Comment on Iowa bill that would prevent defunding police raises concerns about state intrusion

DES MOINES — Legislation intended to “back the blue” in Iowa by attempting to prevent local entities from “defunding” police drew protests of unnecessary state intrusion and concerns over unintended consequences for smaller communities with sharing arrangements during a legislative hearing Monday.Under Senate Study Bill 1203, local government entities would be ineligible to receive any state funds if their elected officials decided to reduce the budget of their law enforcement agency unless their total budget was reduced by an equal or larger amount or the city or county provided “sufficient justification” to the state Department of Management, which would set rules for the new arrangement.“We believe it is an unnecessary intrusion into local government decision-making,” said Robert Palmer, a lobbyist for the Iowa League of Cities.Local budget-making is a core function of local elected officials, Palmer told a three-member Senate State Government subcommittee, and “our members believe these local decisions need to remain at the local level.”Palmer said the crux of the proposal was not about public safety but rather attempted to create incentives for retaining expenditure levels not based upon service needs that could run counter to local efforts to save costs, find efficiencies and lower property tax burdens.“We believe it sets a very bad precedent on setting minimum expenditures and also on precedent of the state interjecting itself into local government decision-making,” added Palmer, who was one of only two speakers to address the panel on the bill that had no supporters among the lobbyists registered opposed or undecided.Subcommittee chairwoman Sen.