This bill establishes the Iowa Hemp Act to regulate the sale, distribution, and labeling of hemp and hemp products within the state. It creates a registration system requiring businesses that sell consumable hemp products to the Department of Health and Human Services and sets specific THC limits for these items. The legislation also mandates clear warning labels on containers to inform consumers about risks and prohibits the sale of raw hemp flowers intended for inhalation. Additionally, it defines penalties for violations, including fines for unregistered sellers and misdemeanor charges for distributing prohibited hemp products.
This bill authorizes funding and establishes regulations for agricultural programs, directly impacting farmers and related industries. It outlines the administrative framework for managing these programs, sets forth specific penalties for non-compliance, and defines the dates when these rules take effect. By including appropriations, the legislation ensures there is financial support to carry out its agricultural initiatives.
This bill modifies how school districts and charter schools handle the sale of real property and adjusts funding rules for open enrollment students. It establishes new procedures for districts to sell buildings and clarifies how financial resources are allocated when students attend schools outside their assigned district. Additionally, the legislation updates regulations regarding the participation of charter school students in activities at their home district schools. These changes directly impact school administrators, district finance officers, and families navigating enrollment options.
This bill establishes a new program and fund in Iowa to provide financial assistance for purchasing court reporter equipment and software. It directly affects students enrolled in court reporter training programs and newly licensed court reporters who are Iowa residents. The program offers two types of aid: grants for students and forgivable loans for graduates who agree to work as court reporters in Iowa for five years after receiving the loan. If a loan recipient works in the field for the required five-year period, the loan is forgiven; otherwise, they must repay it according to a set schedule. The legislation also creates a dedicated state fund and appropriates $100,000 for the fiscal year 2024-2025 to support these initiatives.
This Iowa bill establishes a new regulatory framework for the sale of specific smoking devices, such as glass or metal pipes, by requiring businesses to obtain permits and pay associated fees. It defines these devices based on their design and intended use while explicitly excluding traditional vapor products and certain types of smoking pipes. The legislation outlines how the Department of Revenue will enforce these rules, including the authority to collect taxes and impose civil penalties for violations. Additionally, it clarifies that this new chapter does not override existing state laws prohibiting the sale of drug paraphernalia or controlled substances.
This Iowa bill updates the rules governing how state agencies create and review new regulations. It primarily affects state agencies responsible for rulemaking by requiring them to provide more detailed regulatory analyses when rules could significantly impact small businesses. The legislation also clarifies how agencies can reference external documents in their rules and mandates that these analyses be made available to the public with opportunities for written comments and oral presentations. Additionally, the bill modifies requirements for maintaining legislative records and adjusting timelines for submitting regulatory analyses depending on how a rule is adopted.
This bill exempts sales and use taxes, as well as new vehicle registration fees, for leases or rentals of vehicles between affiliated businesses. The law applies retroactively to transactions occurring before its effective date, allowing past agreements between related companies to qualify for these tax breaks. By removing these financial obligations for intra-company vehicle transfers, the legislation aims to reduce costs for businesses operating within the same corporate family.
This bill modifies Iowa's teacher licensing rules to create a new temporary initial teaching license for individuals who finish approved alternative teacher certification programs. To qualify, applicants must hold a bachelor's degree, complete at least sixty hours of classroom work including thirty hours of supervised teaching, and pass specific assessments covering instructional skills and reading foundations. The legislation also tightens requirements for traditional teacher intern programs by mandating that participants have a job offer before starting and must complete specific training under a mentor. Additionally, the bill allows career and technical education applicants to receive their authorization before accepting a school job and requires alternative certification programs to operate in at least five states for a minimum of ten years.
This bill restructures how Iowa manages work-based learning programs by removing existing regional partnerships and creating a new Workforce Opportunity Fund within the Department of Workforce Development. It updates rules for career and technical education, adjusts requirements for student teachers who have prior substitute or para-educator experience, and modifies funding related to the unemployment compensation reserve fund. Additionally, the legislation includes specific changes to the Future Ready Iowa skilled workforce last-dollar scholarship program and provides the necessary funding to implement these updates.
This bill directs the Iowa Natural Resource Commission to study and create recommendations for improving accessibility at state parks for people with disabilities. The legislation requires the department to share its findings and information about accessible recreation opportunities through its website and printed brochures. By mandating this research and public communication, the law aims to ensure that individuals with disabilities have better access to public recreation areas.
This Iowa bill modifies high school graduation requirements by allowing students in grades nine through twelve to count agriculture classes toward their science credits and courses in applied sciences, technology, engineering, or manufacturing toward their math credits. Under the new rules, up to two units of science can be fulfilled with agriculture instruction, while up to two units of mathematics can be satisfied with coursework in fields like transportation, logistics, architecture, and construction. The legislation requires the state board of education to create specific rules to implement these changes and ensures that schools and charter districts must follow these new educational standards unless a specific waiver is granted.
This Iowa bill prohibits the misbranding of cultivated-protein, insect-protein, and plant-protein food products by requiring clear labels that distinguish them from traditional meat. It defines specific terms like "cultivated-protein" and lists words such as "meat," "beef," or "pork" as identifying meat terms that cannot be used on these alternative products without a clarifying qualifier. The legislation mandates that labels must include qualifying terms like "cell-cultivated," "plant-based," or "lab-grown" to ensure consumers understand the product's origin. Additionally, the bill directs the state health department to request a waiver preventing these alternative protein products from being purchased with federal nutrition assistance funds.
