2000 Summary of Legislation EDUCATION Published by the Iowa General Assembly -- Legislative Service Bureau

EDUCATION LEGISLATION

SENATE FILE 228 - School Employment or Volunteer Record Checks (full text of act)

   BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION. This Act authorizes, for purposes of an employment or volunteer record check, the administrators of a public school district or an accredited private school to have access to founded child and dependent adult abuse information in the possession of the Department of Human Services.

SENATE FILE 292 - Board of Educational Examiners -- Investigative Information (full text of act)

   BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION. This Act provides that all complaint files, investigation files, other investigation reports, and other investigative information in the possession of the Board of Educational Examiners or its employees or agents, which relate to licensee discipline, are privileged and confidential, and are not subject to discovery, subpoena, or other means of legal compulsion for their release to a person other than the respondent and the board and its employees and agents involved in licensee discipline, and are not admissible in evidence in a judicial or administrative proceeding other than the proceeding involving licensee discipline. The Act provides, however, that investigative information in the possession of the board or its employees or agents which relates to licensee discipline may be disclosed to appropriate licensing authorities. The Act also provides that a final written decision and finding of fact of the board in a disciplinary proceeding is a public record.

SENATE FILE 441 - Self-Insured Dental Insurance -- School Corporations (full text of act)

   BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION. This Act provides an exemption from certain plan requirements relating to self-insured dental insurance plans maintained by one or more school corporations. The Act provides that if a school corporation's yearly claims do not exceed 1 percent of the school corporation's general fund budget, the school corporation's self-insured dental insurance plan does not have to contract with a third-party administrator or maintain aggregate excess loss coverage. Both of these requirements currently apply to self-insured insurance plans, regardless of a plan's claim experience. The Act provides for annual determination of the yearly claim amount and provides that the exemption will not apply for a year following the year in which the level of claims is determined to exceed 1 percent of the school corporation's general fund budget.

SENATE FILE 2082 - School Finance -- Allowable Growth (full text of act)

   BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION. This Act sets the state percent of growth under the State School Foundation Program at 4 percent for the school budget year beginning July 1, 2001. The Act is applicable for computing state school foundation aid for the school budget year beginning July 1, 2001.

SENATE FILE 2111 - School Finance -- Budget Adjustments (full text of act)

   BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION. This Act provides that for the school budget year beginning July 1, 2000, if a school district's actual enrollment for the budget year is greater than its budget enrollment for the budget year, the school district is eligible to receive an on-time funding budget adjustment in the form of a modified allowable growth equal to 50 percent of the difference, multiplied by district cost per pupil. In order to receive the on-time funding budget adjustment, a school district board of directors must adopt a resolution and notify the School Budget Review Committee by November 1, 2000. The Act provides that a school district which determines that a need exists for additional on-time funding, beyond the on-time funding budget adjustment for which the district is eligible, can submit a request to the School Budget Review Committee for additional modified allowable growth pursuant to the provisions of Code Section 257.31.

   The Act also provides that for the school budget year beginning July 1, 2000, if the Department of Management determines that the regular program district cost of a school district for a budget year is less than its regular program district cost with the budget guarantee provision for the year preceding the budget year, the school district will be eligible to receive a budget adjustment for the budget year up to an amount equal to the difference. A school district board of directors that wishes to receive this budget adjustment must adopt a resolution and immediately notify the Department of Management within 30 days following the enactment of the Act.

   The Act takes effect April 6, 2000.

SENATE FILE 2238 - Use of School Improvement Technology Funds (full text of act)

   BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION. This Act permits a school district or area education agency to use School Improvement and Technology Program and School Improvement Technology Block Grant Program funds to employ or contract with information technology specialists to provide technical consulting and integration of technology in curriculum and instruction to advance student achievement.

