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Read. Follow. Verify.Iowa Senate File 2458 consolidates 911 dispatch into emergency management commissions, raises monthly 911 surcharge to $1.20, and mandates county PSAP consolidation by 2031
Last action · February 24, 2026: Subcommittee: Schultz, Dawson, and Dotzler. S.J. 394 .
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What This Bill Would Do
Senate File 2458 transfers 911 service responsibilities from s to s, increases the statewide monthly 911 surcharge from $1.00 to $1.20, and requires counties to consolidate s (PSAPs) to a single point per county by December 31, 2031. The bill takes effect upon enactment.
Changes governance, funding allocations, and operational requirements for local emergency dispatch systems across Iowa counties, affecting local property tax appropriations, surcharge distributions, and dispatch worker employment protections.
- In Iowa, 911 emergency communication systems have traditionally been coordinated through county joint 911 service boards and funded in part by a statewide monthly surcharge on telephone access lines. context
- Local emergency management commissions operate in Iowa counties under Chapter 29C to handle disaster readiness and emergency planning. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Local emergency management commissions
Assume all duties, assets, debts, and responsibilities previously managed by joint 911 service boards.
Joint 911 service boards
Required to transfer all funds, debts, contract rights, obligations, and duties to local emergency management commissions.
Public safety answering point employees
Receive a one-year hiring preference for similar positions across Iowa if their employing PSAP is discontinued due to consolidation.
Access line subscribers
Subject to an increased monthly statewide 911 surcharge of $1.20.
Key Facts
- The monthly statewide 911 surcharge on originating service numbers and access lines is increased from $1.00 to $1.20.
- All joint 911 service boards must submit a letter of intent to consolidate all public safety answering points within the county to one by December 31, 2026.
- Counties must submit a plan on how they will reform or consolidate by December 31, 2027.
- All public safety answering points must be consolidated to a single countywide point, and all funds and debts transferred to local emergency management commissions, by December 31, 2031.
Show all 8 facts
- Discontinued public safety answering point employees due to consolidation receive a one-year hiring preference for similar positions in Iowa.
- Counties retaining more than one public safety answering point after December 31, 2031, are allocated only $1.00 out of the $1.20 surcharge.
- Local emergency management commissions must annually submit a five-year infrastructure plan and inventory of personnel, equipment, and structures to the department.
- Public safety answering points accessing criminal justice information must comply with FBI criminal justice information services security policy and Iowa Department of Public Safety requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens to the monthly 911 surcharge under this bill?
Who will manage 911 services instead of joint 911 service boards?
What are the deadlines for 911 consolidation in counties?
Are dispatch employees protected if their PSAP closes due to consolidation?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
9 actions- Feb 24, 2026SenateSubcommittee: Schultz, Dawson, and Dotzler. S.J. 394 .
- Feb 24, 2026SenateCommitteeReferred to Ways and Means. S.J. 377 .
- Feb 23, 2026SenateCommittee report, approving bill. S.J. 372 .
- Feb 23, 2026SenateIntroducedIntroduced, placed on calendar. S.J. 361 .
- Feb 19, 2026Iowa LegislatureCommittee report approving bill, renumbered as SF 2458 .
- Feb 11, 2026Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee recommends amendment and passage.
Show 3 earlier actions
- Feb 10, 2026Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee Meeting: 02/11/2026 9:00AM Room G15.
- Jan 13, 2026Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee: Webster, Hardman, and Westrich.
- Jan 13, 2026Iowa LegislatureIntroducedIntroduced, referred to Local Government.
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Transfer of 911 Authority to Emergency Management
The legislation shifts operational and administrative responsibilities of 911 service from traditional joint 911 service boards directly to local emergency management commissions.
Surcharge Penalty for Non-Consolidation
Counties that fail to consolidate to a single public safety answering point by the end of 2031 face a financial penalty by receiving a reduced allocation from the statewide 911 surcharge.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.iowa.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance80How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy45Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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