House File 557 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 557 BY SALMON A BILL FOR An Act relating to operations of townships by requiring that 1 townships provide emergency medical service, modifying 2 provisions related to township cemeteries, and including 3 applicability provisions. 4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 5 TLSB 2575YH (2) 87 md/jh/sc

H.F. 557 Section 1. Section 359.17, subsection 2, Code 2017, is 1 amended to read as follows: 2 2. A board of township trustees shall give prior notice of 3 a meeting to discuss, deliberate, or act upon a matter relating 4 to the budget or a tax levy of the township or relating to 5 the trustees’ duty to provide fire protection service and , 6 if provided, emergency medical service , pursuant to section 7 359.42 . The trustees shall give notice of such meeting at 8 least twenty-four hours preceding the commencement of the 9 meeting. The notice shall state the time, date, and place 10 of the meeting and the proposed agenda. The notice shall be 11 provided to the county auditor who shall post the notice in an 12 area of the courthouse where notices to the public are commonly 13 posted. 14 Sec. 2. Section 359.31, Code 2017, is amended to read as 15 follows: 16 359.31 Power and control. 17 They The board of township trustees shall control any such 18 cemeteries, or appoint trustees for the same, or sell the same 19 to any private corporation for cemetery purposes. The board of 20 township trustees may contract with a public or private agency 21 under chapter 28E or to establish a joint cemetery board under 22 section 359.36 for the purposes of improving, maintaining, and 23 supporting township cemeteries. 24 Sec. 3. Section 359.42, Code 2017, is amended to read as 25 follows: 26 359.42 Township fire protection service, emergency warning 27 system, and emergency medical service. 28 1. Except as otherwise provided in section 331.385 , the 29 trustees of each township shall provide fire the following 30 services for the township: 31 a. Fire protection service for the township , exclusive of 32 any part of the township within a benefited fire district and 33 may provide emergency medical service . 34 b. Emergency medical service. 35 -1- LSB 2575YH (2) 87 md/jh/sc 1/ 3

H.F. 557 2. The trustees may purchase, own, rent, or maintain fire 1 protection service or emergency medical service apparatus or 2 equipment or both kinds of apparatus or equipment and provide 3 housing for the equipment. The trustees of a township which 4 is located within a county having a population of three 5 hundred thousand or more may also establish and maintain an 6 emergency warning system within the township. The trustees 7 may contract with a public or private agency under chapter 28E 8 for the purpose of providing any service or system required or 9 authorized under this section . 10 Sec. 4. Section 359.49, subsection 2, Code 2017, is amended 11 to read as follows: 12 2. By January 15 of each year, each township fire department 13 in the township shall provide to the board of trustees a 14 proposed budget showing all revenues and all expenses for 15 emergency services for the next fiscal year. By January 15 of 16 each year, each entity providing emergency medical service in 17 the township shall provide to the board of trustees a proposed 18 budget showing all revenues and all expenses for emergency 19 medical service for the next fiscal year. By January 15 of 20 each year, each township fire department, and each municipal 21 fire department or other entity providing emergency services 22 to a township, shall submit to the board of trustees a report 23 detailing emergency services calls for the prior calendar year 24 for the fire district and a copy of the fire report filed by 25 the fire department with the state fire marshal’s office. For 26 purposes of this subsection , “municipal” means relating to a 27 city, county, township, benefited fire district, or chapter 28E 28 agency authorized by law to provide emergency services. 29 Sec. 5. IMPLEMENTATION OF ACT. Section 25B.2, subsection 30 3, shall not apply to this Act. 31 Sec. 6. APPLICABILITY. This Act applies to fiscal years 32 beginning on or after July 1, 2018. 33 EXPLANATION 34 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 35 -2- LSB 2575YH (2) 87 md/jh/sc 2/ 3

H.F. 557 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 1 This bill requires that a township provide emergency medical 2 service within the township. Under current law, a township is 3 required to provide fire protection service and is authorized, 4 but not required, to provide emergency medical service. The 5 bill also makes corresponding changes to provisions of law 6 governing the township budgeting process. 7 The bill specifies that each board of township trustees is 8 authorized to contract with a public or private agency under 9 Code chapter 28E (joint exercise of governmental powers) or to 10 establish a joint cemetery board with a city council under Code 11 section 359.36 for the purpose of improving, maintaining, and 12 supporting township cemeteries. 13 The bill may include a state mandate as defined in Code 14 section 25B.3. The bill makes inapplicable Code section 25B.2, 15 subsection 3, which would relieve a political subdivision from 16 complying with a state mandate if funding for the cost of 17 the state mandate is not provided or specified. Therefore, 18 political subdivisions are required to comply with any state 19 mandate included in the bill. 20 The bill may cause a state agency or political subdivision to 21 offer for sale to the public a service or product that competes 22 with private enterprise. 23 The bill applies to fiscal years beginning on or after July 24 1, 2018. 25 -3- LSB 2575YH (2) 87 md/jh/sc 3/ 3