SENATE FILE 2248 - College Student Aid -- Commission -- Programs (full text of act)

   BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION. This Act makes changes relating to the College Student Aid Commission by striking Code language referring to defunct federal law and a discontinued federal report, changing the point in time when interest will begin to accrue on loans made under the Osteopathic Physician Recruitment Program and updating the name of the program's revolving fund, modifying the National Guard Educational Assistance Program, and making changes regarding the registration of postsecondary schools by the Office of Secretary of State.

   The Act includes technical changes that make clear that an "accredited private institution" is an institution that meets at least one of the three specific criteria in the Code relating to accreditation and certification, and all of the criteria relating to equal opportunity and affirmative action efforts, a controlled substances policy, a sexual abuse policy, and the filing of the federal Student Right-To-Know and Campus Security Act report with the Division of Criminal and Juvenile Justice Planning of the Department of Human Rights.

   The Act makes changes to the Osteopathic Physician Recruitment Program to provide that interest will begin to accrue on a student loan on the day after the student graduates. The Act also changes the name of the program's revolving fund to indicate that the moneys in the fund may be used to supplement moneys appropriated for the program to provide loan forgiveness, loan repayment, and scholarships.

   The Act modifies the National Guard Educational Assistance Program to strike language authorizing the Adjutant General to determine the amount of educational assistance received by a guard member, but permits the Adjutant General, in coordination with the commission, to determine the distribution of assistance. The Act also provides that the range of assistance shall be between 50 percent of the resident tuition charged by regents universities or 50 percent of the resident tuition rate at the institution attended by the guard member, and the maximum of 100 percent of the resident tuition amount charged by a regents university.

   The Act also amends the Code chapter regulating the registration of postsecondary schools to require that a school registering with the Secretary of State's Office be accredited by an agency or organization approved or recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or be approved for operation by the commission.

SENATE FILE 2252 - School Finance Formula -- Continuation -- Review (full text of act)

   BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION. This Act provides for the repeal of 1989 Iowa Acts, Chapter 135, Section 135, which provides for the repeal of Code Chapter 257, "Financing School Programs," effective July 1, 2001. The Act also provides for legislative review of the provisions of the chapter at least every five years, based on a legislative interim study committee status report prepared with the assistance of the departments of Education, Revenue and Finance, and Management. The Act provides that the report shall include recommendations for school finance formula changes or revisions based upon demographic changes, enrollment trends, and property tax valuation fluctuations observed during the preceding five-year interval; an analysis of the operation of the formula during the preceding five-year interval; and a summary of issues that have arisen since the previous review and potential approaches for their resolution. The Act provides that the first report shall be submitted to the General Assembly no later than January 1, 2005, with subsequent reports submitted by January 1 at least every fifth year thereafter.

SENATE FILE 2294 - Juvenile Facility Education Costs (full text of act)

   BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION. This Act authorizes an area education agency to provide educational services to a newly established approved or licensed shelter care or juvenile detention facility if the facility makes a request for the services 90 days prior to the beginning of the time for which the services are requested. This provision takes effect April 20, 2000, and is applicable to a facility approved or licensed after December 1, 1998.

   Previously, an area education agency could only provide educational services to an approved or licensed shelter care home or an approved juvenile detention facility if the facility made a request for educational services by December 1 of the school year prior to the beginning of the school year for which the services were being requested.

SENATE FILE 2331 - School Board Members -- Interest in School Contracts (full text of act)

   BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION. This Act permits a member of the board of directors of a school corporation to benefit from a contract with the director's school corporation for goods or services if the benefit is not more than $2,500 and the contract is made upon competitive bidding. Currently the maximum benefit amount under a competitively bid contract is $1,500.

HOUSE FILE 2145 - Gifted and Talented Program Funding (full text of act)

   BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION. This Act provides that the $38 increase in allowable growth applicable for the school budget year beginning July 1, 1999, will be multiplied by a school district's budget enrollment in determining the amount of state funding provided for gifted and talented programs pursuant to Code Section 257.46. This corrects a technical oversight in legislation passed during the 1999 General Assembly that provided for the allowable growth increase (1999 Iowa Acts, Chapter 128, Section 8). By utilizing budget enrollment, additional enrollment generated by special education weighting will not be included for gifted and talented funding purposes.

