Fiscal Note
Fiscal Services Division
HF 585 – School Safety Bureau (LSB1349HV)
Staff Contact: Christin Mechler (515.250.0458) christin.mechler@legis.iowa.gov
Fiscal Note Version – New
Description
House File 585 establishes a Safe and Sound Program within the Department of Public Safety
(DPS), for the purpose of developing and implementing a system for receiving anonymous
reports and other information from the public in regard to potential self-harm and potential harm
or criminal acts including threats of violence, sexual abuse, assault, or bullying directed at
school students and school entities. School entities are defined as school districts or accredited
nonpublic schools offering instruction at any or all levels from the prekindergarten level through
grade 12, and include school boards, the authorities in charge of accredited nonpublic schools,
and school personnel employed by a school district or accredited nonpublic school.
The Bill requires that the Safe and Sound Program include all of the following:
• The establishment of a statewide, 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week, toll-free hotline, Internet
site, and mobile application for the purpose of receiving reports.
• Methods and procedures to ensure that the identity of any reporting party remains
confidential to all persons, including law enforcement officers and employees administering
the Safe and Sound Program. Reporters may voluntarily disclose and verify their identity.
Should an identity become known through a means other than voluntary disclosure, the
identity shall be kept confidential.
• Procedures to review and analyze all information submitted through the hotline, Internet site,
and mobile application and report such information to the appropriate law enforcement
agency and school entity. School boards and accredited nonpublic school authorities must
designate at least one individual to receive information reported to the Program. A person
who knowingly provides false information through the Program is guilty of a simple
misdemeanor. Additionally, school boards and nonpublic school authorities must provide
the school’s emergency operations plan and any related updates to the DPS.
• In consultation with the Department of Education (DE), provide guidance for violence
prevention curricula developed in accordance with Iowa Code section 280.9B and response
and awareness training to and instruction to individuals, including but not limited to law
enforcement agencies and school entities. Additionally, school entities are required to
distribute materials related to the Program in every school building.
• In consultation with the DE, the Department of Human Services, the Department of Public
Health, and the Attorney General, school entities must establish a Threat Assessment Team
to assist law enforcement agencies.
House File 585 also establishes a Safe and Sound Revolving Fund under the control of the
DPS. Any moneys appropriated, granted, or credited to the Fund are appropriated to the DPS
for the Program.
Background
Current law requires school districts and nonaccredited public school authorities to develop a
high-quality emergency operation plan for district and individual school buildings in which
students are educated. The plan must include active shooter scenarios, natural disasters, and
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provide an alert regarding an emergency situation that is transmitted to school personnel or
students. Plans must be developed in coordination with local emergency management
coordinators and local law enforcement agencies, and be updated on an annual basis.
Additional information can be found here.
A simple misdemeanor is punishable by confinement of no more than 30 days and a fine of at
least $105 but not more than $585.
Assumptions
• The following will not change over the projection period: charge, conviction, and sentencing
patterns and trends; prisoner length of stay (LOS); revocation rates; plea bargaining; and
other criminal justice system policies and practices.
• A lag effect of six months is assumed from the effective date of this Bill to the date of first
entry of affected offenders into the correctional system.
• Marginal costs for county jails cannot be estimated due to a lack of data. For purposes of
this analysis, the marginal cost for county jails is assumed to be $50 per day.
• The average daily marginal cost per offender under a special sentence is assumed to be
$7.05 per day.
• Any required training or professional development required as a part of establishing the Safe
and Sound Program will be incorporated by school districts into existing in-staff and
development time.
• In order to implement, coordinate, and promote the requirements of HF 585, the DPS will
need to create a new sworn supervisor position to have oversight over the Safe and Sound
Program. The DPS will also need to hire a new criminal intelligence analyst to analyze
threat information and facilitate information sharing among local, State, and federal
agencies.
• The DPS will apply the existing Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training
(ALERRT) program in conjunction with the Safe and Sound Program. To provide active
shooter training protocols for first responders, civilians, and educators, the DPS estimates it
will need to hire 4.0 additional full-time training positions to become the point of contact for
the ALERRT training statewide. Trainers are estimated to provide up to 50 training sessions
annually, and support up to 220 school events annually.
• The DPS will also need to develop an anonymous reporting tool to facilitate and encourage
the reporting of a variety of possible threats, including school threats, self-harm/suicidal
threats, and threats related to sexual abuse and harassment, illicit drug use, and student
mental health issues. In order to be able to respond in a timely matter, the DPS estimates it
will need to hire 5.0 additional communication specialist positions to monitor the reporting
tool on a 24/7 basis.
• An additional 2.0 special agent positions will be needed to assist local enforcement
agencies with responses to school threats, with specific emphasis on the cyber and digital
components of such threats.
