HF 2652 (LSB 6271HV (3) 90)

HOUSE FILE 2652

BY  COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

(SUCCESSOR TO HSB 692)

(As Amended and Passed by the House 2024-03-13)

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to school security, including by modifying provisions related to the issuance of school bonds, requiring schools to conduct school safety reviews and have access to a public safety answering point, establishing the firearm detection software grant program within the department of homeland security and emergency management, requiring the department of public safety to convene a task force related to the safety and security standards of schools and school infrastructure, making appropriations, and including effective date and applicability provisions.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  NEW SECTION.  279.84  Mobile panic alert systems.
   A school district may purchase, install, and operate a mobile panic alert system if all of the following requirements are satisfied:
   1.  The system is capable of connecting different emergency services technologies to ensure real-time coordination between school employees and law enforcement agencies.
   2.  The system is capable of integrating with local public safety answering point infrastructure and existing land mobile radio platform technology to transmit 911 calls and mobile activations.
    Sec. 2.  NEW SECTION.  279.85  School bonds —— restrictions.
   Notwithstanding sections 298.21 and 423F.4, the board of directors of a school district shall not issue negotiable, interest-bearing school bonds for borrowing money for purposes of constructing a new school building or site to be used primarily for interscholastic athletic contests or competitions, or renovating or improving a school building or site that is currently used primarily for interscholastic athletic contests or competitions, unless all of the attendance centers of the school corporation are in compliance with the provisions of the state building code, adopted on or after the effective date of this Act, related to the construction of new attendance centers and the renovation of existing attendance centers that incorporate standards designed to increase the safety of schools and school infrastructure.
    Sec. 3.  REQUIRED SCHOOL SAFETY REVIEW.
   1.  If not already completed, each school district, accredited nonpublic school, charter school established pursuant to chapter 256E, charter school established pursuant to chapter 256F, and innovation zone school established pursuant to chapter 256F shall complete a comprehensive review and evaluation of the school’s ability to ensure the safety of students enrolled in the school and of school employees, including a review and evaluation of the school’s plan for responses to active shooter scenarios and natural disasters and the school’s safety and security infrastructure.
   2.  On or before the first day of the school calendar established pursuant to section 279.10, subsection 1, for the school year beginning July 1, 2024, each school district, accredited nonpublic school, charter school established pursuant to chapter 256E, charter school established pursuant to chapter 256F, and innovation zone school established pursuant to chapter 256F shall submit the results of the comprehensive review and evaluation to the department of public safety’s school safety bureau, police forces of the counties in which school attendance centers are located, the local district office of the state patrol, and, if applicable, the police forces of the cities in which school attendance centers are located, if not already submitted.
   3.  This section shall not be construed to duplicate any review, evaluation, report, or assessment that school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, or innovation zone schools are currently required to complete.
   4.  The results of the comprehensive review and evaluation completed and submitted pursuant to this section shall be confidential and shall not be a public record subject to disclosure under chapter 22.
    Sec. 4.  REQUIRED ACCESS TO A PUBLIC SAFETY ANSWERING POINT.  On or before the first day of the school calendar established pursuant to section 279.10, subsection 1, for the school year beginning July 1, 2025, each school district, accredited nonpublic school, charter school established pursuant to chapter 256E, charter school established pursuant to chapter 256F, and innovation zone school established pursuant to chapter 256F is required to have at least one handheld or console radio, at each attendance center, that is capable of accessing a public safety answering point.
    Sec. 5.  FIREARM DETECTION SOFTWARE PILOT PROGRAM —— DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT —— APPROPRIATION.
   1.  The department of homeland security and emergency management shall establish a firearm detection software grant program to provide grants to school districts to help such school districts offset the cost associated with purchasing, installing, and operating software, or other innovative technology, that meets all of the following requirements:
   a.  Is designed to detect and alert school district employees and first responders if there is a visible, unholstered firearm on property owned by the school district.
   b.  Is capable of integrating with local public safety answering point technology.
   c.  Is designed to integrate with a school district’s existing security camera infrastructure.
   d.  Was developed in the United States without the use of any third-party data or open-source data.
   e.   Is designated by the secretary of homeland security as qualified anti-terrorism technology under 6 U.S.C. §441 et seq.
   2.  The department of homeland security and emergency management shall provide grants under the firearm detection software grant program to school districts with varying amounts of total enrollment. When providing grants under this section, the department of homeland security and emergency management shall consider the needs of each applicant school district and any firearm detection software or other innovative technology that is currently in operation at the applicant school district.
   3.  The department of homeland security and emergency management shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A to administer this section, including rules relating to grant application materials and award criteria.
   4.  Moneys awarded under this section shall be used to supplement, not supplant, existing public funding used by school districts for similar purposes.
   5.  a.  Each school district that receives a grant pursuant to this section shall, in coordination with the department of homeland security and emergency management and the department of public safety’s school safety bureau, evaluate the effectiveness of the software purchased with moneys awarded under this section in protecting students, school personnel, and the public.
   b.  Each school district that receives a grant pursuant to this section shall submit an initial evaluation of the effectiveness of the software purchased with moneys awarded under this section to the general assembly on or before December 15, 2024.
   c.  Each school district that receives a grant pursuant to this section shall submit a final evaluation of the effectiveness of the software purchased with moneys awarded under this section to the general assembly and the department of homeland security and emergency management on or before December 15, 2025. The department of homeland security may require school districts that receive a grant pursuant to this section to include specific information within the final evaluation.
   6.  a.  There is appropriated from the 911 emergency communications fund established pursuant to section 34A.7A to the department of homeland security and emergency management for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2023, and ending June 30, 2024, the following amount, or so much thereof as is necessary, to be used for the purposes designated:
   For purposes of the firearm detection software grant program established pursuant to subsection 1, if enacted:
   ...................................................................... $  3,000,000

