Senate File 2121 - Introduced SENATE FILE 2121 BY ROWLEY A BILL FOR An Act relating to bonds and insurance policies for public 1 officers. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 5891XS (1) 90 ss/ns
S.F. 2121 Section 1. NEW SECTION . 64.3 Insurance policy in lieu of 1 bond. 2 1. In lieu of a bond, a public officer required to obtain a 3 bond pursuant to this chapter may obtain an insurance policy in 4 an amount not less than the amounts provided in section 64.8, 5 64.10, 64.13, or 64.15, as applicable. 6 2. An insurance policy obtained pursuant to this section 7 must substantially comply with the conditions of section 64.2. 8 3. The reasonable expenses of an insurance policy obtained 9 pursuant to this section in lieu of a bond, for which the 10 reasonable expenses of such bond would be paid for by the 11 county or township pursuant to section 64.11, 64.12, or 64.15, 12 shall be paid by the county or township, as applicable. 13 4. The state of Iowa shall be the beneficiary of an 14 insurance policy obtained pursuant to this section and the 15 policy shall be for the use and benefit of any corporation, 16 public or private, or person injured or sustaining loss, with 17 a right of action in the name of the state for its or the 18 corporation’s or person’s use. 19 5. An insurance policy obtained pursuant to this section 20 shall be approved, filed, and recorded as provided in sections 21 64.19 through 64.24. 22 Sec. 2. Section 64.25, Code 2024, is amended to read as 23 follows: 24 64.25 Failure to give bond. 25 1. Action by any officer in an official capacity without 26 giving bond when such bond is required shall constitute grounds 27 for removal from office may be suspended from office until the 28 officer gives a bond in compliance with this chapter . 29 2. Failure to give a bond in compliance with this chapter 30 after a reasonable time following a suspension from office 31 pursuant to subsection 1 constitutes grounds for removal from 32 office. 33 EXPLANATION 34 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 35 -1- LSB 5891XS (1) 90 ss/ns 1/ 2
S.F. 2121 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 1 This bill relates to bonds and insurance policies for public 2 officers. The bill allows a public officer that is required to 3 obtain a bond pursuant to Code chapter 64 (official and private 4 bonds) to instead obtain an insurance policy in an amount not 5 less than the amount required of a bond for that officer. 6 The bill requires that the terms of the insurance policy 7 substantially comply with the terms required of an official 8 bond. If the reasonable expenses of a bond would be paid for by 9 a county or township, the bill requires the reasonable expenses 10 of the insurance policy obtained in lieu of a bond to also be 11 paid by that county or township. The state of Iowa shall be the 12 beneficiary of an insurance policy obtained in lieu of a bond, 13 and the bill requires the insurance policy to be approved, 14 filed, and recorded in the same manner as a bond for a public 15 officer. 16 The bill changes the circumstances under which an officer 17 can be removed from office for failure to give a bond. The bill 18 allows an officer to be suspended from office after acting in 19 an official capacity without giving a required bond until the 20 officer gives an appropriate bond. If an officer who has been 21 suspended from office for failure to give a bond does not give 22 a bond after a reasonable time, the bill allows the officer to 23 be removed from office. 24 -2- LSB 5891XS (1) 90 ss/ns 2/ 2