HF 394 restricts the Department of Transportation from designating a segment of State Highway 5 and US Highway 65 as an interstate unless federal exemptions for vehicle weight and size are secured. It creates a temporary exception, allowing implements of husbandry to continue operating on a specific portion of this highway if it becomes an interstate, until a suitable alternative route is established. The bill appropriates $250,000 to the Department of Transportation to study and develop this alternative highway route for agricultural vehicles. These provisions directly affect the Department of Transportation's authority over highway designations and agricultural vehicle operators in the specified areas.
HF 966 proposes to exempt the sale of dietary supplements from the state sales tax. Currently, dietary supplements are subject to sales tax, similar to candy or soft drinks. This bill would amend existing law to remove dietary supplements from the list of items subject to sales tax. This change would reduce the cost for consumers purchasing products like vitamins and minerals, as the exemption also extends to the use tax.
This bill requires school districts and accredited nonpublic schools to implement new training and emergency care provisions for students with epilepsy or seizure disorder. It mandates that by July 2025, each school must have at least one employee trained to administer seizure medications or assist with vagus nerve stimulators. By December 2026, all school personnel must receive training on recognizing seizure signs and providing first aid, with biennial refreshers for staff supervising students. Schools must also collaborate with parents to develop individual health and seizure action plans for affected students and are granted liability protection when acting in good faith under these plans. Additionally, the Department of Education will convene a work group to review broader health care training needs for school personnel.
HF 32 expands the definition of a "food processing plant" to include operations located on farms or private residences that store officially processed, packaged meat or poultry raised by the licensee and offered for sale. The bill revises the annual license fee schedule for these plants. General food processing plants will pay an annual fee ranging from $150 to $500, based on their gross annual sales. However, operations on farms or private residences storing processed meat or poultry will pay a flat annual license fee of $75.
HF 59 establishes a grocer reinvestment program to provide grants for capital improvements, equipment, and technology upgrades to eligible grocery stores, primarily those with five or fewer locations in underserved or low-to-moderate-income communities. It also creates a local produce processing grant program to support Iowa-based entities increasing the availability and capacity of processing for fruits and vegetables grown in the state. A new fund will be created to finance both programs. Additionally, the bill modifies the existing local food and farm program to include grocery stores in its purpose of strengthening local food economies.
House File 15 creates a rural attorney recruitment assistance program to help counties and municipalities with populations under 26,000 recruit legal professionals. Eligible local governments must apply, demonstrate a need for an attorney, and agree to provide 35% of an incentive payment. Attorneys who commit to practicing full-time in these rural areas for at least five years will receive an annual incentive payment over five years, equal to 90% of the University of Iowa College of Law resident tuition and fees. These attorneys must also serve as contract public defenders and participate in volunteer legal aid projects. The program is funded through state appropriations and contributions from the participating local governments.
HF 1016 provides for the continuation of health insurance coverage for the surviving spouse and each surviving child of eligible employees of the state of Iowa. An "eligible employee" is defined as a state employee whose death was the direct result of a traumatic personal injury incurred while performing work duties, under specific conditions. The state must permit these survivors to continue or re-enroll in existing health insurance. While the state is not required to pay the cost, it may choose to cover all or part of the expenses, otherwise, the surviving family can elect to pay the remaining portion. This bill applies retroactively to January 1, 2024.
SF 631 changes the reporting and payment schedule for beer barrel and wine gallonage taxes in Iowa. It allows class "A" and special class "A" beer permit holders, and class "A" wine permit holders, to file reports and pay taxes on a quarterly basis instead of monthly. This option is available to businesses that expect to be liable for no more than $2,500 in these taxes for a 12-month period and met that threshold in the previous year. The quarterly deadlines are set for October 10, January 10, April 10, and July 10. The bill is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026.
HF 984 modifies services and support for youth, particularly those involved in juvenile delinquency and child in need of assistance proceedings. The bill updates definitions and requirements for psychiatric medical institutions for children (PMICs), specifying that they provide treatment, physical assessments, and behavioral health evaluations for youth with serious emotional disturbances, substance use disorders, or both. It also addresses the licensing and certification of these residential facilities and mentions home and community-based services. Additionally, it includes provisions for the administration of juvenile court services and the suspension of Hawki eligibility for inmates of public institutions.
SF 520 modifies several education-related provisions concerning community colleges, the Department of Education, and employees of specific educational programs. The bill requires community colleges to submit detailed financial and student outcome data directly to the Department of Education, which will then compile an annual "condition of community colleges" report for the General Assembly. It also applies certain teacher discharge procedures to all employees responsible for child care, instruction, or supervision at the Iowa Educational Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired Program and the Iowa School for the Deaf, and sets their compensation and benefits. Finally, the bill clarifies that for employment contract purposes, "teacher" status for community colleges applies primarily to instructors whose workload is more than half credit-hour instruction, excluding adjunct, continuing education, and noncredit instructors.
SF 554 allows the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to delegate certain custodial rights and duties to licensed foster care providers when HHS has legal custody of a child. These delegated responsibilities can include providing basic needs and consenting to emergency medical care. The bill clarifies that HHS can consent to routine medical care (excluding vaccinations) and individualized education programs for children, even if parents retain some residual rights. HHS is required to notify both the licensed provider and the child's parents or guardians if these specific rights for medical care or individualized education program participation are delegated. Additionally, HHS must notify the Department of Education when consent for an individualized education program is delegated to a licensee.
SF 234 modifies the existing law concerning the intentional misrepresentation of an animal as a service animal or service-animal-in-training. The bill removes two elements previously required to establish this offense. Under SF 234, a person commits the offense if they intentionally misrepresent an animal as a service animal to obtain associated rights or privileges. It eliminates the need to prove the person received a prior warning or knew the animal was not a service animal. This change affects individuals who falsely claim an animal is a service animal, with the offense remaining a simple misdemeanor.
