Senate Study Bill 3150 - Introduced SENATE FILE _____ BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT BILL BY CHAIRPERSON ROZENBOOM) A BILL FOR An Act relating to matters associated with county officers. 1 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 2 TLSB 5810XC (3) 91 ss/ns
S.F. _____ Section 1. Section 35B.10, subsection 2, Code 2026, is 1 amended to read as follows: 2 2. The county commission of veteran affairs shall prepare 3 and file in the office of the county auditor on or before the 4 thirtieth day of each January, April, July, and October a 5 report showing the case numbers of all recipients receiving 6 assistance under this chapter , together with the amount paid to 7 each during the preceding quarter. Each report so filed shall 8 be maintained as a permanent record to be used only for such 9 reports made under this chapter . 10 Sec. 2. Section 39.17, subsection 1, Code 2026, is amended 11 to read as follows: 12 1. There shall be elected in each county at the general 13 election to be held in the year 1976 2028 and every four years 14 thereafter , an auditor and a sheriff , each to hold office for a 15 term of four years. 16 Sec. 3. Section 39.21, Code 2026, is amended by adding the 17 following new subsection: 18 NEW SUBSECTION . 5. County auditors as required by section 19 331.501A. 20 Sec. 4. Section 53.2, subsection 2, paragraph d, Code 2026, 21 is amended to read as follows: 22 d. (1) No Except as provided in subparagraphs (2) and 23 (3), an absentee ballot application shall not be provided to a 24 registered voter with any field prefilled , except that the . 25 (2) The absentee ballot application may have the fields for 26 the type and date of the election prefilled. 27 (3) A county commissioner of elections may provide an 28 absentee ballot with the personal information of a registered 29 voter prefilled to a registered voter who appears to vote in 30 person pursuant to section 53.10 or 53.11 and whose identity 31 has been verified as provided in section 49.78. 32 Sec. 5. Section 53.8, subsection 1, paragraph a, unnumbered 33 paragraph 1, Code 2026, is amended to read as follows: 34 Upon receipt of an application for an absentee ballot and 35 -1- LSB 5810XC (3) 91 ss/ns 1/ 7
S.F. _____ immediately after the absentee ballots are printed, but not 1 more than twenty twenty-five days before the election, the 2 commissioner shall mail an absentee ballot to the applicant 3 within twenty-four hours, except as otherwise provided in 4 subsection 3 . The absentee ballot shall be sent to the 5 registered voter by one of the following methods: 6 Sec. 6. Section 53.17A, subsection 2, Code 2026, is amended 7 to read as follows: 8 2. The state commissioner shall adopt rules regarding 9 the statewide implementation of a postal service barcode 10 and tracking information database and the implementation of 11 a postal service barcode for absentee ballots requested or 12 returned pursuant to section 9E.6, 53.22, 53.39, 53.44, or 13 53.45 , including procedures to be followed when usage of a 14 postal service barcode or the tracking information database 15 is negatively impacted. Each commissioner shall use a postal 16 service barcode and tracking information database consistent 17 with rules of the state commissioner. Every commissioner shall 18 send notice to the state commissioner and implement the use 19 of a postal service barcode and tracking information database 20 prior to October 1, 2020. 21 Sec. 7. Section 53.17A, subsection 3, paragraph a, Code 22 2026, is amended to read as follows: 23 a. An absentee ballot requested or returned pursuant to 24 section 9E.6, 53.22, 53.39, 53.44, or 53.45 and received after 25 the polls close on election day but prior to the official 26 canvass shall be counted if the commissioner determines that 27 the ballot entered the federal mail system by the deadline 28 specified in section 53.17 or 53.22 . The date of entry of such 29 an absentee ballot into the federal mail system shall only be 30 verified as provided in paragraph “b” . 31 Sec. 8. Section 298.11, Code 2026, is amended to read as 32 follows: 33 298.11 Apportionment of school funds. 34 1. The county auditor treasurer shall, on the first 35 -2- LSB 5810XC (3) 91 ss/ns 2/ 7
S.F. _____ Monday in April and the first Monday in October of each year, 1 apportion the school tax, together with rents on unsold school 2 lands to which the county is entitled as shown in notice from 3 the director of the department of administrative services, and 4 all other moneys in the hands of the county treasurer belonging 5 in common to the schools of the county and not included in a 6 previous apportionment, among the corporations in the county 7 in the manner provided by law. 8 2. The county auditor shall immediately notify the county 9 treasurer of such apportionment and of the amount due thereby 10 to each corporation. 11 3. 2. The county treasurer shall thereupon give notice 12 to the president of each corporation, and shall pay out 13 such apportionment moneys in the same manner that the county 14 treasurer is authorized to pay other school moneys to the 15 treasurers of the several school districts. 16 Sec. 9. NEW SECTION . 331.501A Election of auditor. 17 1. There shall be elected in each county at the general 18 election a county auditor, who shall hold office for a term of 19 four years. 20 2. The ballot for county auditor shall not reflect a 21 nominee’s political affiliation. 22 3. Nomination of candidates for the office of county auditor 23 shall be made by petition in accordance with chapter 45. 24 Sec. 10. Section 331.502, subsections 10, 11, 16, and 35, 25 Code 2026, are amended by striking the subsections. 26 Sec. 11. Section 331.502, subsection 12, Code 2026, is 27 amended to read as follows: 28 12. Issue warrants and maintain a permanent record for 29 payment of claims of persons receiving veteran assistance as 30 provided in section 35B.10 . 31 Sec. 12. Section 331.508, subsections 4 and 5, Code 2026, 32 are amended by striking the subsections. 33 Sec. 13. Section 331.552, subsection 16, Code 2026, is 34 amended to read as follows: 35 -3- LSB 5810XC (3) 91 ss/ns 3/ 7
