HF 690 (LSB 1930YH (2) 91)

HOUSE FILE 690

BY  JACOBY

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to employment benefits for public safety employees and volunteers of cities and counties and making appropriations.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  NEW SECTION.  70A.24  Public safety employee and volunteer benefits —— fund —— appropriation.
   1.  As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:
   a.  “Department” means the department of management.
   b.  “Employment benefit” includes but is not limited to any form of insurance and any pension or other retirement benefit.
   c.  “Public safety employee” means a person employed as a police officer, fire fighter, or an emergency medical care provider as defined in section 147A.1.
   d.  “Public safety volunteer” means a person who volunteers for a city or county as a reserve peace officer as defined in section 80D.1A, a volunteer fire fighter as defined in section 85.61, or an emergency medical care provider as defined in section 147A.1.
   2.  Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, a person who is employed by a city or county as a public safety employee for at least thirty-two hours per week shall, for such week, be considered a full-time employee of the city or county for purposes of any employment benefit available to the employee from the city or county or from the state.
   3.  Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, a person who volunteers for a city or county as a public safety volunteer for at least thirty-two hours per week shall, for such week, be granted all employment benefits available from the city or county or from the state to full-time public safety employees employed by the city or county.
   4.  The cost of all employment benefits paid to a public safety employee or public safety volunteer as required by this section that would not have been required but for this section shall be paid by the department from moneys available in the local public safety employment benefit fund created in subsection 6.
   5.  The department shall establish by rule a process and timeline for cities and counties to calculate, document, and submit to the department the cost of employment benefits for which the department is responsible under this section. Such timeline shall require that cities and counties submit such documentation to the department with sufficient time before payment is due to allow the department to validate the costs and resolve any dispute as to the correct calculation.
   6.  A local public safety employment benefit fund is created in the state treasury under the control of the department and shall consist of moneys appropriated to the fund by the general assembly. Notwithstanding section 12C.7, subsection 2, interest or earnings on moneys deposited in the local public safety employment benefit fund shall be credited to the fund. Notwithstanding section 8.33, moneys appropriated in this section that remain unencumbered or unobligated at the close of the fiscal year shall not revert but shall remain available for expenditure for the purposes designated.
   7.  There is appropriated from the general fund of the state to the department for each fiscal year beginning on or after July 1, 2025, an amount necessary to fully pay for the cost of employment benefits as described in subsection 4.
   8.  The department shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A to administer this section.
    Sec. 2.  IMPLEMENTATION OF ACT.  The funds generated as a result of the enactment of this Act are intended to cover the costs of any state mandate included in this Act and this specification of state funding shall be deemed to meet all the state funding-related requirements of section 25B.2, subsection 3, and no additional state funding shall be necessary for the full implementation of this Act by, and enforcement of this Act against, all affected political subdivisions.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill provides that a person who is employed by a city or county as a public safety employee for at least 32 hours per week shall, for such week, be considered a full-time employee of the city or county for purposes of any employment benefit available to the employee from the city or county or from the state. The bill also provides that a person who volunteers for a city or county as a public safety volunteer for at least 32 hours per week shall, for such week, be granted all employment benefits available from the city or county or from the state to full-time public safety employees employed by the city or county. These requirements apply notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary.
   The bill defines “public safety employee” as a person employed as a police officer, fire fighter, or an emergency medical care provider. The bill defines “public safety volunteer” as a person who volunteers for a city or county as a reserve peace officer, a volunteer fire fighter, or an emergency medical care provider. The bill defines “employment benefit” as including but not limited to any form of insurance and any pension or other retirement benefit.
   The bill provides that the cost of all employment benefits paid to a public safety employee or public safety volunteer as required by the bill that would not have been required but for the bill shall be paid by the department of management from moneys available in the local public safety employment benefit fund created by the bill.
   The bill requires the department of management to establish by rule a process and timeline for cities and counties to calculate, document, and submit to the department the cost of employment benefits for which the department is responsible under the bill. Such timeline shall require cities and counties to submit such documentation to the department with sufficient time before payment is due to allow the department to validate the costs and resolve any dispute as to the correct calculation.
   The bill appropriates from the general fund to the department of management for each fiscal year beginning on or after July 1, 2025, an amount necessary to fully pay for the cost of employment benefits as described in the bill.
   The bill may include a state mandate as defined in Code section 25B.3. The bill provides that funds generated in the bill are intended to cover the costs of any state mandate included in the bill. The inclusion of this specification of state funding is intended to reinstate the requirement of political subdivisions to comply with any state mandates included in the bill.