Iowa Bills

in committee · Iowa · House Mar 6, 2025

HF 818: A bill for an act relating to contribution rates to the Iowa public employees’ retirement system and the municipal fire and police retirement system.

HF 818 adjusts contribution rates for Iowa's public employees' retirement system (IPERS) and municipal fire/police retirement systems. It reduces employee contributions to 0% for members in protection occupations (fire/police) and sheriff/deputy sheriff roles starting July 1, 2025, shifting the full cost to employers (100% employer contribution). Previously, employees paid a portion (e.g., 9.4% through 2024), but this bill eliminates their required payments for these specific groups. The change applies to both the state IPERS system and municipal fire/police retirement systems.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

in committee · Iowa · Senate Mar 6, 2025

SF 247: A bill for an act relating to the size requirement of a farm unit for purposes of receiving special turkey and deer hunting licenses.

This bill changes Iowa's requirement for farm units to qualify for special turkey and deer hunting licenses. Currently, a farm unit must consist of "two or more contiguous acres," but the bill amends this to require "40 or more contiguous acres." This directly affects farmers or landowners seeking these special hunting licenses, as only larger farm units meeting the new size threshold would qualify. The change modifies a specific definition in state code without altering other license terms or costs.

in committee · Iowa · House Mar 6, 2025

HF 820: A bill for an act relating to the lease of state property, and making appropriations.

This bill allows Iowa state agencies to lease property to religious organizations for constructing buildings used for religious purposes. If the leased property was purchased with state funds, lease payments must be deposited into the state's general fund or the specific fund used to buy the property, then returned to the owning agency. It directly affects state property managers (like the Department of Administrative Services) and religious groups seeking facilities. The law updates existing property disposal rules to include this leasing option while requiring financial accountability for funds tied to state-owned property.

in committee · Iowa · House Mar 6, 2025

HF 815: A bill for an act relating to annual automatic increases in Medicaid provider reimbursement rates.

HF 815 requires Iowa's Medicaid program to automatically increase reimbursement rates for healthcare providers by 2.5% each July 1, regardless of other inflation adjustments. This applies to all providers enrolled in Medicaid as of July 1 of the prior year, directly affecting hospitals, clinics, and other medical service providers who bill Medicaid. The bill overrides existing laws about inflation indexing, mandating this specific percentage increase annually without additional legislative action. It ensures providers receive predictable, annual payment adjustments tied solely to this fixed rate.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Healthcare

in committee · Iowa · Senate Mar 6, 2025

SF 500: A bill for an act relating to establishing the school security personnel grant program within the department of homeland security and emergency management and making appropriations.

SF 500 establishes a state grant program to help Iowa school districts pay for security personnel at high schools. The program, administered by the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, provides matching grants (up to $30,000 per district annually) to offset costs for hiring private security officers or school resource officers guarding high school attendance centers. It appropriates $9,750,000 from the state general fund for the program during fiscal year 2025-2026, with unspent funds carried forward to future years. The bill directly affects school districts employing security staff at grades 9-12 locations, reducing their financial burden for this requirement.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Education

in committee · Iowa · House Mar 6, 2025

HF 808: A bill for an act relating to managed care organization chargebacks and third-party auditors.

HF 808 requires Iowa managed care organizations (MCOs) administering the state's medical assistance program to issue chargebacks to healthcare providers within 12 months of reimbursing them. It also mandates that MCOs negotiate fixed fees with third-party auditors before audits begin, prohibiting MCOs from paying auditors based on the percentage of chargebacks identified. These provisions directly affect MCOs contracted with Iowa's Department of Health and Human Services and the healthcare providers they reimburse. The bill aims to prevent delays in billing disputes and ensure auditor compensation is not tied to identifying more chargebacks.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

in committee · Iowa · House Mar 6, 2025

HF 712: A bill for an act relating to liability for injuries caused by vaccines.

HF 712 requires vaccine manufacturers to waive legal protection under federal law (42 U.S.C. §300aa-1 et seq.) before distributing, selling, or administering vaccines in Iowa. This bill directly affects vaccine manufacturers operating in Iowa, as they must affirmatively give up immunity from lawsuits for injuries caused by vaccine design defects. The key mechanism is a mandatory waiver: if a vaccine is distributed in Iowa, the manufacturer is deemed to have waived federal immunity for design defect claims, overriding the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act. The bill does not change liability for other vaccine issues like manufacturing errors.

Topics ✗ Healthcare

in committee · Iowa · House Mar 6, 2025

HF 811: A bill for an act repealing the school tuition organization tax credit available against the individual and corporate income taxes and including effective date provisions.

HF 811 repeals Iowa's school tuition organization (STO) tax credit, which allowed taxpayers to reduce their individual or corporate income tax by 75% of donations to STOs. The bill ends this credit for contributions made on or after July 1, 2025, and reduces the 2025 credit cap from $20 million to $10 million. It fully repeals the tax credit provision on July 1, 2031, removing all future eligibility and references to the credit in tax law. This directly affects individuals, corporations, and STOs that previously used or issued these tax credits.

Topics ✗ Budget & Taxes ✗ Education

in committee · Iowa · House Mar 6, 2025

HF 812: A bill for an act requesting that the legislative council establish an interim study committee to plan an Iowa education summit to be held in 2026.

HF 812 requests the Iowa legislative council to form an interim study committee to plan a state education summit for 2026. The committee, with specific membership including educators, administrators, and education officials, must determine the summit’s location, agenda, and speakers by December 2025. It will focus on identifying best practices in education, such as active learning and technology use, and develop speaker recommendations. The committee’s final report will propose the summit’s details to the legislature and governor.

in committee · Iowa · House Mar 6, 2025

HF 809: A bill for an act providing for the repeal of the beverage containers control program, and including effective date provisions.

HF 809 repeals Iowa's beverage container deposit program, commonly known as the "bottle bill." The bill removes the requirement for a 5-cent deposit on beverage containers sold for off-premises consumption, ending the system where consumers paid a deposit at purchase and received a refund when returning containers. Businesses like retailers, distributors, and redemption centers will no longer handle deposits or refunds, and unclaimed refund values will be transferred to distributors or the state general fund. The repeal takes effect immediately for the deposit program (Division I) and six months later for related redemption provisions (Division II).

Topics ✗ Budget & Taxes ✗ Environment

in committee · Iowa · Senate Mar 6, 2025

SF 251: A bill for an act relating to the appointment of an ombudsman assistant for investigating complaints related to child foster care.

This bill creates a specialized ombudsman assistant position focused on investigating complaints about Iowa's child foster care system. The assistant must have at least 10 years of foster parenting experience, including five years while living in Iowa. It requires the ombudsman to establish a direct complaint process for foster care facilities (licensees under Chapter 237) and mandates that all public child foster care materials include information about the assistant's role and contact details. The bill directly affects foster care providers, the Department of Health and Human Services, and families using foster care services.

in committee · Iowa · House Mar 6, 2025

HF 823: A bill for an act relating to unpaid leave for appointments with a county commission of veteran affairs.

HF 823 grants Iowa veterans employed by private or public entities the right to unpaid leave for appointments with their county commission of veteran affairs. Veterans must provide employers with a written request at least five days in advance (or 24 hours in emergencies), and employers cannot deny this leave without a good-faith reason or retaliate against veterans for using it. The bill designates denial of such leave or retaliation as an unfair employment practice, allowing veterans to file complaints with the Iowa Office of Civil Rights. This directly affects veterans needing to access county-level veteran services while employed.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment ✓ Veterans

Bill results