Senate Study Bill 1034 - Introduced SENATE FILE _____ BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT BILL BY CHAIRPERSON WILHELM) A BILL FOR An Act expanding Iowa communications network access to include 1 counties and county governmental units. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 1825SC (4) 84 rn/nh

S.F. _____ Section 1. Section 8D.2, subsection 5, Code 2011, is amended 1 to read as follows: 2 5. a. “Public agency” means a state agency, an institution 3 under the control of the board of regents, the judicial 4 branch as provided in section 8D.13, subsection 16 , a school 5 corporation, a county, a city library, a library service area 6 as provided in chapter 256 , a county library as provided in 7 chapter 336 , or a judicial district department of correctional 8 services established in section 905.2 , to the extent provided 9 in section 8D.13, subsection 14 , an agency of the federal 10 government, or a United States post office which receives a 11 federal grant for pilot and demonstration projects. 12 b. For the purposes of this chapter , “public agency” 13 also includes any homeland security or defense facility or 14 disaster response agency established by the administrator of 15 the homeland security and emergency management division of the 16 department of public defense or the governor or any facility 17 connected with a security or defense system or disaster 18 response as required by the administrator of the homeland 19 security and emergency management division of the department of 20 public defense or the governor. 21 c. For the purposes of this chapter, a “county” referred to 22 in paragraph “a” includes departments, boards, commissions, and 23 other governmental units of the county. 24 Sec. 2. Section 8D.3, subsection 3, paragraph i, Code 2011, 25 is amended to read as follows: 26 i. Evaluate existing and projected rates for use of the 27 system and ensure that rates are sufficient to pay for the 28 operation of the system excluding the cost of construction and 29 lease costs for Parts I, II, and III. The commission shall 30 establish all hourly rates to be charged to all authorized 31 users for the use of the network and shall consider all costs 32 of the network in establishing the rates. A fee established by 33 the commission to be charged to a hospital licensed pursuant 34 to chapter 135B , a physician clinic, a county, or the federal 35 -1- LSB 1825SC (4) 84 rn/nh 1/ 2

S.F. _____ government shall be at an appropriate rate so that, at a 1 minimum, there is no state subsidy related to the costs of the 2 connection or use of the network related to such user. 3 Sec. 3. Section 8D.13, subsection 2, paragraph c, Code 2011, 4 is amended to read as follows: 5 c. “Part III” means the communications connection between 6 the secondary switching centers and the agencies defined in 7 section 8D.2 , subsections 4 and 5 , excluding state agencies, 8 institutions under the control of the board of regents, 9 nonprofit institutions of higher education eligible for tuition 10 grants, and the judicial branch, judicial district departments 11 of correctional services, hospitals and physician clinics, 12 counties, agencies of the federal government, and post offices. 13 Sec. 4. Section 8D.13, subsection 15, Code 2011, is amended 14 to read as follows: 15 15. Access shall be offered to hospitals licensed pursuant 16 to chapter 135B and physician clinics for diagnostic, clinical, 17 consultative, data, and educational services for the purpose of 18 developing a comprehensive, statewide telemedicine 19 network , ; to an agency of the federal government , ; to a 20 county, and governmental units thereof as specified in 21 section 8D.2, subsection 5, paragraph “c” ; and to a post 22 office defined as a public agency pursuant to section 8D.2, 23 subsection 5 . A hospital, physician clinic, an agency of the 24 federal government, a county, or a post office defined as a 25 public agency pursuant to section 8D.2, subsection 5 , shall be 26 responsible for all costs associated with becoming a part of 27 the network. 28 EXPLANATION 29 This bill expands the definition of a “public agency”, 30 which is authorized to access the Iowa communications network, 31 to include counties and their governmental units such as 32 commissions, departments, and boards. The bill provides that 33 counties shall be responsible for all costs associated with 34 becoming a part of the network. 35 -2- LSB 1825SC (4) 84 rn/nh 2/ 2