Iowa Bills

HF 937 modifies administrative procedures for law enforcement officers, primarily impacting their professional certification and confidentiality in peer support. The bill narrows the specific grounds for revoking or suspending an officer's certification, limiting it to instances where an officer was discharged for just cause or resigned during pending disciplinary action warranting discharge. It also applies standard rules of evidence to contested certification cases and ensures officers receive investigative reports. Additionally, the bill expands confidentiality protections for communications made by officers and certain civilian employees to peer support counselors during crisis interventions.

SF 625 modifies Iowa's gambling tax revenue allocation. It directs $8 million annually from sports wagering receipts to the public safety equipment fund starting July 1, 2026, for enforcement activities like boat and racetrack inspections. The bill also establishes a gaming enforcement revolving fund to cover direct costs for criminal investigation agents, adjusts regulatory fees based on prior-year unspent funds, and creates an Iowa horse racing fund to distribute tax revenue from simulcast horse races to counties and the commission. These changes affect gambling licensees through fee adjustments and ensure specific tax revenues fund public safety and horse racing operations.

HF 315 modifies the process for budget adjustments available to Iowa school districts impacted by natural disasters. Currently, school districts can receive a budget adjustment based on the difference between their current and 101% of their previous year's regular program district cost. This bill introduces an additional year of budget adjustment for districts that have already received an adjustment and were affected by a federally declared major disaster or state disaster emergency in the base year or the year prior. This additional adjustment would be equal to the amount of the district's budget adjustment from the base year.

SF 617 adjusts Iowa's veterans trust fund funding rules. It sets a new $75 million threshold: if the fund balance is below this amount on July 1, interest earnings and the first $500,000 from lottery funds must be used for veterans' benefits. The bill removes previous rules that triggered funding when the balance was above $50 million. This change directly affects how veterans' benefits programs receive funding from the trust fund. The policy shift ensures more money flows to veterans' services when the fund is lower, while stopping lottery transfers once the fund reaches $75 million.

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.

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.

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.

HF 869 provides licensed veterinarians in Iowa with immunity from administrative, civil, or criminal liability when acting in good faith during specific animal cruelty-related legal matters. This covers cooperating with peace officers about alleged client misconduct under Iowa’s animal cruelty laws (Chapters 717B, 717C, 717D), assisting in animal rescues, participating in court proceedings, or providing truthful evidence in cases involving animal mistreatment. Veterinarians who knowingly make false reports or provide false information face disciplinary action, civil liability, and a simple misdemeanor charge (up to 30 days in jail or $855 fine). The bill directly affects licensed veterinarians by clarifying their legal protections and responsibilities when involved in animal cruelty investigations or proceedings.

HF 386 requires the University of Iowa College of Medicine and Des Moines University-Osteopathic Medical Center to jointly study transitioning their medical programs from four years to three years. The study must analyze other medical schools that have made this change, including their outcomes and the resulting cost savings for students. The institutions must submit a report with findings and recommendations to the governor and legislature by December 1, 2025. This bill does not change program lengths but directs a feasibility analysis focused on potential cost reductions for medical students.

HF 572 establishes a new criminal offense for smuggling persons in Iowa, targeting individuals who knowingly transport people for payment while violating federal immigration laws. It specifically covers actions like using vehicles to evade officers, encouraging entry/remaining in the U.S. by hiding people, or guiding groups onto agricultural land without owner consent. Penalties range from a class C felony (standard) to class B or A felonies if aggravating factors apply, such as involving children, causing serious injury/death, or using firearms. A key exception allows close family members (within second degree of blood or marriage) to avoid prosecution for most offenses.

HF 401 establishes standardized general education requirements for undergraduate students at Iowa's public universities (governed by the state board of regents). It requires 37 total semester credit hours across specific areas: 6 in English, 3 in math/statistics, 4 in natural sciences, 6 in social sciences, 6 in humanities, 3 in western heritage (e.g., Western civilization), and 3 in American heritage (e.g., American history). The bill also prohibits courses from distorting historical events or teaching that systemic racism/sexism is inherent in U.S. institutions, while allowing transfer credit for equivalent coursework. These requirements apply to students beginning enrollment in fall 2027 or later.

HF 899 makes it a serious misdemeanor (punishable by up to 1 year in jail and a $430-$2,560 fine) to knowingly send unsolicited, unwanted explicit images electronically to someone 18 or older. It specifically prohibits sending images showing: (1) a person's genitals or pubic area, (2) someone engaged in a sex act, or (3) a male person's visible genitals in an erection. The law applies to adults who send such material they know or should know the recipient didn't want. This bill directly affects individuals who share unsolicited explicit images via email, text, or other digital means in Iowa.