HF 2561 prohibits "street takeovers" - events involving three or more motor vehicles operating in violation of traffic laws (like reckless driving or drag racing) or with spectators present. Participants face escalating penalties: a first offense includes a $500-$2,000 fine and driver’s license revocation, while third offenses carry up to $7,500 fines and five years in prison. Organizers face a class D felony charge (up to five years in prison), and spectators risk a $400 fine. Police must impound vehicles used in these events for 30 days, with unclaimed vehicles subject to abandonment laws.
HF 2553 establishes a two-year pilot program in Iowa's Department of Health and Human Services to refurbish durable medical equipment (DME) purchased through the state's medical assistance program (Medicaid). The program requires tracking DME provided to recipients and informing them that equipment should be returned to a designated nonprofit organization upon death or health status changes. The nonprofit then refurbishes the equipment and makes it available free to new recipients in need, while the department must report annual program details to the legislature. This affects Medicaid recipients, the nonprofit organization serving people with disabilities and veterans, and the state's medical assistance program. The pilot expires July 1, 2030.
This bill amends Iowa's drug paraphernalia law to explicitly exempt two items: (1) hypodermic needles/syringes manufactured or used for lawful purposes (confirming an existing exemption), and (2) equipment used to test for fentanyl, fentanyl analogs, or drug adulterants in controlled substances. It directly affects healthcare workers, law enforcement, and harm reduction programs that use fentanyl testing kits or similar tools. The key mechanism removes these testing tools from the legal definition of "drug paraphernalia," preventing criminal penalties for their lawful possession or use. This change aligns with broader efforts to support evidence-based drug safety initiatives without altering penalties for other paraphernalia.
HF 2428 allows Iowa townships to use funds set aside for fire protection (up to 30 cents per $1,000 of property value) to build new fire stations, in addition to their current use for equipment and supplies. This bill directly affects townships that collect fire protection levies, expanding how they can allocate reserve funds. The key change modifies existing law to explicitly permit construction costs for fire stations as a qualified use of the reserve account. Townships will now have more flexibility in planning long-term fire service infrastructure with these dedicated funds. The bill does not change the maximum levy amount or affect property taxes.
HF 2333 clarifies that people with disabilities, those assisting service animals, and service animal trainers have the right to bring service animals or service-animal-in-training to any location where such animals are permitted under state or federal law - expanding access beyond the current list of covered places like restaurants and hotels. The bill specifies that businesses or facilities cannot require additional fees for service animals and holds handlers liable only for damage caused by the animal. It modifies penalties for interfering with this right, maintaining a simple misdemeanor charge for violations. This directly affects businesses, public venues, and individuals with disabilities who rely on service animals for access. The bill aims to standardize access rights where service animals are legally allowed, without changing existing coverage for common public spaces.
This bill restricts conservation officers from entering a home or placing cameras/surveillance devices on private land without a warrant, except when the property owner, lessee, or occupant grants permission. It requires officers to show a warrant to occupants during warrant-based entries and explicitly defines "home" to include curtilage (the area surrounding a residence). The bill directly affects conservation officers' conduct and homeowners' privacy rights regarding property access and surveillance, with no broader policy changes beyond these procedural restrictions.
SF 2233 requires Iowa property and casualty insurers to provide policyholders with specific claim-related information within 15 days of request, including policy copies, payment details, internal communications, and claim adjustments. It prohibits insurers from including unfair deadlines for loss notice, depreciation recovery, or lawsuit filing (less than 5 years for denied claims) in policies, and mandates written notice of these deadlines. The bill also clarifies that insurers must cover consequential damage during repairs and bear the burden of proving repairs achieve a "reasonably similar appearance" to pre-loss condition. These changes directly affect Iowa homeowners and businesses with property insurance by increasing transparency and fairness in claim handling.
HF 2289 creates a new criminal offense of torture in Iowa, making it a class B felony to intentionally cause serious bodily injury or severe mental suffering while controlling another person's movements. The bill defines key terms like "serious bodily injury" (e.g., internal injuries or burns) and "severe mental pain" (e.g., from threats of death or mind-altering substances). It sets a maximum 50-year prison sentence and clarifies that a conviction won’t prevent separate charges for related acts. The law applies to anyone who inflicts extreme physical or mental pain while holding another person in custody or physical control.
HF 2274 requires operators of internet sites, apps, or site/app segments containing a significant portion of material deemed "pornographic for minors" to implement reasonable age verification. This prevents minors from accessing such content using methods like digital ID checks, commercially reasonable transactional data analysis, or attorney general-approved approaches. The law exempts bona fide news organizations, public interest broadcasts, and internet service providers (unless they created the content). Violations carry civil penalties up to $1,000 per incident, enforced by the attorney general.
HF 2575 would change Iowa law to allow courts to grant visitation rights to grandparents or great-grandparents without requiring proof that a parent is "unfit" or that their judgment is "impaired." Currently, courts must find such conditions exist for grandparent visitation, but this bill removes those specific barriers. The law would directly affect grandparents seeking visitation and parents opposing it, as courts would only need to determine if visitation is in the child's best interests and if a substantial relationship exists. This simplifies the legal standard for granting such visitation rights. The bill is currently pending in the Judiciary Subcommittee.
HF 2319 exempts service performed for certain Amish employers from unemployment insurance eligibility, directly affecting Amish congregations meeting specific religious criteria. Employers must certify to Iowa's workforce department that all owners are Amish members with sincere religious objections to unemployment insurance, obtain written employee acknowledgments of non-eligibility, and submit annual elections. The exemption applies only to employees hired on or after the bill's effective date, requiring ongoing employer compliance. The bill explicitly states it does not exempt employers from federal unemployment laws or other tax obligations.
SF 2273 regulates Iowa's rate-regulated public utilities by setting rules for rate filings, automatic adjustments, virtual power plants, and long-term energy planning. It requires utilities to file a comprehensive rate review by July 1, 2027 (and every three years after), limits frequent rate change requests to once per year unless approved earlier, and bans automatic rate adjustments for electric utilities to recover transmission costs. The bill defines virtual power plants (customer-owned energy systems managed centrally) as non-public utilities requiring commission approval, mandating they benefit customers in their service area. Additionally, it requires electric utilities to submit integrated resource plans every three years, detailing energy needs, cost analyses, and infrastructure upgrades for 5- and 20-year horizons, with public access to planning data.
