Iowa Bills

died · Iowa · Senate Apr 15, 2025

SF 211: A bill for an act relating to the administration of the statewide summative assessment of student progress to students of online schools by school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, and charter schools.

SF 211 allows Iowa school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, and charter schools offering primarily internet-based instruction to administer statewide student assessments online. The bill requires that these online assessments be conducted during live, school-managed sessions where students take tests at assigned times. Key conditions include real-time video monitoring of students by school staff, a maximum 10:1 student-to-proctor ratio during testing, and verification of test submissions by school employees. These rules apply to all state assessments required under Iowa Code §256.7(21)(b)(2) for online students.

in committee · Iowa · Senate Apr 15, 2025

SF 57: A bill for an act requiring the department of health and human services to reimburse a county for the temporary holding of, or confinement of, a sexually violent predator who commits a public offense while subject to an order of civil commitment.

This bill (SF 57) requires Iowa's Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to reimburse counties $50 per day for holding or confining a sexually violent predator (SVP) in a county jail after the SVP commits a public offense while under a civil commitment order. It applies when an SVP is temporarily held pending criminal charges or sentenced to county jail confinement. HHS must pay these reimbursements using funds designated for SVP treatment at the Cherokee mental health facility or funds transferred under Code section 218.6. The bill directly affects county jails and HHS, changing how costs for SVP confinement are covered during criminal proceedings.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

passed · Iowa · Senate Apr 15, 2025

SR 9: A resolution deferring action on the confirmation of certain appointments.

This resolution (SR 9) delays Senate consideration of appointments submitted by the Governor or other appointing authorities after April 15, 2025, that remain unconfirmed by the Senate as of that date. It directly affects appointments that would otherwise require Senate confirmation but are temporarily deferred. The key provision is a 30-day deferral period, preventing the Senate from acting on these appointments until after April 15, 2025. The resolution was adopted by the Senate on April 15, 2025, following committee recommendation.

died · Iowa · Senate Apr 14, 2025

SF 543: A bill for an act relating to the conduct of election recounts, providing penalties, and including effective date provisions.

SF 543 amends Iowa's election recount procedures to clarify who serves on recount boards, require ballots to be sealed and preserved for six months (22 months for federal elections), and give the state commissioner authority to order recounts. It directly affects election officials, candidates requesting recounts, and voters by standardizing board composition (requiring candidate-designated members plus precinct officials) and ballot handling. Key provisions include specifying that recount boards must include representatives chosen by candidates, mandating secure ballot storage, and allowing the commissioner to initiate recounts. The bill also updates canvassing schedules for election results to align with recount timelines.

passed · Iowa · House Apr 14, 2025

HF 579: A bill for an act relating to certain amounts of school district funding for programs for at-risk students, secondary students who attend alternative programs or alternative schools, or returning dropouts and dropout prevention.

HF 579 adjusts funding limits for school districts providing programs for at-risk students, alternative school attendees, or returning dropouts. It sets a 2.5% cap on supplemental funding relative to a district's total regular program costs for fiscal years starting July 1, 2013, and later, with a historical adjustment for districts exceeding this cap before 2013. Starting in 2026, districts could exceed the 2.5% limit to 5% if approved by local voters through an election. The bill directly affects school districts receiving these specific supplemental funds, requiring voter approval for higher funding levels beyond 2025.

Topics ✗ Budget & Taxes ✗ Education

died · Iowa · Senate Apr 14, 2025

SF 577: A bill for an act relating to critical infrastructure sabotage, and making penalties applicable.

SF 577 defines "critical infrastructure" to include telecommunications services, information services, cable services, and wireless services. It makes intentionally causing a widespread disruption to these services a class B felony, punishable by up to 25 years in prison and fines between $85,000 and $100,000. The bill directly affects individuals who deliberately sabotage essential communication systems without authorization. This legislation was introduced in Iowa in 2025 but was withdrawn on April 14, 2025, after being attached to another bill.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice ✓ Technology

in committee · Iowa · Senate Apr 14, 2025

SF 465: A bill for an act relating to matters under the purview of the economic development authority and the Iowa finance authority including the strategic infrastructure program, brownfield, grayfield, and redevelopment tax credits, community attraction and tourism, vision Iowa, sports tourism marketing, the historic preservation tax credit, homelessness, the title guaranty board, and arts and culture, and including applicability and retroactive applicability provisions.

