This bill modifies Iowa's urban renewal law to change how property tax revenue is shared for emergency medical services. Specifically, it prevents taxes collected for emergency medical services from being used to pay off municipal loans or fund urban renewal projects. Instead, these taxes must be collected from all property within the taxing district without being diverted to a special fund for city debt or low-income housing assistance. The changes apply to property taxes due in fiscal years starting on or after July 1, 2026, and take effect immediately upon signing.
This bill establishes a flat 3% monthly interest rate on all regulated loans in Iowa, replacing the previous tiered system (which charged higher rates for larger loan balances). It also increases the maximum allowable service charge for consumer credit transactions from $30 to $100, while maintaining the existing cap of 10% of the amount financed. The changes apply to licensed lenders and directly affect borrowers taking out regulated loans, such as personal or small-amount credit. The bill eliminates prior provisions allowing the superintendent of banking to adjust interest rates or investigate loan conditions.
HF 2543 updates rules for specialized mental health care facilities in Iowa. It requires facilities to create a written treatment plan within 24 hours of a patient's admission, eliminates a previous 10-day limit on stays, and prohibits insurance companies from requiring prior authorization for the first 15 days of care. The bill also mandates that insurers cover subacute mental health services and prevents discharges until a mental health professional confirms appropriate support systems are in place to prevent harm. Additionally, it establishes an electronic bed-tracking system for children's psychiatric facilities and adjusts facility staffing and bed capacity requirements to ease access.
HF 2532 updates Iowa's probate and trust laws with several key changes. It sets a two-year deadline (for deaths on or after July 1, 2026) to challenge beneficiary designations or asset transfers obtained through fraud, undue influence, or other wrongful conduct. The bill allows courts to award attorney fees in estate disputes and requires wrongful death damages to first cover estate costs (like court fees and medical bills) before being distributed to survivors. It also extends the probate inventory filing deadline from 90 to 120 days and specifies that trust contests must be handled in probate court. These changes directly affect individuals managing estates, contesting trusts, or claiming wrongful death damages.
HF 2655 amends Iowa law to clarify that drivers of authorized emergency vehicles (including police officers riding bicycles in the line of duty) may proceed through red lights after slowing safely and exceed speed limits without reckless endangerment. The bill explicitly extends these traffic exemptions to privately owned emergency vehicles like towing trucks and specifies the conditions under which officers may operate without audible or visual warning devices (e.g., pursuing speed violators or transporting critical patients). These exemptions remain conditional on using warning devices unless specific safety or operational circumstances apply. The bill does not change which vehicles qualify as emergency vehicles but refines when traffic law exemptions apply.
This Iowa bill clarifies who can make healthcare decisions for patients who are terminally ill and unable to communicate. It establishes a priority order for decision-makers: first an attorney in fact (designated in a health care power of attorney), then a court-appointed guardian, spouse, or adult children. The law specifically applies to decisions about hospice care, palliative care, life-sustaining treatments, and out-of-hospital do-not-resuscitate orders. It ensures that designated representatives or family members can guide end-of-life care when patients cannot express their wishes.
HF 2707 creates "Health and Human Services Districts" (HHS districts) across Iowa to streamline the delivery of health, aging, disability, and volunteer services. The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services will divide the state into these geographic, multicounty areas (initially matching existing behavioral health districts), with districts reviewed every seven years to adjust for population needs and service access patterns. The bill establishes new definitions, requires the department to adopt rules for administration, and specifies that district modifications cannot be subject to judicial review. This structural change affects how state services are organized and delivered across Iowa’s counties, though it does not alter specific service programs or funding.
HF 2501 updates Iowa's election administration rules. It requires immediate notification to the state commissioner when investigations into election misconduct occur, adds criteria for canceling incomplete voter registrations after 90 days, and revises recount procedures for public measures (setting specific vote-difference thresholds and requiring petitions signed by eligible voters). The bill also mandates tamper-evident seals on all election equipment, updates voting system testing standards to align with federal requirements, and clarifies deadlines for filing election objections. These changes primarily affect county election officials, voters, and election equipment vendors by modifying election conduct, security, and verification processes.
HF 2523 allows parents or legal guardians to seek substance use or mental health treatment for minors (under 18) without court involvement. It protects confidentiality by prohibiting disclosure of a minor’s treatment to law enforcement or others without consent, and ensures minors can consent to treatment themselves in some cases. The bill amends Iowa law to clarify that facilities must admit minors for treatment when parents/guardians apply, with referral options if denied. This directly affects minors needing treatment and their families, streamlining access while safeguarding privacy. The bill is currently under review by the Health and Human Services Subcommittee.
Iowa's SF 2417 establishes rules for conversational AI services - like chatbots that simulate human interaction - to protect users, especially minors. It requires operators to clearly disclose when users interact with AI (not humans), prevent harmful content (such as sexually explicit material or false romantic interactions), and provide privacy tools for minors and their parents. The law also mandates suicide crisis response protocols and bans AI from misleadingly claiming to offer professional mental health services. Violations can result in civil penalties up to $500,000 per operator, enforced by the Attorney General, with the law taking effect July 1, 2027.
SF 492 modifies Iowa law to regulate how licensed vehicle recyclers can acquire older scrap vehicles. It allows recyclers to buy vehicles 12+ model years old for under $1,000 without a title, but requires them to verify via state records that no lienholder claims the vehicle. Recyclers are exempt from this verification if buying from a scrap metal dealer defined in Iowa law. Violating this requirement would be a simple misdemeanor punishable by a $135 fine. The bill directly affects vehicle recyclers and scrap metal dealers operating in Iowa.
SF 176 modifies the rules for students who open enroll in a school district to receive educational instruction primarily over the internet. It specifies that these pupils may participate in cocurricular and extracurricular activities offered by their district of residence only if the online school district they attend does not sponsor such activities. Pupils are generally limited to participating in no more than two activities per school year, unless their resident district approves additional participation. They must also comply with the resident district's eligibility and conduct requirements for these activities.
