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SF 596

A bill for an act relating to the funding of local emergency management commissions and agencies.

2025-2026 Regular Session

SF 596 caps county supplemental levies for 2025-26 and redirects EM funding toward joint 911 boards and rural services funds, cutting general-fund subsidies.

Subcommittee: Klimesh, Bisignano, and Dawson.
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Bill Summary · SF 596

Summary: Senate File 596 (SF 596)

A bill relating to funding for local emergency management commissions and agencies, with changes to how supplemental levies may be used and how funding streams are allocated.

Purpose and intent

SF 596 reorganizes and limits how counties fund local emergency management and emergency communications. It establishes a cap on certain supplemental levies for the coming fiscal years and shifts the permissible uses of those levies, aiming to align funding with the operation of joint 911 service boards and rural county services.

Key provisions

  • Levies cap for future years

    • For the fiscal year starting July 1, 2025, and for the fiscal year starting July 1, 2026, the amount levied under county general services supplemental levies shall not exceed the amount levied for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025. This creates a two-year cap on levy growth for these funds.

  • Reduction of uses tied to the emergency management agency

    • The bill strikes the current provision that allows a supplemental levy to be used for the maintenance and operation of a local emergency management agency.

  • Permitted use for joint 911 service boards

    • The supplemental levy may be used for the maintenance and operation of a joint 911 service board, shifting emphasis from standalone emergency management agencies to regional/collective emergency communications governance.

  • Elimination of general fund subsidies for EM commissions

    • The bill strikes the provision allowing appropriations from a county’s general fund for general county services to pay expenses for a local emergency management commission, reducing reliance on the general fund for EM-related costs.

  • Rural services fund allocations

    • The bill specifies that appropriations from the rural services fund for rural county services may include expenses for a local emergency management agency, formalizing a rural-fund pathway for EM-related costs.

Who would be affected

  • ** Counties**: subject to levy cap changes and new permissible uses of supplemental levies.
  • ** Local emergency management entities**: shifts from funding EM agencies directly via supplemental levies toward funding through joint 911 boards and rural services funds.
  • ** Joint 911 service boards**: potential funding source and responsibility under the revised levy uses.
  • ** Rural counties and rural services fund administrators**: new or clarified avenue to fund local emergency management agency expenses.
  • ** General funds of counties**: reduced or eliminated as a funding mechanism for local EM commissions.

Procedural and timeline notes

  • Introduced: March 10, 2025.
  • Referred to: Ways and Means (March 11, 2025).
  • Subcommittee: Klimesh, Bisignano, and Dawson (March 18, 2025).
  • Committee action: Committee report approving the bill (March 10, 2025, per record).
  • Status: Subcommittee proceedings underway; bill remains in process for consideration.

Impact in brief

SF 596 aims to stabilize local emergency funding by capping levy amounts in the near term, redirecting funding toward joint 911 service boards, and clarifying eligible funding sources (notably rural services funds) for local emergency management agencies. It reduces county reliance on the general fund for EM expenses and emphasizes regionalized emergency communication governance. Readers should watch for fiscal notes and local budget implications as the Ways and Means committee advances the bill.

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

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