This bill amends multiple economic development programs in Iowa, including tax credits for brownfield redevelopment, historic preservation, community tourism, and Vision Iowa. It streamlines application processes by requiring review committees for tourism programs, sets 30-month project completion deadlines for tax credit projects, and mandates independent audits for tax credit claims. The bill repeals outdated sections of law, transfers unspent funds to Vision Iowa, and applies retroactively to past applicants for tourism and redevelopment programs. It directly affects businesses, local governments, and developers seeking tax credits or financial assistance under these programs. The changes aim to clarify administrative procedures without altering the core funding mechanisms.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

died · Iowa · Senate Apr 14, 2025

SF 610: A bill for an act relating to alcoholic beverages, including license authorizations and fee determinations, and including effective date and applicability provisions.

SF 610 clarifies rules for selling alcoholic beverages in Iowa, primarily affecting businesses with "special class C" retail licenses (like bars and restaurants). It defines "canned cocktail" (1-15% alcohol by volume) and "mixed drink" (non-alcoholic mixtures), and allows these sealed mixed drinks to be sold for off-premise consumption if packaged in unopened, tamper-evident containers. The bill also adjusts license fees for rural businesses, requiring them to pay the same fee as the nearest incorporated city, treating unincorporated towns as cities for fee calculation. These changes update licensing requirements and sales rules without altering alcohol content limits or introducing new taxes.

in committee · Iowa · Senate Apr 14, 2025

SSB 1228: A bill for an act relating to and making appropriations for veterans and health and human services, and related provisions and appropriations, including aging and disability services, behavioral health, public health, community access and eligibility, health-related programs, reimbursement rates, family well-being and protection, state-operated specialty care, the beer and liquor control fund, and the behavioral health fund, and including effective date and retroactive applicability provisions.

SSB 1228 is an appropriations bill funding Iowa's health and human services programs for fiscal year 2025-2026. It allocates $1.38 million for veterans affairs administration, $8.23 million for Iowa Veterans Home operations, $19.2 million for aging and disability services (including elder abuse prevention and community support), $24.4 million for behavioral health services (covering substance use treatment and youth programs), and $22.4 million for public health initiatives like disease surveillance and health promotion. The bill directly affects veterans, elderly Iowans, individuals with disabilities, and those needing behavioral health support by providing state funding for existing services. It does not create new policies but authorizes specific funding levels for current programs under the Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Veterans Affairs.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Healthcare ✓ Veterans

died · Iowa · Senate Apr 14, 2025

SF 495: A bill for an act relating to nuisance actions against sports or exposition venues.

This Iowa bill (SF 495) creates legal immunity for sports and exposition venues from nuisance lawsuits seeking damages. It limits such lawsuits to cases where the affected party is the majority property owner and the venue materially violated a law. Venues operating over one year are protected from nuisance claims based on changed neighborhood conditions, provided they comply with all laws, and expansions like tech upgrades or land purchases are exempt unless they harm the environment or public safety. The bill explicitly excludes negligent operations or violations from this protection.

passed · Iowa · House Apr 10, 2025

HF 544: A bill for an act relating to matters before the Iowa ethics and campaign disclosure board, including campaign finance filings and attribution statements.

HF 544 updates Iowa's campaign finance rules by requiring political committees and candidate committees to include electronic mail addresses in their filings and extending the deadline for electronic submissions to 11:59 p.m. on the due date. It prohibits all candidates (not just those for statewide or legislative office) from establishing, directing, or maintaining political committees. The bill also expands the definition of "published material" to include radio and internet advertising, requiring attribution statements disclosing who paid for such ads advocating for candidates or ballot issues. Additionally, it mandates that the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board's chair and vice chair be from different political parties.

in committee · Iowa · House Apr 10, 2025

HF 247: A bill for an act exempting the sales price of honeybees from the state sales and use tax.

This bill (HF 247) removes the state sales and use tax on purchases of honeybees in Iowa. It directly affects beekeepers, apiaries, and businesses that sell honeybees by eliminating the tax they would otherwise pay when buying these insects. The key provision amends Iowa’s tax code to specifically exempt honeybee sales from both the sales tax (under Code section 423.3) and the use tax (under Code section 423.5, due to existing tax code rules). This change means customers buying honeybees will pay no state tax on the purchase price.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

Bill results