 Text: SF02384 Text: SF02300 - SF02399 Text: SF Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
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