This bill modifies the types of costs that counties can pay for using their local emergency medical services (EMS) trust funds. It expands the eligible expenditures to specifically include the salaries and wages of emergency medical care providers who deliver EMS. This change would allow counties that have established these voter-approved funds to use them to cover personnel costs for their EMS staff, directly affecting both the counties and their emergency medical care providers.
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Public Safety
HF 2280 expands Iowa's $250 individual income tax credit for emergency medical services personnel to include non-certified first responders who meet specific qualifications. The bill requires the Department of Revenue to establish rules defining these qualifications under Chapter 17A. It also applies the credit retroactively to tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2026, covering past tax filings. This change directly affects emergency medical personnel who currently lack certification but perform first responder duties.
SF 2347 allows Iowa cities to establish a property tax fund for emergency medical services (EMS) after voter approval. Cities must meet specific conditions: they cannot have an existing EMS district (Chapter 357G), participate in an emergency response district (Chapter 357J), or be in a county already levying a similar tax under Chapter 422D. The bill authorizes cities to impose a maximum property tax rate of $0.75 per $1,000 of assessed value, subject to a 60% voter approval threshold at a city election. This fund would cover EMS costs, including those listed in Chapter 422D.6, and the tax can be terminated using the same voter approval process.
HF 2007 creates a program providing state grants to small rural police departments (serving ≤10,000 people) and volunteer fire departments to cover costs for emergency medical technician (EMT) training for their personnel. Departments must demonstrate a need for EMT services in their area and commit to deploying trained staff, with grants covering tuition, equipment, and certification fees. The state appropriates up to $100,000 annually (2026-2030) from the general fund to fund these grants, administered by the Department of Health and Human Services. Grantees must submit annual reports on personnel trained and program impact, with a final evaluation due to the legislature by December 2029. The program expires on July 1, 2030.
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State Budget
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Emergency Management
Public Safety
This bill requires Iowa cities and counties to provide full-time employment benefits - including health insurance, pensions, and retirement plans - to public safety employees (police, firefighters, emergency medical staff) and volunteers (reserve officers, volunteer firefighters, emergency medical providers) who work at least 32 hours per week. It overrides previous rules that might have excluded these workers from benefits based on part-time status. The state will cover all costs through a new fund created in the state treasury, with cities/counties submitting cost documentation for validation. The policy applies starting July 1, 2025, for all affected cities and counties.
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Public Safety
SF 96 allows eligible volunteer emergency services providers to request a reduction in property taxes and special assessments on their homesteads. To qualify, a volunteer must have served for at least five years, earn under $5,000 annually from their volunteer service, be in good standing, and reside in the service area. Volunteers submit a petition to their county board of supervisors, which reviews the request and can approve an abatement unless a local taxing authority objects. The abatement can be up to 10% of applicable taxes and special assessments, not exceeding $500 per year. For volunteers with ten or more years of service, this benefit can continue for life under certain conditions.
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Public Safety
HF 156 increases the maximum annual tax rate townships can levy for fire and emergency medical services. Specifically, it raises the limit from 40.5 cents to 91 cents per $1,000 of taxable property value for townships without fire/EMS service agreements with special charter cities and with populations below 300,000. This change directly affects those townships by allowing them to collect higher local funding for these essential services. The bill modifies Iowa Code section 359.43 to update the tax rate thresholds, without altering existing higher limits for townships with city agreements (54 cents) or in counties over 300,000 population (67.5 cents). The policy change provides additional financial flexibility for eligible townships to support fire and emergency medical services.
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Public Safety
This bill, SF 21, allows surviving spouses of emergency services members (including firefighters, police officers, correctional officers, EMTs, and volunteers) killed in the line of duty to request a waiver of property taxes and special assessments on their homestead. To qualify, the spouse must file a sworn petition with their county board of supervisors, providing proof the death resulted from a duty-related injury and certification from the member’s agency. The waiver applies to current and potentially future tax years if approved, excluding taxes for which taxing authorities object within 30 days. It does not apply if the death resulted from self-harm, intoxication, gross negligence, or the spouse’s actions contributing to the death, and takes effect immediately with retroactive application to 2025 assessment years.
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Public Safety
