This bill requires Iowa school districts, charter schools, and innovation zone schools to adopt policies by July 1, 2025, that restrict student use of personal electronic devices during classroom instructional time. The Department of Education will develop model policies for schools to consider. These policies must identify methods for parents to communicate with students during school hours and emergencies, establish disciplinary actions for violations, and outline secure storage protocols for devices. They must also include provisions allowing students to maintain access to devices for legitimate physical or mental health reasons, or as required by an individualized education program (IEP) or 504 plan. Additionally, school districts are mandated to revise their emergency operations plans by July 1, 2025, to align with these new policies on electronic device use.
This bill makes technical corrections to various sections of the Iowa Code. It aims to update statutory language to reflect current practices, correct omissions, remove redundancies and inaccuracies, resolve inconsistencies, and clarify ambiguities in existing laws.
This bill repeals an existing section of the Iowa Code (12C.6A) that governs the eligibility of financial institutions to accept public funds. Currently, this section requires institutions to demonstrate a commitment to serving their local community to qualify and mandates the Treasurer of State to maintain a list of eligible institutions. The repeal eliminates these specific eligibility requirements for financial institutions, including the need for public comment and challenge processes related to their eligibility. It also removes the Treasurer of State's responsibility to create and manage such an eligibility list. This change directly affects financial institutions by altering their requirements for holding public deposits and public entities responsible for depositing funds.
This bill enacts the Respiratory Care Interstate Compact, allowing licensed respiratory therapists to practice in multiple states that join the compact. This directly affects respiratory therapists seeking to work across state lines and patients needing respiratory care in member states. Under the compact, a respiratory therapist holding an unencumbered license in their primary state of domicile can obtain a "compact privilege" to practice in other member states without needing a separate full license in each. The compact aims to increase public access to respiratory therapy services, ease administrative burdens for licensees, and address workforce shortages. It also establishes a commission to administer the compact and maintain a data system for licensee information, while preserving each state's authority to regulate the practice of respiratory therapy within its borders.
This bill updates Iowa's alcoholic beverage laws, primarily impacting businesses that hold or apply for various retail alcohol licenses. It introduces a definition for "canned cocktail" and clarifies the term "mixed drink or cocktail."
A key provision allows holders of special class "C" retail alcohol licenses and special class "C" retail native wine licenses to sell mixed drinks or cocktails that do not contain alcoholic liquor for off-premises consumption. Additionally, the bill clarifies that requirements for "good moral character" and state citizenship for license applicants do not apply to the state of Iowa or its agencies. It also specifies conditions under which mixed drinks sold in sealed containers for off-premises consumption are not considered open containers.
This bill expands the power of county and city boards of adjustment to grant exceptions, called variances, from local property regulations. It directly affects property owners seeking to make beneficial use of their land or buildings. The bill allows boards to grant variances for "practical difficulties" related to area, dimensional, or other numerical limitations, such as minimum lot size, setbacks, building height, or parking requirements. To qualify, a property owner must prove their difficulties are unique to the property, not self-created, and that the variance will not significantly change the surrounding neighborhood.
This bill modifies provisions related to charter schools in Iowa, affecting both their governing boards and student participation in educational programs. It changes the requirements for charter school governing board members, mandating U.S. citizenship for all members and allowing up to one member to reside in another state, while still requiring a majority to live in the school's service area. Additionally, the bill allows students from charter schools and innovation zone schools to access the district-to-community college concurrent enrollment program. These students can access the program through the school district where their charter or innovation zone school is located, or through their district of residence if they attend an online charter or innovation zone school.
This bill modifies the rules for the retention of funds in Iowa's public improvement contracts, directly affecting general contractors, public corporations, and claimants. It allows general contractors to secure the early release of withheld payments from public corporations through several mechanisms. Contractors can post a surety bond to cover specific claims filed against them, or they can demand that claimants initiate a lawsuit within 30 days to enforce a claim, otherwise the claim is barred and funds are released. Additionally, contractors can provide a retention bond to replace all withheld project funds at any time. If public corporations delay making these payments after a bond or claim resolution, interest will accrue on the unpaid amount.
SF 22 regulates how drivers can use electronic devices while operating a vehicle. It specifically addresses the use of these devices in a voice-activated or hands-free mode. The bill establishes penalties for any violations of these new rules. These provisions and penalties are set to become effective on July 1, 2025.
This bill lowers the minimum age requirement for acquiring and carrying certain weapons in Iowa. It reduces the age from 21 to 18 for obtaining a nonprofessional permit to carry weapons and for purchasing or possessing pistols and revolvers. The bill also changes the age at which it is illegal to sell or give handguns and their ammunition to another person, from under 21 to under 18. Additionally, it adjusts the minimum age for individuals who can supervise younger persons using handguns, from 21 to 18, and makes conforming changes to related liability provisions. These changes directly affect individuals aged 18 to 20.
This bill increases penalties for individuals who commit assaults against specific professionals, including peace officers, correctional staff, healthcare providers, firefighters, and certain state employees. It upgrades assaults intended to inflict serious injury or involving a dangerous weapon from a Class D to a Class C felony. Additionally, assaults causing bodily injury or mental illness against these professionals are elevated from an aggravated misdemeanor to a Class D felony. Other assaults, such as those causing contact with saliva, are reclassified from a serious to an aggravated misdemeanor, and carry a mandatory minimum 7-day jail sentence that cannot be suspended.
HF 857 establishes rules for financial institutions regarding their use of specific consumer credit report information for marketing purposes. The bill focuses on "prescreened trigger lead information," which identifies consumers based on criteria suggesting they may be seeking new financial products. It sets guidelines for how financial institutions can use this particular data when soliciting potential customers. This legislation directly impacts both consumers and the financial industry by regulating this form of marketing.