   The Act takes effect April 27, 2000.

HOUSE FILE 2146 - Regulation of Para-Educators and Education Practitioners (full text of act)

   BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION. This Act broadens the authority of the Board of Educational Examiners and provides for the certification, rather than licensing, of a para-educator.

   The Act requires the State Board of Education to adopt rules and a procedure for the approval of para-educator preparation programs. The programs must train and recommend individuals for para-educator certification.

   The Act strikes Code language specifying the various types of para-educator licenses available, the qualifications necessary to achieve a para-educator license, and the list of reasons for which an applicant would be disqualified for a license. The Act also authorizes the board to adopt rules relating to a voluntary certification system for para-educators. However, the Act provides for the disqualification of an applicant for certification for any reason specified by administrative rule or under Code provisions that currently relate only to applicants for a practitioner's license. One of those current Code provisions requires a person to be at least 21 years of age in order to be licensed by the Board of Educational Examiners. House File 2549 (see Appropriations) amends this Act to permit the board to issue a para-educator certificate to a person who is at least 18 years of age.

   The Act defines "certificate" to mean limited recognition to perform instruction and instruction-related duties in school, other than those duties for which practitioners are licensed. The Act further defines "license" to provide that a license is the exclusive authority to legally serve as a practitioner, a school, an institution, or a course of study to legally offer professional development programs.

HOUSE FILE 2198 - School District Reorganization and Sharing Incentives Study (full text of act)

   BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION. This Act requires the Department of Education to study the feasibility of reauthorizing or initiating new school district reorganization and sharing incentives. The Act also directs the department to invite the Iowa High School Athletic Association and the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union to submit information or advice for the elimination of sports-related barriers to reorganization.

   At a minimum, the department's study shall review and report data from prior incentives; determine the costs and methods for implementing the incentives identified; list the current status of school districts that utilized prior reorganization or sharing incentives, the costs of the incentives, the districts that consolidated, and how incentives were used by the districts; study the feasibility of sharing incentives to encourage transportation partnering; determine the efficacy and the cost-effectiveness of the incentives; study school infrastructure funding as a reorganization incentive; and identify actions that have proven in the past to assist reorganization and sharing efforts.

   The department is directed to report its findings, including any recommendations, to the General Assembly by January 1, 2001.

HOUSE FILE 2279 - Education Practitioner Licenses -- Renewal (full text of act)

   BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION. This Act provides that a license issued by the Board of Educational Examiners expires on the last day of the practitioner's birth month in the year in which the license expires. Currently, under the Code, a license issued by the board expires on August 31 of the year in which the license expires.

HOUSE FILE 2280 - Operation Recognition Program -- World War II Veterans (full text of act)

   BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION. This Act requires the Director of the Department of Education to develop and administer, with the cooperation of the Commission of Veterans Affairs, an "Operation Recognition" Program to award high school diplomas to World War II veterans who are residents or former residents of the state and who left high school prior to graduation to enter U.S. military service.

   The department and the commission must jointly develop an application procedure, distribute applications, and publicize the program to school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, county commissions of veterans affairs, veterans organizations, and state, regional and local media.

   Upon approval of an application, the department will issue an honorary high school diploma to an eligible veteran. Diplomas may be issued posthumously.

   The department and the commission are also directed to provide school districts, schools, communities, and county commissions of veterans affairs with information about hosting a diploma ceremony on or around Veterans Day.

HOUSE FILE 2433 - Community College Governance (full text of act)

   BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION. This Act relates to community college governance by requiring the Community College Council to prepare a five-year statewide strategic plan at least once every five years, requiring the community colleges to submit data uniformly to the Division of Community Colleges and Workplace Preparation via the division's management information system, and requiring the Director of the Department of Education to provide a comparison of community college data and progress reports related to the management information system.

