House File 2644 - Enrolled
House File 2644
AN ACT
CREATING A PROGRAM AND FUND FOR COURT REPORTER EQUIPMENT, AND
MAKING APPROPRIATIONS.
3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
1 Section 1. NEW SECTION. 15.485 Court reporter equipment
2 incentive program.
3 1. The authority shall establish and administer a court
4 reporter equipment incentive program. The court reporter
5 equipment incentive program shall consist of a student grant
6 program and a graduate forgivable loan program. Financial
7 assistance under the programs shall be provided from the court
8 reporter equipment incentive fund created in section 15.486.
9 2. A person enrolled in a court reporter course at a school
10 in Iowa is eligible to apply for a grant under the student
11 grant program to be used for the purchase of court reporter
12 equipment and software for the court reporter training at the
13 school.
14 3. a. A person is eligible to apply for a loan under the
15 graduate forgivable loan program if the person meets all of the
16 following requirements:
17 (1) The person is a newly licensed court reporter within one
18 year of graduation from a court reporter training program.
19 (2) The person is a resident of Iowa.
20 (3) The person agrees to work as a court reporter for five
21 years after the date of the loan.
 House File 2644, p. 2
22 b. After five years from the date of the loan, if eligible
23 under paragraph “a”, the loan is forgiven. If the loan is
24 not forgiven, the authority shall establish a loan repayment
25 schedule for repayment of the loan within five years. A
26 loan not forgiven and defaulted on shall be referred to the
27 department of revenue for collections.
28 c. A loan granted under this subsection shall be used to
29 purchase court reporter equipment and software.
30 4. Applicants to the court reporter equipment incentive
31 program who are doing court-related work shall receive priority
32 over applicants who are not.
33 5. Available moneys shall be divided equally among all
34 applicants during a fiscal year.
35 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION. 15.486 Court reporter equipment
1 incentive fund.
2 1. A court reporter equipment incentive fund is created
3 in the state treasury under the control of the authority and
4 shall consist of moneys appropriated to the fund by the general
5 assembly and any other moneys available to and obtained or
6 accepted by the authority for placement in the fund.
7 2. The following accounts are created within the court
8 reporter equipment incentive fund:
9 a. A student grant account, which is appropriated to the
10 authority to support the student grant program created in
11 section 15.485.
12 b. A graduate forgivable loan account, which is appropriated
13 to the authority to support the graduate forgivable loan
14 program created in section 15.485.
15 3. Notwithstanding section 12C.7, subsection 2, interest or
16 earnings on moneys in the fund shall be credited to the fund.
17 Notwithstanding section 8.33, moneys in the fund that remain
18 unencumbered or unobligated at the close of a fiscal year shall
19 not revert but shall remain available for expenditure for the
20 purposes designated. For moneys deposited in the fund but not
21 to a particular account, the authority shall split available
22 moneys among the accounts based on need and to maximize the
23 impact of available moneys, as determined by the authority.
24 Sec. 3. APPROPRIATION —— COURT REPORTER EQUIPMENT
25 PROGRAM. There is appropriated from the general fund of the
 House File 2644, p. 3
26 state to the economic development authority for the fiscal year
27 beginning July 1, 2024, and ending June 30, 2025, the following
28 amount, or so much thereof as is necessary, to be used for the
29 purposes designated:
30 For deposit in the court reporter equipment incentive fund
31 created in section 15.486, as enacted by this Act:
32 .................................................. $ 100,000
______________________________ ______________________________
PAT GRASSLEY AMY SINCLAIR
Speaker of the House President of the Senate
I hereby certify that this bill originated in the House and
is known as House File 2644, Ninetieth General Assembly.
______________________________
MEGHAN NELSON
Chief Clerk of the House
Approved _______________, 2024 ______________________________
KIM REYNOLDS
Governor