SF 2061 (LSB 5277XS (3) 91)

SENATE FILE 2061

BY  SALMON

A BILL FOR

An Act establishing a nonpublic school safety infrastructure grant program and making appropriations.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  NEW SECTION.  257.52  Nonpublic school safety infrastructure fund —— grant program.
   1.  A nonpublic school safety infrastructure fund is created and established as a separate and distinct fund in the state treasury under the control of the department of education.
   2.  a.  In addition to moneys deposited in the nonpublic school safety infrastructure fund pursuant to section 423F.2, the department of education may accept gifts, grants, bequests, and other private contributions, as well as state or federal funds, and shall deposit the moneys in the fund to be used for purposes of this section. Moneys in the fund are appropriated to the department of education and shall be used only to provide grants to nonpublic schools, as defined in section 285.16, for school safety and security infrastructure projects. “School safety and security infrastructure” means the same as defined in section 423F.3.
   b.  Notwithstanding section 8.33, moneys in the fund that remain unawarded at the close of the fiscal year shall not revert but shall remain in the fund for expenditure in succeeding fiscal years. Notwithstanding section 12C.7, subsection 2, interest earned on moneys in the nonpublic school safety infrastructure fund shall be credited to the fund.
   3.  The department of education shall adopt rules to establish and administer the grant program to provide for the allocation of moneys in the fund in the form of competitive grants to nonpublic schools for school safety and security infrastructure in accordance with the purposes and objectives of this section. The rules adopted by the department of education shall specify the eligibility of applicants, eligible items for grant funding, the application process, and the maximum award per grant.
    Sec. 2.  Section 423F.2, subsection 3, paragraph b, subparagraph (1), Code 2026, is amended to read as follows:
   (1)  Prior to distribution of moneys in the secure an advanced vision for education fund to school districts, an amount equal to the equity transfer amount for the fiscal year minus the foundation base transfer amount for the fiscal year shall be distributed and credited to the property tax equity and relief fund created in section 257.16A, an amount equal to the foundation base transfer amount shall be distributed and credited to the foundation base supplement fund created in section 257.16D, and an amount equal to the career academy transfer amount for the fiscal year shall be distributed and credited to the career academy fund created in section 257.51, and for fiscal years beginning on or after July 1, 2026, an amount equal to one million dollars shall be distributed and credited to the nonpublic school safety infrastructure fund created in section 257.52.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill establishes a nonpublic school safety infrastructure fund to provide grants to accredited nonpublic schools for school safety and security infrastructure projects, as defined in the bill. Beginning with FY 2027, the bill transfers $1 million annually from the secure an advanced vision for education fund to support the fund and directs the department of education to adopt rules to administer the program in order to provide competitive grants to accredited nonpublic schools for school safety and security infrastructure projects.