House File 2485 - Introduced



                                       HOUSE FILE       
                                       BY  HOFFMAN


    Passed House, Date                Passed Senate,  Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act establishing a pilot project to allow certain fire
  2    departments to enter into expanded mutual aid agreements, and
  3    providing an appropriation.
  4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  5 TLSB 6081HH 81
  6 sc/sh/8

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  Section 100B.2, Code Supplement 2005, is
  1  2 amended by adding the following new subsection:
  1  3    NEW SUBSECTION.  9.  Award grants to assist in
  1  4 implementation of expanded mutual aid agreements pursuant to
  1  5 section 28E.33.  The council shall establish an application
  1  6 process for the awarding of grants.  The council shall report
  1  7 to the general assembly as provided in section 28E.33.
  1  8    Sec. 2.  NEW SECTION.  28E.33  PILOT PROJECT == EXPANDED
  1  9 MUTUAL AID AGREEMENTS.
  1 10    1.  A pilot project is created to allow expanded mutual aid
  1 11 agreements between fire departments in counties with a
  1 12 population of less than seventeen thousand five hundred.  The
  1 13 purpose of the pilot project is to allow those fire
  1 14 departments that are parties to mutual aid agreements entered
  1 15 into pursuant to section 28E.31 to engage in activities beyond
  1 16 what is allowed under that section.
  1 17    2.  a.  Expanded mutual aid agreements may provide for one
  1 18 or more of the following:
  1 19    (1)  Joint training of personnel.
  1 20    (2)  Joint purchase of equipment, including communication
  1 21 equipment.
  1 22    (3)  Joint use, acquisition, or construction of facilities.
  1 23    (4)  Joint use and scheduling of personnel.
  1 24    b.  An expanded mutual aid agreement shall include
  1 25 provisions for all the specifications required in section
  1 26 28E.5.  However, parties to an expanded mutual aid agreement
  1 27 are not required to create a separate legal or administrative
  1 28 entity.  An expanded mutual aid agreement shall also specify
  1 29 that each fire department that is a party to the agreement
  1 30 shall retain its separate identity and shall remain under the
  1 31 control of the municipality that established the fire
  1 32 department.
  1 33    3.  Parties to an expanded mutual aid agreement may apply
  1 34 to the state fire service and emergency response council for a
  1 35 grant to assist in implementation of the expanded mutual aid
  2  1 agreement.
  2  2    4.  On or before January 10, 2009, the state fire service
  2  3 and emergency response council shall report to the general
  2  4 assembly on the use of expanded mutual aid agreements under
  2  5 this section, on the number of grants awarded to parties to
  2  6 expanded mutual aid agreements, the amount of each grant
  2  7 awarded, expenditures made using the grant moneys, and any
  2  8 other information requested by the general assembly.
  2  9    Sec. 3.  APPROPRIATION.
  2 10    1.  There is appropriated from the general fund of the
  2 11 state to the division of fire protection in the department of
  2 12 public safety for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2006, and
  2 13 ending June 30, 2007, the following amount, or so much thereof
  2 14 as is necessary, to be used for the purpose designated:
  2 15    To fund grants awarded by the state fire service and
  2 16 emergency response council for implementation of expanded
  2 17 mutual aid agreements as provided in section 28E.33, if
  2 18 enacted by this Act:
  2 19 .................................................. $    100,000
  2 20    2.  Notwithstanding section 8.33, moneys appropriated in
  2 21 this section that remain unencumbered or unobligated at the
  2 22 close of the fiscal year shall not revert but shall remain
  2 23 available for expenditure for the purposes designated until
  2 24 the close of the succeeding fiscal year.
  2 25                           EXPLANATION
  2 26    This bill establishes a pilot project to allow fire
  2 27 departments in counties with less than 17,500 population to
  2 28 enter into expanded mutual aid agreements.  The bill provides
  2 29 that expanded mutual aid agreements may provide for joint
  2 30 training, joint purchase of equipment, joint facilities, and
  2 31 joint use and scheduling of personnel.
  2 32    The bill appropriates $100,000 to the division of fire
  2 33 protection in the department of public safety for FY 2006=
  2 34 2007.  The moneys are to be used for the awarding of grants by
  2 35 the state fire service and emergency response council to
  3  1 assist fire departments in implementing expanded mutual aid
  3  2 agreements.
  3  3    The bill requires the state fire service and emergency
  3  4 response council to report to the general assembly on or
  3  5 before January 10, 2009, on the use of expanded mutual aid
  3  6 agreements and on other matters relating to such agreements.
  3  7 LSB 6081HH 81
  3  8 sc:nh/sh/8