   In preparing the statewide strategic plan, the council must consult with a working group of stakeholders, the composition of which is set forth in the Act. The plan must be submitted to the State Board of Education for approval and adoption. The state board is required to submit a preliminary report regarding the initial statewide strategic plan by December 1, 2000, and the plan must be approved, adopted and implemented by July 1, 2001.

   The Act also requires that the Director of the Department of Education provide various community college data comparison reports, progress reports, and plans to the General Assembly between June 30, 2000 (however, S.F. 2452 amends this Act to change the date to July 1, 2000 -- see Appropriations), and January 15, 2001.

HOUSE FILE 2435 - Asbestos Removal in Schools -- Funding (full text of act)

   BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION. This Act provides for the repeal of provisions authorizing the levy of an enrichment property tax or combination of an enrichment property tax and income surtax by school districts involved in projects related to asbestos removal. However, asbestos removal projects would continue to be able to be financed out of any funds in the general fund of a school district, funds received from the physical plant and equipment levy, or moneys obtained through a federal asbestos loan program.

HOUSE FILE 2437 - Communications Between Postsecondary Schools and Students' Parents or Guardians (full text of act)

   BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION. This Act specifically authorizes a postsecondary education institution to disclose to a parent or guardian of a student under the age of 21 years, information regarding violations of a federal, state or local law, or institutional rule or policy governing the use or possession of alcohol or a controlled substance by the student if the institution determines that the student committed a disciplinary violation with respect to the use or possession of alcohol or a controlled substance, regardless of whether that information is contained in the student's education records.

   The Act also requires the State Board of Regents, in consultation with the Community College Council, the Iowa Association of Community College Trustees, and the Iowa Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, to study and recommend methods for expanding communication with the parents and guardians of students under the age of 21 who are attending Iowa's postsecondary institutions. The results of the study and any recommendations shall be submitted to the General Assembly by December 1, 2000.

HOUSE FILE 2474 - School and School District Accreditation Standards (full text of act)

   BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION. This Act requires the State Board of Education to adopt administrative rules on or before January 1, 2001, requiring school districts and accredited nonpublic schools to adopt local policies relating to health services, media services programs, and guidance programs as part of the general accreditation standards applicable to school districts. The requirement applies strictly for policy reporting purposes and shall not be interpreted to require the provision or offering of health services, media services programs, or guidance programs.

HOUSE FILE 2496 - School Finance -- Supplementary Weighting (full text of act)

   BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION. This Act provides supplementary weighting for school districts involved in sharing programs on a district-to-district or district-to-community college basis, and for school districts with at-risk programs.

   The Act provides that school districts which send their resident pupils to another school district, which jointly employ and share the services of teachers under Code Section 280.15, or which use the services of a teacher employed by another school district, will have assigned to the pupils an additional weighting of 0.48 of the percentage of the pupil's school day during which the pupil is involved in the shared program.

   The Act also provides that school districts which send their resident pupils to a community college-offered class or to a class taught by a community college-employed teacher will have assigned to the pupils a weighting of 0.48 of the percentage of the pupil's school day during which the pupil is involved in the shared program. The Act provides that a number of requirements must be met regarding the nature of the class or classes being taken in order to qualify for supplementary weighting for programs shared by a district with a community college, reflecting an Attorney General opinion indicating that a class must qualify for community college-level credit in order for supplementary weighting to be received.

   The Act additionally provides that school districts will receive supplementary weighting for at-risk programs and alternative schools. A weighting of 0.0048 per pupil will be assigned based on the percentage of pupils enrolled in grades one through six who are eligible for free and reduced price meals, as reported by the school district on the basic educational data survey for the base year, multiplied by the budget enrollment in the school district, and a weighting of 0.0156 shall be assigned to pupils included in the budget enrollment of the school district. The Act provides that amounts received as supplemental weighting for at-risk pupils shall be utilized by a school district to develop or maintain at-risk pupils' programs, which may include alternative school programs.