S.F. _____ 16. Pay Apportion and pay to the treasurers of the school 1 corporations located in the county the taxes and other moneys 2 due as provided in section 298.11 and send amounts collected 3 for each fund of a school corporation for direct deposit into 4 the depository and account designated as provided in section 5 298.13 . 6 Sec. 14. Section 331.552, Code 2026, is amended by adding 7 the following new subsection: 8 NEW SUBSECTION . 37. Receive and record in a book kept 9 for that purpose, moneys recovered from a person willfully 10 committing waste or trespass on real estate as provided in 11 section 658.10. 12 Sec. 15. Section 331.907, subsection 1, Code 2026, is 13 amended to read as follows: 14 1. The annual compensation of the auditor, treasurer, 15 recorder, sheriff, county attorney, and supervisors shall 16 be determined as provided in this section . The county 17 compensation board annually shall review the compensation 18 paid to comparable officers in other counties of this state, 19 other states, private enterprise, and the federal government , 20 as well as school business officials, state employees, and 21 city clerks employed by cities of similar population to the 22 county . In setting the salary of the county sheriff, the 23 county compensation board shall set the sheriff’s salary 24 so that it is comparable to salaries paid to professional 25 law enforcement administrators and command officers of the 26 state patrol, the division of criminal investigation of the 27 department of public safety, and city police chiefs employed by 28 cities of similar population to the population of the county. 29 The county compensation board shall prepare a compensation 30 schedule for the elected county officers for the succeeding 31 fiscal year. The county compensation board shall provide 32 documentation to the board of supervisors that demonstrates 33 how the county compensation board determined the recommended 34 compensation schedule, including by providing the applicable 35 -4- LSB 5810XC (3) 91 ss/ns 4/ 7
S.F. _____ compensation information for comparable officers in other 1 counties of this state, other states, private enterprise, and 2 the federal government as described in this subsection . A 3 recommended compensation schedule requires a majority vote of 4 the membership of the county compensation board. 5 Sec. 16. Section 658.10, Code 2026, is amended to read as 6 follows: 7 658.10 Disposition of money. 8 All money recovered in an action brought under section 658.9 9 shall be paid by the officer collecting it to the auditor 10 treasurer of the county in which the lands are situated, which 11 shall be held by the auditor treasurer , and an entry thereof 12 made in a book kept for that purpose, until the lands are 13 redeemed, or a treasurer’s deed therefor executed to the holder 14 of said certificate. If redemption is made, the money shall 15 be paid to the owner of the land, and if not, to the person to 16 whom the deed is executed. 17 Sec. 17. REPEAL. Section 225.35, Code 2026, is repealed. 18 EXPLANATION 19 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 20 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 21 This bill relates to matters associated with county 22 officers. 23 The bill strikes a requirement that a county commission 24 of veteran affairs file in the office of the county auditor 25 a report regarding recipients of services from the county 26 commission of veteran affairs. Under the bill, the commission 27 rather than the auditor is responsible for maintaining 28 permanent records of the reports. Under current law and the 29 bill, a person who discloses, authorizes, knowingly permits, 30 participates in, or acquiesces in the use of any lists, names, 31 or other information obtained from the reports for commercial 32 or political purposes commits a serious misdemeanor. A serious 33 misdemeanor is punishable by confinement for no more than one 34 year and a fine of at least $430 but not more than $2,560. 35 -5- LSB 5810XC (3) 91 ss/ns 5/ 7
S.F. _____ The bill changes elections for county auditors from partisan 1 elections to nonpartisan elections. The bill requires 2 candidates for election to the office of county auditor 3 to be nominated by petition as provided in Code chapter 45 4 (nominations by petition). 5 The bill allows a county auditor, in the auditor’s role as 6 county commissioner of elections, to provide an absentee ballot 7 to a voter with the personal information prefilled if the voter 8 appears to vote absentee in person and the voter’s identity has 9 been verified as provided in Code section 49.78 (voter identity 10 and signature verification). The bill changes the first day 11 on which a county commissioner of elections may mail absentee 12 ballots from 20 days before an election to 25 days before an 13 election. The bill requires a county commissioner of elections 14 to implement a postal service barcode only for absentee 15 ballots requested or returned by a confined person or a 16 person participating in the address confidentiality program or 17 voting pursuant to the federal Uniformed and Overseas Citizens 18 Absentee Voting Act. Current law requires the implementation 19 of a postal service barcode for all absentee ballots. 20 The bill changes the person responsible for the 21 apportionment of school tax, rents, and other moneys belonging 22 to schools from the county auditor to the county treasurer. 23 The bill strikes requirements that a county auditor collect the 24 costs relating to the treatment and care of private patients at 25 the state psychiatric hospital and carry out duties relating to 26 the hospitalization and support of persons with mental illness. 27 The bill also strikes a reference to a repealed requirement 28 that a county auditor maintain an account book and index of 29 persons receiving mental health treatment. 30 When reviewing the compensation of county officers, the bill 31 requires a county compensation board to review compensation 32 paid to school business officials, state employees, and city 33 clerks employed by cities of similar population to the county. 34 Current law requires a county compensation board to review 35 -6- LSB 5810XC (3) 91 ss/ns 6/ 7
S.F. _____ compensation paid to comparable officers in other counties of 1 this state, other states, private enterprise, and the federal 2 government. 3 The bill requires money recovered by the owner of a 4 treasurer’s certificate of purchase of land sold for taxes from 5 a person willfully committing waste or trespass on the land to 6 be paid to the county treasurer rather than the county auditor. 7 -7- LSB 5810XC (3) 91 ss/ns 7/ 7