The bill establishes a Rural Attorney Recruitment Assistance Program, which is designed to help rural counties and municipalities in Iowa recruit attorneys. The program will be administered by the college student aid commission, which will assess the needs and capabilities of interested counties and municipalities before allowing them to participate. To qualify, a county or municipality must have a population of less than 26,000 and be located more than 20 miles from a city with a population of at least 50,000, based on the 2020 federal census. Eligible counties and municipalities will be required to contribute 35% of the total incentive payments for participating attorneys, who will receive an incentive payment equal to 90% of the University of Iowa College of Law resident tuition and fees, distributed in five annual installments.

The bill also creates a Rural Attorney Recruitment Assistance Program Fund, which will be used to support the program and increase the number of participating attorneys. The fund will accept various forms of contributions and will be appropriated to the college student aid commission for program implementation. Additionally, the bill stipulates that no more than five attorneys can be assisted in the first year, and it outlines specific requirements for the agreements between the commission, the counties or municipalities, and the attorneys, including a commitment to practice law full-time in the designated area for at least five years.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 8.33