   The Act provides that a school district which received supplementary weighting for an alternative high school program offered by a community college for the school budget year beginning July 1, 1999, will receive the greater of either 65 percent of that amount for the school budget year beginning July 1, 2000, or the amount determined pursuant to the 0.0048 and 0.0156 weightings. The Act further provides that for the budget year beginning July 1, 2001, a school district shall receive the greater of either the amount determined pursuant to the 0.0048 and 0.0156 weightings or 40 percent of the amount of supplementary weighting received for an alternative high school program offered by a community college for the school budget year beginning July 1, 1999. The Act provides that for the budget year beginning July 1, 2002, and succeeding budget years, the 0.0048 and 0.0156 weightings shall be utilized.

   The Act provides that if a school district receives an amount of supplementary weighting for the budget years beginning July 1, 2000, and July 1, 2001, equivalent to the 65 and 40 percent amounts, respectively, the Department of Management shall annually recalculate the supplementary weighting received to reflect the amount of the reduction in funding from one year to the next, with the intent that when weights are recalculated, the total amounts generated by each weight shall be approximately equal.

   The Act also reduces the standing appropriation for at-risk programs by the amount allocated in FY 2000 for school-based youth services education programs, and strikes Code Section 279.51, subsection 3, which had previously provided school-based youth services education programming. The Act guarantees that a school district or consortium of school districts which received school-based youth services funding in prior years will receive no less than $50,000 for the budget years beginning July 1, 2000, and July 1, 2001.

   The Act provides that a pupil shall not be eligible to receive supplementary weighting pursuant to both a district-to-district program and an at-risk or alternative school program, in order to preclude the possibility of "double recovery" of supplemental weighting amounts.

   The Act further provides for the annual preparation by the Department of Education of a school finance appropriations report, in which the funding status of school finance provisions or programs receiving a standing appropriation, including supplementary weighting, shall be summarized and reported to the General Assembly by January 1.

   Additionally, the Act deletes several provisions that had previously authorized supplementary weighting for a specified, and now expired, duration.

   The Act takes effect May 18, 2000.

HOUSE FILE 2550 - Iowa Educational Savings Plan Trust (full text of act)

   BY COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS. This Act amends certain Code provisions relating to the Iowa Educational Savings Plan Trust.

   The Act defines an "account balance limit" to mean the maximum allowable aggregate balance of accounts and account earnings, established for the same beneficiary, and provides that the Treasurer of State will establish an account balance limit for all accounts established for a designated beneficiary beyond which contributions will not be permitted, in order to maintain compliance with Internal Revenue Code Section 529. Currently, the maximum contribution limit is established at $2,000 per year, adjusted annually to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index. The Act provides that regardless of the level of contributions made, the maximum contribution per contributor that will be deductible for state income tax purposes cannot exceed the annually adjusted $2,000 per beneficiary amount.

   The Act additionally eliminates a provision that prohibited the substitution of beneficiaries after the original beneficiary has been admitted to college, and makes a technical correction eliminating the qualification that a substitute beneficiary not be older than the original beneficiary when the substitution is made.

   The Act takes effect May 3, 2000.

HOUSE FILE 2581 - Iowa Higher Education Loan Authority -- Authorization (full text of act)

   BY COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS. This Act authorizes the Iowa Higher Education Loan Authority to issue obligations to make loans to entities other than educational institutions for the cost of capital projects if these projects are to be leased to educational institutions.

   The Act also provides for a tax exemption from all state and local taxes of the obligations and interest income from the obligations issued on or after July 1, 2000.

RELATED LEGISLATION

SENATE FILE 2089 -- School Taxes -- Physical Plant and Equipment Levy -- Urban Renewal Projects (Complete summary under TAXATION.)

   This Act provides that the revenues from a school district physical plant and equipment levy (PPEL) imposed in an urban renewal area that is utilizing tax increment financing shall be paid to the school district imposing the PPEL, except in limited circumstances. The Act applies to property taxes due and payable on or after July 1, 2000.

SENATE FILE 2092 -- Substantive Code Corrections (Complete summary under STATE GOVERNMENT.)

