HF 2317, nicknamed the "Stop Squatters Act," creates a new process for property owners to remove unauthorized occupants without court involvement. It allows owners or their agents to submit a complaint to police (in cities) or sheriffs (outside cities) if the occupant was notified they couldn’t be there, isn’t a tenant or family member, and no legal dispute exists. Law enforcement must investigate and order the occupant to leave immediately, with the occupant liable for an hourly fee for the service. The bill also adds criminal penalties: trespassing after being told to leave with $1,000 or less in property damage is a simple misdemeanor (up to 30 days jail, $855 fine), while over $1,000 in damage is a serious misdemeanor (up to 1 year jail, $2,560 fine).
HF 2338 prohibits Iowa public school districts, charter schools, and innovation zone schools from offering any program, curriculum, test, survey, questionnaire, promotion, or instruction about gender theory or sexual orientation to students in grades seven through twelve. This bill extends an existing ban (previously limited to kindergarten through grade six) to cover all middle and high school grades. The law requires schools to comply with this restriction when developing human growth and development courses, including those covering topics like sexuality and sexually transmitted diseases. It amends multiple sections of Iowa code to enforce this prohibition uniformly across all covered school types.
HF 2302 creates a public registry for "persistent domestic abuse assault offenders" in Iowa - defined as individuals convicted of domestic abuse assault (under §708.2A) with at least one prior similar conviction. The registry, maintained by the Department of Public Safety, will include offenders' names, birth dates, conviction dates, counties, and photos, but exclude addresses, Social Security numbers, and driver’s license details. Courts must report qualifying convictions to the Department within seven days, and offenders must pay a $150 registration fee ($50 to the court, $100 to the Department). Offenders are removed from the registry after 2, 5, or 10 years, depending on prior convictions, with the registry applying only to offenses occurring on or after July 1, 2026.
HF 2314 requires Iowa health insurance plans to cover diagnosis and treatment for pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders (PANS), PANDAS (a subset of PANS), and postinfectious autoimmune encephalopathy. It mandates coverage for medically necessary treatments - like antibiotics, behavioral therapies, plasma exchange, and immunoglobulin - as recommended by a healthcare provider and aligned with established medical protocols. The law applies to individual, group, and small group health insurance plans delivered or renewed in Iowa on or after January 1, 2027, and prohibits insurers from denying coverage based on prior treatment for these conditions or unrelated health issues. This directly affects children diagnosed with these conditions and their insurance providers.
HF 2324 prohibits Iowa school districts, charter schools, and innovation zone schools from entering agreements with public libraries that let students use school-issued ID cards to access library materials. It also bans these schools from allowing mobile libraries (vehicles owned/operated by public libraries that transport books) to host events on school property where students can check out books. The bill defines "public library" as city-established libraries or library districts, and "mobile library" as a vehicle used to transport educational materials. These restrictions apply directly to all K-12 schools in Iowa seeking to collaborate with public libraries or host mobile library services. The law aims to prevent specific types of partnerships between schools and public libraries.
HF 2322 regulates towing motor vehicles without the owner's consent in Iowa. It requires towing companies to notify law enforcement within 2 hours, the owner and lienholders within 48 hours, and provide vehicle location details. The bill prevents towing companies from charging excessive storage fees, prohibits selling vehicles for 45 days (except to demolishers), and ensures owners can retrieve personal items without fees. It also mandates payment plans for low-income owners and requires proceeds from vehicle sales (after towing/storage costs) to be paid to the owner within 90 days. The bill applies specifically to non-abandoned vehicles towed without consent, not to vehicles handled under separate abandonment laws.
HF 2339, the "Admissions Reform Act," requires Iowa's regents universities to accept the Classic Learning Test as an additional standardized test option (alongside ACT/SAT) for calculating the Regent Admission Index (RAI) starting in the 2026-2027 academic year. It also mandates that for students not meeting RAI criteria, universities must consider only "merit and likelihood of employment in Iowa after graduation" when making admission decisions, with a policy deadline of December 31, 2026. The bill directly affects prospective students applying to Iowa's public universities and the admission policies of those institutions. The RAI currently combines ACT/SAT scores, high school GPA, and core course completion to predict student success. This bill changes admission factors for non-RAI applicants and expands test options within the existing RAI framework.
This bill proposes adding a new constitutional right to Iowa's constitution, guaranteeing every person access to clean water and air free from health-harming pollutants. It requires the state, acting as a trustee of natural resources, to conserve and restore public waters and air for current and future generations. The amendment is self-executing (taking effect immediately upon ratification) and mandates strict judicial review for any government action infringing on this right. It directly affects all Iowans and state agencies, fundamentally changing how environmental protections are legally enforced.
HF 2342 sets specific future dates for repealing various Iowa tax credit programs. The bill specifies that existing tax credits (like those for renewable chemicals, sustainable aviation fuel, and job creation) will end between 2028 and 2041, with most repeals occurring by 2032. It directly affects taxpayers and businesses currently claiming or planning to claim these credits, as they will no longer be available after the designated dates. The bill includes a key exception preserving credits issued or earned before January 1, 2032, ensuring existing agreements and carryforwards remain valid.
HF 2320 allows Iowa cities to regulate short-term rental properties (like those listed on platforms such as Airbnb) for the first time. It permits cities to require property owners to register their short-term rentals and impose penalties for non-registration. Cities can also treat these properties as "lodging" to collect the existing hotel and motel tax, which they previously could not do under current law. This bill removes the current statewide prohibition on city regulation of short-term rentals. It directly affects cities seeking to manage these properties and property owners renting out dwellings for short stays.
HF 2316 amends Iowa law to define an "unborn child" as an individual organism from fertilization to fetal death or live birth, treating them as legal persons for specific purposes. It expands wrongful death damages to include the death of an unborn child, and creates new criminal provisions making homicide and assault against an unborn child subject to the same legal protections as crimes against born persons. The bill explicitly excludes unintentional harm or death resulting from life-saving medical procedures for the pregnant woman or miscarriages. This law applies only to incidents occurring on or after its effective date.
HF 2318 amends Iowa's unemployment benefits law to allow workers participating in strikes or labor disputes to receive benefits starting on the 15th day of the work stoppage. It removes the current disqualification for strikers and exempts them from the standard requirement to actively seek other employment during the strike. This applies to workers at the workplace where they were last employed, such as a factory or establishment. The bill does not change other eligibility criteria, like being able to work and available for work, but specifically waives disqualification and work search rules for strike participants after 14 days.
