Bill Text: IA HF512 | 2015-2016 | 86th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to city emergency warning systems by requiring that each city establish, operate, and maintain an emergency warning system, creating a city emergency warning systems grant fund, and making appropriations.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-03-05 - Introduced, referred to Local Government. H.J. 474. [HF512 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2015-HF512-Introduced.html
House File 512 - Introduced HOUSE FILE BY KELLEY A BILL FOR 1 An Act relating to city emergency warning systems by requiring 2 that each city establish, operate, and maintain an emergency 3 warning system, creating a city emergency warning systems 4 grant fund, and making appropriations. 5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: TLSB 2468YH (3) 86 aw/sc PAG LIN 1 1 Section 1. NEW SECTION. 29C.20C City emergency warning 1 2 systems grant fund. 1 3 1. A city emergency warning systems grant fund is created 1 4 in the state treasury under the control of the director of the 1 5 department of homeland security and emergency management. The 1 6 fund shall consist of appropriations made to the fund by the 1 7 general assembly and any other moneys available to and obtained 1 8 or accepted by the administrator from the federal government or 1 9 private sources for deposit in the fund. 1 10 2. Notwithstanding section 8.33, moneys remaining in the 1 11 city emergency warning systems grant fund at the end of a 1 12 fiscal year shall not revert to the general fund of the state 1 13 but shall remain available for expenditure through the end 1 14 of the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2020. Notwithstanding 1 15 section 12C.7, subsection 2, interest or earnings on moneys in 1 16 the city emergency warning systems grant fund shall be credited 1 17 to the fund. 1 18 3. A city may apply to the director for a city emergency 1 19 warning systems grant to pay all or a portion of the cost to 1 20 establish, expand, upgrade, or modernize an emergency warning 1 21 system. The director may award a city emergency warning 1 22 systems grant to a city if the director determines that the 1 23 city is eligible under subsection 4. A city applying for a 1 24 grant under this section shall apply on forms and according to 1 25 instructions provided by the director. 1 26 4. The director shall adopt, by rule, standards and a 1 27 process for evaluating applications for city emergency warning 1 28 systems grants. The director shall give priority to cities 1 29 that have not established an emergency warning system prior to 1 30 the submission of an application. 1 31 5. There is appropriated each fiscal year to the department 1 32 of homeland security and emergency management for the period 1 33 beginning July 1, 2015, and ending June 30, 2021, moneys in the 1 34 fund necessary to award grants under this section. 1 35 6. This section is repealed effective June 30, 2021. Moneys 2 1 in the city emergency warning systems grant fund on June 30, 2 2 2021, shall be transferred to the rebuild Iowa infrastructure 2 3 fund, created in section 8.57, subsection 5. 2 4 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION. 364.16A Emergency warning systems. 2 5 Each city shall, by July 1, 2020, establish an emergency 2 6 warning system that incorporates, at a minimum, a tornado 2 7 siren, and that may include other emergency warning devices, 2 8 as deemed appropriate by the city. Upon establishment of an 2 9 emergency warning system, a city shall operate and maintain the 2 10 system. 2 11 Sec. 3. EMERGENCY WARNING SYSTEMS APPROPRIATIONS ==== FY 2 12 2015=2016 THROUGH FY 2017=2018. There is appropriated from the 2 13 rebuild Iowa infrastructure fund to the city emergency warning 2 14 systems grant fund for the following fiscal years the following 2 15 amounts, or so much thereof as is necessary, to be used for the 2 16 purposes designated, notwithstanding section 8.57, subsection 2 17 5, paragraph "c": 2 18 For deposit in the city emergency warning systems grant fund 2 19 created in section 29C.20C: 2 20 FY 2015=2016...................................... $ 5,000,000 2 21 FY 2016=2017...................................... $ 5,000,000 2 22 FY 2017=2018...................................... $ 5,000,000 2 23 Sec. 4. CITY EMERGENCY WARNING SYSTEMS NEEDS STUDY AND 2 24 REPORT. 2 25 1. The director of the department of homeland security and 2 26 emergency management shall, beginning on July 1, 2018, initiate 2 27 and coordinate the establishment of a city emergency warning 2 28 system needs study. The study shall focus on the progress 2 29 made by Iowa cities in establishing, expanding, upgrading, or 2 30 modernizing emergency warning systems and on the remaining 2 31 financial needs of cities relating to the establishment of 2 32 emergency warning systems. 