Senate File 322 - Introduced SENATE FILE 322 BY McCOY A BILL FOR An Act imposing a surcharge applicable to telecommunications 1 carriers to administer the national federation for the blind 2 newsline. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 2598XS (3) 84 rn/nh

S.F. 322 Section 1. Section 216B.3, subsection 19, paragraph a, Code 1 2011, is amended to read as follows: 2 a. The commission may enter into necessary contracts and 3 arrangements with the national federation for the blind to 4 provide for the delivery of newspapers over the telephone, 5 furnished by the national federation for the blind , and shall 6 utilize the surcharge revenue collected pursuant to section 7 477.9B to facilitate and administer such delivery . 8 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION . 477.9B Surcharge —— national 9 federation for the blind —— newsline. 10 1. The board shall adopt by rule a monthly surcharge to be 11 imposed on all telecommunications carriers providing service 12 in this state. The surcharge shall be imposed uniformly on 13 a statewide basis and calculated in an amount necessary to 14 generate fifty thousand dollars of annual surcharge revenue. 15 Imposition of the annual surcharge shall commence July 1, 2012. 16 2. The board shall provide no less than one hundred 17 days’ notice of the surcharge to be imposed to each 18 telecommunications carrier. The board may adjust the amount 19 of the surcharge as necessary, but no more than once in any 20 calendar year. 21 3. The surcharge shall be collected as part of the 22 telecommunications carrier’s periodic billing to a subscriber. 23 The surcharge shall appear as a single line item on a 24 subscriber’s periodic billing indicating that the surcharge 25 is for the national federation for the blind newsline 26 service. The surcharges shall be remitted quarterly by the 27 telecommunications carrier to the board for deposit into the 28 fund established in subsection 5. 29 4. A telecommunications carrier is not liable for an 30 uncollected surcharge for which the telecommunications carrier 31 has billed a subscriber but which has not been paid. 32 5. Moneys collected pursuant to this section shall be 33 deposited in a separate newsline surcharge fund within the 34 state treasury under the control of the board, and shall be 35 -1- LSB 2598XS (3) 84 rn/nh 1/ 2

S.F. 322 appropriated annually to the department for the blind to be 1 utilized in administering the delivery of newspapers over the 2 telephone, furnished by the national federation for the blind 3 as provided in section 216B.3. Section 8.33 shall not apply 4 to moneys in the fund. Moneys earned as income, including as 5 interest, from the fund shall remain in the fund until expended 6 as provided in this section. 7 EXPLANATION 8 This bill establishes a surcharge applicable to 9 telecommunications carriers to administer the national 10 federation for the blind newsline. 11 The bill provides that the Iowa utilities board shall 12 adopt by rule a monthly surcharge to be imposed on all 13 telecommunications carriers providing service in Iowa, 14 beginning July 1, 2012, in an amount necessary to generate 15 $50,000 of annual surcharge revenue. The bill states that 16 the board shall provide no less than 100 days’ notice of the 17 surcharge to be imposed, and that the board may adjust the 18 amount of the surcharge as necessary, but no more than once 19 in any calendar year. The bill provides that the surcharge 20 shall be collected as part of the telecommunications carrier’s 21 periodic billing to a subscriber, appearing as a single 22 line item indicating that the surcharge is for the national 23 federation for the blind newsline service. 24 The surcharge shall be remitted quarterly by each carrier 25 and deposited in a separate newsline surcharge fund within the 26 state treasury under the control of the board. The revenue 27 shall be appropriated annually to the department for the blind 28 to be utilized in administering the delivery of newspapers over 29 the telephone, furnished by the national federation for the 30 blind. 31 -2- LSB 2598XS (3) 84 rn/nh 2/ 2