   b.  Notwithstanding section 8.33, moneys appropriated in this subsection 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 until the close of the succeeding fiscal year.
    Sec. 6.  DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, AND DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT —— SCHOOL SAFETY AND SECURITY INFRASTRUCTURE STANDARDS —— TASK FORCE.
   1.  The department of public safety, in collaboration with the department of education and the department of homeland security and emergency management, shall convene and provide administrative support to a task force that shall study and make recommendations related to the safety and security standards of schools and school infrastructure, including safety and security standards related to doors, windows, cameras, and locks.
   2.  a.  The department of public safety, in collaboration with the department of education and the department of homeland security and emergency management, shall appoint all of the following members to the task force:
   (1)  A representative of the department of public safety.
   (2)  A representative of the department of homeland security and emergency management.
   (3)  A representative of the department of public safety’s school safety bureau.
   (4)  A representative of the department of education.
   (5)  A superintendent of a school district located in this state that has a total enrollment of greater than or equal to one thousand students.
   (6)  A superintendent of a school district located in this state that has a total enrollment of less than one thousand students.
   (7)  One school resource officer who is employed by a school district or accredited nonpublic school located in this state.
   (8)  One president or chief executive officer of an accredited nonpublic school located in this state.
   (9)  Two members of the boards of directors of school districts located in this state; provided, however, that such members shall not be members of the boards of directors of a school district that employs the superintendents appointed pursuant to subparagraph (5) or (6).
   (10)  One representative of an association located in this state that represents members that perform commercial, industrial, and public works building projects, and that provides such members with a comprehensive array of educational, safety, environmental, labor, legal, professional development, and legislative services.
   (11)  The state building code commissioner or a member of the state building code advisory council, if designated by the state building code commissioner.
   b.  The department of education may appoint not more than four members to the task force, if the department of education determines that the appointment of such member or members will be beneficial to the study and recommendations the task force is required to complete.
   3.  Any expenses incurred by a member of the task force shall be the responsibility of the individual member or the respective entity represented by the member.
   4.  The task force shall submit its findings and recommendations to the general assembly on or before December 31, 2024. The findings and recommendations shall include a proposal for modifications to the state building code that are applicable to the construction of new attendance centers and the renovation of existing attendance centers and that incorporate standards designed to increase the safety of schools and school infrastructure.
    Sec. 7.  DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT —— SCHOOL SECURITY PERSONNEL —— GRANTS FOR INFRASTRUCTURE, EQUIPMENT, AND TRAINING.
   1.  a.  If 2024 Iowa Acts, House File 2586, or successor legislation, is enacted, the department of homeland security and emergency management shall establish a grant program to provide grants to applicant school districts for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, and ending June 30, 2025, to allow such school districts to do all of the following:
   (1)  Purchase infrastructure and equipment related to employee permits to carry weapons issued under section 724.6, subsection 1, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (3), if enacted in 2024 Iowa Acts, House File 2586, or successor legislation.
   (2)  Facilitate the training associated with employee permits to carry weapons issued under section 724.6, subsection 1, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (3), if enacted in 2024 Iowa Acts, House File 2586, or successor legislation.
   (3)  Provide stipends to employees who participate in the training associated with employee permits to carry weapons issued under section 724.6, subsection 1, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (3), if enacted in 2024 Iowa Acts, House File 2586, or successor legislation.
   b.  The department of homeland security and emergency management shall adopt rules to implement the grant program described in paragraph “a”. The rules adopted by the department of homeland security and emergency management shall establish an application process for school districts and shall define “infrastructure”, “equipment”, and “training” for purposes of the grant program.
   c.  The department of homeland security and emergency management shall not award a school district with more than twenty-five thousand dollars in grant funding under this subsection.
   2.  If 2024 Iowa Acts, House File 2586, or successor legislation, is enacted, there is established within the state treasury a school security personnel grant program fund. The fund shall be administered by the department of homeland security and emergency management and shall consist of moneys appropriated by the general assembly and other moneys received by the department of homeland security and emergency management for deposit in the fund.
    Sec. 8.  EMERGENCY RULES.  The department of homeland security and emergency management may adopt emergency rules under section 17A.4, subsection 3, and section 17A.5, subsection 2, paragraph “b”, to implement the provisions of this Act establishing the firearm detection software grant program, and the rules shall be effective immediately upon filing unless a later date is specified in the rules. Any rules adopted in accordance with this section shall also be published as a notice of intended action as provided in section 17A.4.
    Sec. 9.  STATE MANDATE FUNDING SPECIFIED.  In accordance with section 25B.2, subsection 3, the state cost of requiring compliance with any state mandate included in this Act shall be paid by a school district from state school foundation aid received by the school district under section 257.16. This specification of the payment of the state cost shall be deemed to meet all of 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 school districts.
    Sec. 10.  EFFECTIVE DATE.  This Act, being deemed of immediate importance, takes effect upon enactment.
    Sec. 11.  APPLICABILITY.  The following applies to school bonds authorized by voters at an election held after July 1, 2024, and projects approved by the board of directors of a school district after July 1, 2024:
   The section of this Act enacting section 279.85.