Iowa Bills

in committee · Iowa · Senate Mar 2, 2026

SF 497: A bill for an act concerning county and city administration, and including effective date and applicability provisions.

SF 497 requires county boards of supervisors and city councils to use a majority vote motion or resolution to fire county managers, city managers, or similar executives (including those with different job titles). This applies only to new employment contracts or renewals signed after the bill's effective date. The bill changes current practice by preventing unilateral termination without a formal vote. It directly affects county/city executive positions and the governing bodies that hire them.

died · Iowa · House Mar 2, 2026

HF 1011: A bill for an act relating to human trafficking, including the establishment of human trafficking prosecution units and the remittance of wire transmission fees to the office to combat human trafficking.

Bill HF 1011 establishes two human trafficking prosecution units within the Department of Justice, one for the eastern and one for the western half of the state. These multidisciplinary teams will identify, investigate, and prosecute human trafficking cases while providing care and support for victims. To fund these initiatives, the bill introduces a new fee on wire transmissions, collected from customers by money transfer services. This fee, $5 for transfers up to $500 and an additional 2% on amounts over $500, will be remitted to the Office to Combat Human Trafficking, and customers can claim an individual income tax credit for the fees paid.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Criminal Justice

in committee · Iowa · House Feb 26, 2026

HSB 733: A bill for an act modifying state income tax withholdings for winnings derived from slot machines, and including effective date provisions.

HSB 733 modifies Iowa's state income tax rules for slot machine winnings by removing the current $1,200 withholding threshold. Instead, tax withholding on slot machine winnings will now only apply if the winnings are required to be reported to the federal IRS (as per federal reporting rules). This change directly affects individuals who win slot machine payouts that meet federal reporting requirements, shifting the trigger from a fixed dollar amount to federal tax reporting obligations. The bill takes effect immediately upon enactment and aligns state withholding with federal reporting practices for gambling winnings.

passed · Iowa · House Feb 26, 2026

HF 2325: A bill for an act permitting a city to create social districts allowing for the possession or consumption of alcoholic beverages in certain public places.

HF 2325 allows Iowa cities to create designated "social districts" where people can legally possess and consume alcoholic beverages on public streets, sidewalks, and other public spaces within defined boundaries. Cities must adopt an ordinance specifying the district's map, permitted hours/days, requirements for marked containers (identifying the business providing the drink), and enforcement rules. The bill directly affects cities (through local ordinances), retail alcohol licensees (bars/restaurants with Class C licenses), and the public within designated areas. It does not permit consumption in vehicles, outside designated times, or override existing alcohol laws, and businesses can still deny entry to patrons with alcohol from other participating venues.

in committee · Iowa · Senate Feb 26, 2026

SF 2435: A bill for an act relating to local government by modifying property tax credits and rent reimbursements, provisions governing abandoned mobile homes and personal property in rural areas, and tax sales.

This Iowa bill (SF 2435) modifies property tax credits for elderly and disabled homeowners and streamlines rules for abandoned mobile homes in rural areas. It updates eligibility for annual property tax credits paid by June 15 and rent reimbursements paid by December 31, directly affecting qualifying low-income seniors and disabled residents. The bill creates a new definition for "valueless homes" (mobile homes with no market value on rural property) and allows rural property owners or mobile home park operators to remove these without court orders, requiring written notice to county treasurers within 10 days. It also adds procedures for issuing new titles to third parties and ensures tax sales can be postponed for disaster-related reasons.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Housing

in committee · Iowa · Senate Feb 26, 2026

SF 2441: A bill for an act concerning locally imposed hotel and motel taxes for tourism development and tourism promotion.

SF 2441 requires Iowa cities and counties that impose hotel and motel taxes to spend at least 50% of the revenue on tourism development (such as public attractions or events) and tourism promotion (like advertising to attract visitors traveling more than 50 miles). It defines "tourism development" as creating public experiences for tourists and "tourism promotion" as programs designed to draw visitors. Starting with annual reports due December 1, 2027, local governments must detail how they used these funds. The remaining tax revenue can still be allocated to general city or county operations under existing rules.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

passed · Iowa · House Feb 26, 2026

HF 2509: A bill for an act modifying the time periods alcoholic beverages may be sold, dispensed, or consumed at commercial service airports, and including effective date provisions.