   This Act contains statutory corrections that adjust language to reflect current practices, insert earlier omissions, delete redundancies and inaccuracies, delete temporary language, resolve inconsistencies and conflicts, update ongoing provisions, or remove ambiguities. The Department of Economic Development is specified under the Act as the department responsible for the adoption of rules pertaining to the allocation of moneys to support program capital costs for the Accelerated Career Education Program.

SENATE FILE 2143 -- Games and Raffles (Complete summary under GAMING.)

   This Act authorizes parent-teacher organizations or school booster clubs to be licensed to conduct games of chance and raffles for the benefit of a school or school district with a notarized letter from a superintendent, principal, or school board president, in lieu of eligibility for exemption from federal income taxes, and requires a licensee who receives 90 percent of its income from bingo, raffles, and small games of chance to contribute at least 75 percent of the licensee's net receipts to an unrelated entity for public, charitable, civic, educational, patriotic, or religious uses of an unrelated entity.

SENATE FILE 2249 -- State Agency Purchasing Preference -- Bio-Based Fluids, Greases, and Lubricants (Complete summary under STATE GOVERNMENT.)

   This Act requires the board of directors of merged areas and the State Board of Regents and its institutions to comply with purchasing preferences of bio-based hydraulic fluids, greases, and other industrial lubricants.

SENATE FILE 2313 -- Driver Licensing, Authorized Emergency Vehicles, and Miscellaneous Motor Vehicle Provisions (Complete summary under TRANSPORTATION.)

   This Act provides that a person shall not be required to hold a current Iowa teacher or administrator license at the elementary or secondary level or to have satisfied the educational requirements for an Iowa teacher license at the elementary or secondary level in order to be certified by the Iowa Department of Transportation or authorized by the Board of Educational Examiners to provide street or highway driving instruction for driver education.

SENATE FILE 2314 -- Communicable and Infectious Diseases (Complete summary under HEALTH & SAFETY.)

   This Act addresses communicable and infectious diseases, including requirements and exceptions involving immunizations and medical treatment of children. In addition, the Act directs the Director of Public Health to establish a task force to review and recommend appropriate immunization requirements for postsecondary education students. The task force, which includes representatives of the Iowa Department of Public Health, the Department of Education, postsecondary education students, and others with interest and expertise, is directed to submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly on or before December 1, 2000.

SENATE FILE 2428 -- Appropriations -- Economic Development (Complete summary under APPROPRIATIONS.)

   This Act makes appropriations from the General Fund of the State to the State University of Iowa, the University of Northern Iowa, and Iowa State University of Science and Technology.

SENATE FILE 2433 -- Appropriations -- State Government Technology and Operations (Complete summary under APPROPRIATIONS.)

   This Act relates to state government technology operations by making appropriations to a number of entities concerned with technology, and by making appropriations for a number of specific technology projects. The Act makes appropriations for FY 2000-2001 from the General Fund of the State for support functions, related to the Iowa Communications Network, provided by the Public Broadcasting Division of the Department of Education. The Act also appropriates for FY 2000-2001, $1.5 million from the moneys in the Pooled Technology Account to make technology adopted and purchased by a school district available to students of accredited nonpublic schools.

SENATE FILE 2435 -- Appropriations -- Human Services (Complete summary under APPROPRIATIONS.)

   This Act makes appropriations to the Department of Human Services and includes provisions for grant funding to community empowerment areas.

SENATE FILE 2439 -- Accelerated Career Education and Job Training (Complete summary under ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.)

   This Act amends the Accelerated Career Education Program, and establishes an Accelerated Career Education Grant Program and Fund under the College Student Aid Commission.

SENATE FILE 2447 -- Financing of Public Improvements (Complete summary under ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.)

   This Act creates a School Infrastructure Program and Fund to provide financial assistance in the form of grants to certain school districts with infrastructure needs.

SENATE FILE 2452 -- Miscellaneous Appropriations and Other Provisions (Complete summary under APPROPRIATIONS.)

