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HF 553

A bill for an act authorizing the use of revenues from the district management levy for the employment or retention of school security personnel and including applicability provisions.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Brian Lohse

HF 553 lets districts use district management levy revenues to pay for security staff (SROs, licensed private security, reserve/peace officers), starting with 2025-26 budgets.

Introduced, referred to Education.
#laborandemployment #safety #schooldistricts #schoolfinance #taxlevies
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Bill Summary · HF 553

Summary of HF 553 (2025)

Bill at a Glance

  • Bill number: HF 553
  • Title: A bill for an act authorizing the use of revenues from the district management levy for the employment or retention of school security personnel and including applicability provisions.
  • Status: Introduced, referred to Education
  • Introduced: February 24, 2025
  • Primary sponsor: LOHSE
  • Subject areas: labor and employment, safety, school districts, school finance, tax levies

Purpose and Intent

HF 553 authorizes districts that levy a district management levy to use those revenues to pay for the costs of employing or retaining school security personnel. The bill explicitly expands the allowable uses of district management levy revenues to cover security roles, aligning funding flexibility with school safety needs. The measure applies to school budget years beginning on or after July 1, 2025.

Key Provisions

  • New authority for levy revenues (Sec. 1):
    • The bill adds a new paragraph (paragraph h) to Section 298.4(1) establishing that district management levy revenues may be used to pay the costs of employing or retaining:
    • A school resource officer (SRO) as defined in 34 U.S.C. § 10389.
    • An individual employed by a private security business who holds a weapon-carry permit issued under Code § 724.6 (professional permit to carry weapons). The term “private security business” is aligned with the definition in Code § 80A.1.
    • A reserve peace officer as defined in Code § 80D.1A.
    • A peace officer as defined in Code § 801.4.

  • Definitions referenced:

    • School Resource Officer (SRO) per federal law.
    • Private security business as defined in state law.
    • Reserve peace officer and peace officer definitions per state law.

  • Applicability (Sec. 2):

    • The act applies to school budget years beginning on or after July 1, 2025.

Who Is Affected

  • Primary beneficiaries: School districts that levy a district management levy and employ or contract security personnel (SROs, private security personnel with weapon permits, reserve peace officers, and peace officers).
  • Secondary impact: Districts gain added flexibility to fund security staff using existing district management levy revenues, potentially affecting budgeting for other programs.

Fiscal and Operational Impact

  • Reallocation/expansion of funding sources: Revenues from the district management levy can be directed to pay for security personnel costs.
  • Potential effects on district budgets: Could reduce the need to draw from other funds for security, or alter allocations for non-security programs depending on local budgeting decisions.
  • No new revenue stream is created; the bill changes allowable expenditures.

Implementation Timeline

  • Effective/applicability date: July 1, 2025, for budget years beginning on or after that date. Practically, districts could begin applying levy revenue to security personnel costs starting with the 2025–26 school year.

Additional Context

  • The bill’s language includes an explanatory section typical of bill dockets, clarifying intent but not binding language.
  • Status indicates introduction and referral to the Education committee; no floor action noted in the provided information.

Summary

HF 553 would enable district management levy revenues to be used to fund the employment or retention of school security personnel, including SROs, licensed private security personnel, reserve peace officers, and peace officers. Applicable to budget years starting July 1, 2025 or later, this creates greater flexibility for districts to finance school safety staffing using existing levy funds.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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