HF 2509 removes the restriction on selling or consuming alcoholic beverages between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. at commercial service airports in Iowa. This change directly affects airports holding alcohol licenses and the vendors operating within them. The bill amends Iowa Code §123.49 by adding a specific exemption for commercial service airports, defined per federal law (49 U.S.C. §47102). The law takes immediate effect upon enactment, allowing airports to serve alcohol 24 hours daily without the previous overnight ban.

in committee · Iowa · Senate Feb 26, 2026

SF 2388: A bill for an act establishing continuing appropriations in fiscal years for which the general assembly does not pass an annual budget.

SF 2388 establishes automatic funding for Iowa state agencies if the legislature fails to pass a new annual budget by July 1. It requires the Department of Management to continue the previous fiscal year's line-item, limited, and unlimited appropriations (excluding one-time projects like infrastructure funds) to the same agencies for the current year. The bill ensures funding levels, staffing authorizations, and budget limitations from the prior year apply automatically, while excluding duplicative budget items. This mechanism prevents government shutdowns due to budget delays, directly affecting all state agencies receiving ongoing appropriations.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

in committee · Iowa · House Feb 26, 2026

HF 2727: A bill for an act providing for the reporting of certain information relating to the sale of fertilizers, providing penalties, making penalties applicable, and including effective date provisions.

HF 2727 requires fertilizer manufacturers selling registered brands in Iowa to report monthly pricing details to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (DALS). This includes costs of active ingredients, total quantities sold, price ranges for each brand, and terms of discounted sales agreements. Manufacturers who fail to comply face civil penalties of up to $50,000 per day for each ongoing violation. The bill aims to increase transparency in fertilizer pricing and is enforced by DALS with input from the attorney general.

passed · Iowa · Senate Feb 26, 2026

SF 2351: A bill for an act relating to the open enrollment of pupils who are truant or chronically absent, and including applicability provisions.

SF 2351 modifies Iowa's open enrollment rules for students who are truant or chronically absent. It prohibits students from transferring to another district while they remain chronically absent (as defined by Iowa Code §299.12), participating in school engagement meetings, or under an absenteeism prevention plan. However, the receiving district may approve the transfer even if the student hasn't met the attendance criteria. The bill applies to open enrollment requests submitted on or after its effective date and does not change the standard requirement for approval by both sending and receiving districts.

introduced · Iowa · House Feb 26, 2026

HF 2606: A bill for an act requiring persons who operate certain internet sites, applications, or a segment of an internet site or application that contains material pornographic for minors to perform reasonable age verification.

HF 2606 requires websites, apps, or sections of sites/apps containing a significant portion of material deemed "pornographic for minors" to implement age verification to block access by users under 18. It defines "pornographic for minors" and allows three verification methods: digital ID, commercially reasonable transactional data checks, or attorney-general-approved methods. Exemptions include news organizations, public broadcasts, and internet service providers (unless they created the content). Violations carry civil penalties up to $1,000 per access (capped at $10,000 daily), enforced by the attorney general, with strict privacy rules prohibiting retention of identifying data.

Topics ✓ Technology

introduced · Iowa · House Feb 26, 2026

HR 110: A resolution honoring the Phoenix Declaration.

HR 110 is a non-binding resolution expressing the House of Representatives' support for the "Phoenix Declaration," a set of educational principles. It does not create new laws or policies but formally endorses the declaration's emphasis on parental choice in education, transparency in schools, teaching foundational American history and values, and curricular focus on core subjects and character development. The resolution directly affects congressional record-keeping and symbolic recognition, not actual school operations or funding. It has no concrete policy impact beyond stating the House's belief in these educational principles.

Topics ✓ Education

Bill results