   Division III of this Act makes a permanent reduction of $2,000,000 in the standing appropriation for the Education Excellence Program. Division V permits funds remaining unencumbered from the FY 1999-2000 appropriation to the Iowa Waste Reduction Center at the University of Northern Iowa to carry over to FY 2000-2001 for purposes of the center. Division VI changes the guidelines for awarding Beginning Teacher Induction Program grants.

SENATE FILE 2453 -- Appropriations -- Infrastructure and Capital Projects (Complete summary under APPROPRIATIONS.)

   This Act provides for the annual deposit of a portion of the state's gambling revenues into the School Infrastructure Fund for a designated number of years, to be used for purposes of the School Infrastructure Program to provide financial assistance to certain school districts with infrastructure needs. The Act also allocates a portion of the moneys in the School Infrastructure Fund to the Department of Public Safety evaluation of school structures by the State Fire Marshal.

HOUSE FILE 2039 -- Miscellaneous Appropriations, Reductions, Supplementals, Transfers, and Credits (Complete summary under APPROPRIATIONS.)

   This Act relates to state budgetary matters by providing for reductions and supplementation of appropriations for FY 1999-2000 and includes certain reductions in appropriations for K-12 education programs, including Phase III of the Educational Excellence Program, the College Student Aid Commission, Iowa Public Television, and State Board of Regents institutions.

HOUSE FILE 2179 -- Certified School to Career Program (Complete summary under ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.)

   This Act modifies the definition of "Certified School to Career Program" and makes a number of changes to the program, including changes relating to program approval and a new standard requiring the assurance of a participant's high school that it will maintain on file, and will file with the Department of Education, specified program information.

HOUSE FILE 2473 -- Reports and Proceedings Regarding School Violence and Other Activities -- Immunity (Complete summary under CIVIL LAW, PROCEDURE & COURT ADMINISTRATION.)

   This Act establishes civil and criminal immunity for a school employee related to the employee's reasonable and good faith participation in reporting or investigating violence, threats of violence, or other inappropriate activity against a school employee or student in a school building, on school grounds, or at a school-sponsored function.

HOUSE FILE 2492 -- State and Municipal Agencies -- Fire and Emergency Medical Services -- Townships (Complete summary under LOCAL GOVERNMENT.)

   This Act makes several changes to the Code relating to fire protection service and emergency medical service. The Act renames the Fire Service Institute the "Fire Service Training Bureau," and moves it from under the auspices of Iowa State University to the Division of Fire Protection of the Department of Public Safety to be operated under the direction of the State Fire Service and Emergency Response Council. The Act further provides for transfer of Fire Service Institute employees to the Department of Public Safety and for disposition of facilities and equipment owned and operated by the Fire Service Institute.

HOUSE FILE 2511 -- Drinking Driver Restrictions (Complete summary under CRIMINAL LAW, PROCEDURE & CORRECTIONS.)

   This Act provides for parental and school notification by law enforcement when a child under the age of 18 violates the Code sections related to public intoxication, operating while intoxicated, or driving with a blood alcohol concentration at or above 0.02. The Act also provides that the course for drinking drivers required under Code Section 321J.22 may be taught by substance abuse treatment programs licensed under Code Chapter 125 as well as by community colleges, and requires the Department of Education to work with the substance abuse treatment programs in approving the course, creating a list of course times and dates, and maintaining course completion statistics.

HOUSE FILE 2549 -- Appropriations -- Education (Complete summary under APPROPRIATIONS.)

   This Act appropriates moneys from the General Fund of the State for FY 2000-2001 to the College Student Aid Commission, the Department of Cultural Affairs, the Department of Education, and the State Board of Regents and its institutions. This year's Act appropriates over $959 million and provides 17,399.58 full-time equivalent positions (FTEs), which is approximately $5.8 million over, and 65.48 FTEs under, the Governor's recommendations. The total appropriations made in this year's Act exceed the total appropriations made in last year's Act (1999 Iowa Acts, Chapter 205) by approximately 1.29 percent.

© 1998 Cornell College and League of Women Voters of Iowa

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