House File 88 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 88 BY HUNTER A BILL FOR An Act providing for the establishment of a school safety 1 hotline, internet site, and mobile internet application, and 2 providing penalties. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 1462YH (2) 88 je/jh

H.F. 88 Section 1. NEW SECTION . 80.47 School safety hotline, 1 internet site, and mobile internet application —— penalty. 2 1. For purposes of this section, “threat to school safety” 3 means a threat of harassment or bullying as defined in section 4 280.28, suicide or self-harm, or violence against others. 5 2. The department shall establish a statewide, toll-free 6 telephone hotline, internet site, and mobile internet 7 application for the purpose of receiving reports from the 8 public regarding threats or possible threats to school 9 safety in this state. The hotline, internet site, and 10 application shall include means for receiving anonymous 11 reports that ensure that the identity of an individual making 12 a report cannot be determined by the department or any other 13 person. The department may consult the office of the chief 14 information officer in the development of the internet site 15 and application. The department shall refer all reports 16 received through the hotline, internet site, and application 17 to appropriate school and local law enforcement personnel 18 and service providers. Such reports shall be confidential 19 and shall not be a public record subject to disclosure under 20 chapter 22. 21 3. The department shall advertise the hotline, internet 22 site, and application through the use of public service 23 announcements and other appropriate means. The department 24 shall publicize the hotline, internet site, and application in 25 all schools in this state through written materials and other 26 appropriate means. 27 4. The department shall annually publish on the 28 department’s internet site information on the disposition of 29 each report received through the hotline, internet site, and 30 application. Such publication shall not include personally 31 identifying information of an individual who made a report or 32 who was the subject of a report. 33 5. In consultation with behavioral health care providers, 34 the department shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A to 35 -1- LSB 1462YH (2) 88 je/jh 1/ 4

H.F. 88 establish and operate the hotline, internet site, and internet 1 application. The rules shall include but are not limited to 2 the following: 3 a. Provisions that protect the identity of an individual 4 reporting information without compromising opportunities 5 for follow-up contact from school and local law enforcement 6 personnel and service providers to provide further information 7 to or obtain further information from the individual. 8 b. Written policies and procedures for all of the following: 9 (1) Logging reports received on the hotline, internet site, 10 and internet application. 11 (2) Verifying the authenticity and validity of a threat or 12 possible threat to student safety. 13 (3) Relaying information concerning a threat or possible 14 threat to student safety to appropriate school and local law 15 enforcement personnel and service providers. 16 (4) Connecting the hotline with other hotlines that 17 are available to receive reports of violence or for crisis 18 prevention. 19 (5) Tracking referrals to appropriate school and local 20 law enforcement personnel and service providers resulting 21 from information received on the hotline, internet site, and 22 internet application and tracking the outcome of any action 23 taken in response to the referral. 24 6. An individual who makes a report on the hotline, internet 25 site, or internet application for a purpose other than to 26 report a situation that the individual reasonably believes 27 requires prompt action in order to preserve human life or 28 property commits a simple misdemeanor. 29 Sec. 2. IMPLEMENTATION. The department shall not implement 30 a telephone hotline, internet site, and mobile internet 31 pursuant to section 80.47, as enacted by this Act, until the 32 rules required by section 80.47, subsection 5, as enacted by 33 this Act, have become effective. 34 EXPLANATION 35 -2- LSB 1462YH (2) 88 je/jh 2/ 4

H.F. 88 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 1 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 2 This bill requires the department of public safety to 3 establish a statewide, toll-free telephone hotline, internet 4 site, and mobile internet application for the purpose 5 of receiving reports from the public regarding threats 6 or possible threats to school safety in this state. The 7 hotline, internet site, and application must include means 8 for receiving anonymous reports that ensure that the identity 9 of an individual making a report cannot be determined by the 10 department or any other person. The department is required 11 to refer all reports received through the hotline, internet 12 site, and application to appropriate school and local law 13 enforcement personnel and service providers. Such reports 14 shall be confidential. 15 The bill requires the department to advertise the hotline, 16 internet site, and application through the use of public 17 service announcements and other appropriate means and publicize 18 the hotline, internet site, and application in all schools in 19 this state through written materials and other appropriate 20 means. 21 The bill requires the department to annually publish on the 22 department’s internet site information on the disposition of 23 each report received through the hotline, internet site, and 24 application. Such publication shall not include personally 25 identifying information. 26 The bill requires the department, in consultation with 27 behavioral health care providers, to adopt rules to establish 28 and operate the hotline, internet site, and internet 29 application. The bill provides minimum required subjects for 30 the rules. The bill prohibits the department from implementing 31 a telephone hotline, internet site, and mobile internet until 32 the rules have become effective. 33 The bill provides that an individual who makes a report 34 on the hotline, internet site, or internet application for a 35 -3- LSB 1462YH (2) 88 je/jh 3/ 4

H.F. 88 purpose other than to report a situation that the individual 1 reasonably believes requires prompt action in order to preserve 2 human life or property commits a simple misdemeanor. A simple 3 misdemeanor is punishable by confinement for no more than 30 4 days or a fine of at least $65 but not more than $625 or by 5 both. 6 -4- LSB 1462YH (2) 88 je/jh 4/ 4