Governor Reynolds acted on the final bills of the 2025 legislative session yesterday afternoon. Among those bills was Senate File 659, a bill that contained language concerning state 911 service boards.
The Bill adds language to the 911 Emergency Telephone Systems portion of Iowa Code, allowing the 911 Program Manager within Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to bill local 911 service boards for reasonable costs. The Bill states “Upon request, each joint 911 service board shall reimburse the department of homeland security and emergency management for such costs within thirty days”.
A social media post from Webster County Emergency Management identified that telephone surcharges on landline and wireless phones have not increased for 13 years. Earlier in the legislative season, there was a proposal to raise the telephone 911 surcharge from $1.00 to $1.25, but that proposed legislation did not move forward. The legislature was in search of a solution without raising taxes. The social media post contained images of a press release, identifying the legislation as a threat to public safety.
In Iowa, the $1 monthly 911 surcharge is added to phone bills. It funds the 911 emergency communications system, with 60% of the money going to local 911 boards and 40% to the state.
State leaders have stressed that the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, which oversees the statewide 911 network, needs extra funding to continue to operate sustainably. According to Representative Pat Grassley, Local PSAPs (Public Safety Answering Points) have over 60 million dollars surplus combined statewide.
With the added legislation only being two sentences, it is unclear how much or how often the State could bill the local 911 service boards.