• The DPS estimates it may take three to six months to fully onboard required personnel for
the Program. For estimating purposes, it is assumed that the positions will not be filled for
the first four months of FY 2022.
• FTE position costs include salary, benefits, necessary equipment and technology
purchases.
• Additional costs related to training, equipment, and promotional material may arise out of the
need to promote the Program.
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Correctional Impact
House File 585 expands the definition of obstruction of justice for knowingly providing false
information to anyone known by the individual to be a peace officer, emergency medical care
provider, or fire fighter in the performance of any act within the scope of the lawful duty of the
officer, care provider, or fire fighter. The Bill adds a crime for falsely reporting school threat
information through the Safe and Sound toll-free hotline, Internet site, or mobile application.
The correctional impact cannot be estimated due to a lack of data.
The punishments for simple misdemeanors under this Bill do not include the possibility of
imprisonment, and as a result, this Bill is not estimated to have a correctional impact. It is
unknown how many simple misdemeanor convictions may result from this Bill. Refer to the
Legislative Services Agency (LSA) memo addressed to the General Assembly, Cost Estimates
Used for Correctional Impact Statements, dated January 26, 2021, for information related to the
correctional system.
Minority Impact
House File 585 expands the definition of obstruction of justice by knowingly providing false
information to include actions previously not criminalized under Iowa Code section 719.1A. In
FY 2019, there were 625 convictions under Iowa Code section 719.1A, and in FY 2020, there
were 550 convictions under Iowa Code section 719.1A. Of the total of 1,175 individuals, 425
(36.2%) were African American. In FY 2020, Caucasians and African Americans made up
89.9% and 4.1% of the Iowa adult population, respectively. The conviction rate for African
Americans exceeds the population proportion of the State, which would lead to a racial impact if
trends remain constant. Due to low numbers of other minority populations, the impact on those
populations cannot be assessed. Refer to the LSA memo addressed to the General Assembly,
Minority Impact Statement, dated January 27, 2021, for information related to minorities in the
criminal justice system.
Fiscal Impact
House File 585 adds a new provision under Iowa Code section 719.1A, and the fiscal impact to
the correctional system cannot be determined due to a lack of conviction data. The average
cost to the State per conviction of a simple misdemeanor ranges from $40 to $350. The cost
estimate includes operating costs incurred by the Judicial Branch, the State Public Defender,
and the Department of Corrections for one conviction. The cost would be incurred across
multiple fiscal years for prison and parole supervision.
Table 1 provides a breakdown of the estimated total cost of HF 585, including the cost for
benefits and salaries of various full-time equivalent (FTE) positions and additional cost items
incurred by the DPS in implementing various components of the Bill.
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 Table 1 — HF 585, Estimated Costs Incurred by DPS
Position FTE FY 2022 FY 2023
Special Agent In-Charge 1.0 $ 101,865 $ 153,397
Special Agent 2 4.0 400,504 600,756
Trooper 3 2.0 184,534 276,800
Criminal Intelligence Analyst (Advanced) 1.0 46,939 70,408
Communications Center Specialist 2 5.0 184,590 276,885
Subtotal 13.0 $ 918,432 $ 1,378,246
Additional Cost Item FTE FY 2022 FY 2023
In-State Travel N/A $ 3,500 $ 0
State Vehicle Operation N/A 89,740 0
Vehicle Depreciation N/A 174,265 0
Out-of-State Travel N/A 11,200 0
Office Supplies N/A 4,000 4,000
Other Equipment Supplies N/A 162,413 0
Communications N/A 180 180
Outside Services N/A 122,500 122,500
Advertising and Promotion N/A 10,000 10,000
State Agency Services (Government Transfer) N/A 8,640 0
IT Equipment N/A 35,000 35,000
Subtotal N/A $ 621,438 $ 171,680
Total 13.0 $ 1,539,870 $ 1,549,926
In the FY 2022 of implementation, the DPS estimates it will incur costs of approximately $1.5
million. In FY 2023 and subsequent years of implementation, the Department estimates annual
costs of approximately $1.5 million.
The DE notes that it will not experience a fiscal impact as the tasks required of the Department
by HF 585 can be absorbed into the existing budget utilizing existing personnel. Additionally, the
Iowa Association of School Boards notes that some school districts may incur professional
development costs. Funding for these costs will come from individual school district
professional development funds and will not impact the State General Fund.
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Sources
Department of Public Safety
Department of Education
Iowa Association of School Boards
LSA analysis
/s/ Holly M. Lyons
March 9, 2021
Doc ID 1213410
The fiscal note for this Bill was prepared pursuant to Joint Rule 17 and the Iowa Code. Data used in
developing this fiscal note is available from the Fiscal Services Division of the Legislative Services
Agency upon request.
www.legis.iowa.gov
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Statutes affected:
Introduced: 22.7, 8.33, 80.48, 719.1A