2 33 2. The director of the department of homeland security and 2 34 emergency management shall prepare a report for delivery to the 2 35 general assembly, the chairpersons of the joint appropriations 3 1 subcommittee on transportation, infrastructure, and capitals, 3 2 and the governor no later than January 1, 2019, regarding 3 3 the progress made by Iowa cities in establishing, expanding, 3 4 upgrading, or modernizing emergency warning systems and 3 5 on the remaining financial needs of cities relating to the 3 6 establishment of emergency warning systems. The report shall 3 7 make recommendations to the general assembly and the governor 3 8 relative to any remaining financial needs of cities. 3 9 Sec. 5. STATE MANDATE FUNDING SPECIFIED. In accordance 3 10 with section 25B.2, subsection 3, fifteen million dollars and 3 11 certain interest and earnings are specified as the state cost 3 12 of requiring compliance with any state mandate included in this 3 13 Act. This specification of the amount of the state cost shall 3 14 be deemed to meet all the state funding=related requirements 3 15 of section 25B.2, subsection 3, and no other specific state 3 16 funding shall be necessary for the full implementation of 3 17 this Act by and enforcement of this Act against all affected 3 18 political subdivisions. 3 19 EXPLANATION 3 20 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 3 21 the explanation's substance by the members of the general assembly. 3 22 This bill requires that each city establish, operate, and 3 23 maintain an emergency warning system, creates a city emergency 3 24 warning systems grant fund, and makes appropriations. 3 25 The bill requires that each city establish an emergency 3 26 warning system that incorporates, at a minimum, a tornado 3 27 siren, by July 1, 2020. The bill also requires that a city 3 28 operate and maintain the emergency warning system. 3 29 A city emergency warning systems grant fund is created in 3 30 new Code section 29C.20C under the control of the director of 3 31 the department of homeland security and emergency management. 3 32 A city may apply to the director for a city emergency warning 3 33 systems grant to establish, expand, upgrade, or modernize an 3 34 emergency warning system. The director is required to adopt 3 35 standards and a process for evaluating applications for grants 4 1 and shall give priority to cities that have not previously 4 2 established an emergency warning system. Interest or earnings 4 3 on moneys in the city emergency warning systems grant fund 4 4 shall be credited to the fund. Moneys remaining in the city 4 5 emergency warning systems grant fund at the end of a fiscal 4 6 year shall not revert to the general fund until the end of the 4 7 fiscal year beginning July 1, 2020. 4 8 The bill further provides for the appropriation of $5 4 9 million from the rebuild Iowa infrastructure fund for deposit 4 10 in the city emergency warning systems grant fund each fiscal 4 11 year of the period beginning July 1, 2015, and ending June 30, 4 12 2018. 4 13 New Code section 29C.20C, establishing the grant fund, is 4 14 repealed by its own terms effective June 30, 2021. Moneys 4 15 remaining in the city emergency warning systems grant fund 4 16 on June 30, 2021, shall be transferred to the rebuild Iowa 4 17 infrastructure fund, created in Code section 8.57, subsection 4 18 5. Pursuant to Code section 8.57, subsection 5, paragraph "i", 4 19 the department of homeland security and emergency management 4 20 shall be required to report to the department of management and 4 21 the legislative services agency on the status of all projects 4 22 completed or in progress by January 15 of each fiscal year. 4 23 The bill requires that the director of the department 4 24 of homeland security and emergency management initiate and 4 25 coordinate the establishment of a city emergency warning 4 26 systems needs study to focus on the progress made by Iowa 4 27 cities in establishing, expanding, upgrading, or modernizing 4 28 emergency warning systems and on the remaining financial needs 4 29 of cities relating to the establishment of emergency warning 4 30 systems. The bill further requires the director to prepare a 4 31 report on such issues to the general assembly, the chairpersons 4 32 of the joint appropriations subcommittee on transportation, 4 33 infrastructure, and capitals, and the governor by January 1, 4 34 2019. 4 35 The bill may include a state mandate as defined in Code 5 1 section 25B.3. The bill specifies that the $15 million in 5 2 appropriations is deemed to meet the state funding=related 5 3 requirements of any state mandate included in the bill. The 5 4 specification is deemed to constitute state compliance with 5 5 any state mandate funding=related requirements of Code section 5 6 25B.2. The inclusion of this specification is intended to 5 7 reinstate the requirement of political subdivisions to comply 5 8 with any state mandates included in the bill. LSB 2468YH (3) 86 aw/sc
