House Study Bill 754 - Introduced HOUSE FILE _____ BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS BILL BY CHAIRPERSON NORDMAN) A BILL FOR An Act relating to drainage or levee districts, by exempting 1 an application fee that may be charged to certain persons 2 applying for an easement to install fiber optic cable, and 3 including effective date provisions. 4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 5 TLSB 6870YC (1) 91 da/js

H.F. _____ Section 1. Section 468.186, Code 2026, is amended by adding 1 the following new subsection: 2 NEW SUBSECTION . 1A. a. The governing body of a drainage 3 or levee district shall not charge an administrative fee 4 related to the consideration, approval, or disapproval of an 5 application for an easement to install fiber optic cable by 6 a person whose business is primarily locally operated as a 7 contractor or fiber optic network company. 8 b. The drainage district may prepare and publish a list of 9 the names of persons described in paragraph “a” that will not be 10 charged the administrative fee. 11 Sec. 2. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act, being deemed of immediate 12 importance, takes effect upon enactment. 13 EXPLANATION 14 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 15 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 16 The governing body of a drainage or levee district (e.g., a 17 county board of supervisors or board of trustees) may approve 18 an easement on, over, across, or beneath the land of the 19 district. This includes an easement for a pipeline, electric 20 transmission line, communication line, underground service 21 line, or other similar installation (Code section 468.186(1)). 22 This bill provides that the governing body cannot charge an 23 administrative fee for considering, approving, or disapproving 24 an application for an easement to install fiber optic cable 25 by a person whose business is primarily locally operated as 26 a contractor or fiber optic network company. The drainage 27 district may prepare and publish a list of local contractors 28 and fiber optic network companies that will not be charged the 29 administrative fee. The bill takes effect upon enactment. 30 -1- LSB 6870YC (1) 91 da/js 1/ 1