SF 544 sets annual salaries and cost-of-living adjustments for Iowa's state elected officials, including legislators, the governor, lieutenant governor, and statewide officeholders. It establishes a base salary of $45,000 for regular legislative members (with higher rates for leadership roles like speaker and president pro tempore) and $230,000 for the governor, all effective in 2027. Salaries will adjust annually based on the cost-of-living raises for executive branch noncontract state employees or 3%, whichever is lower, through 2042. The bill directly affects all state-elected officials covered by the compensation structure.
SF 476 increases Iowa's personal needs allowance under the medical assistance program from $50 to $65 per month for residents of nursing facilities, intermediate care facilities for intellectual/mental disabilities, or psychiatric medical institutions for children. It requires the state to provide supplements to residents with income below $65 to reach the full allowance amount, and mandates annual inflation adjustments starting July 2026 based on the Midwest CPI index (capped at $100 monthly). The Department of Health and Human Services must biennially report on recipients and disbursements to the legislature, beginning January 2027. This directly affects low-income residents in long-term care facilities by increasing their monthly personal spending allowance.
SF 540 amends Iowa election laws to clarify candidate eligibility and strengthen election security. It requires state-level candidates to acknowledge felony conviction disqualifications in their application (repeated in multiple sections), while exempting federal candidates. The bill redesignates the Secretary of State as State Commissioner of Elections, granting them authority to set security protocols for counties and vendors, with consequences for non-compliance (like limiting access to voter systems). It also establishes procedures for investigating election misconduct and sharing cybersecurity information between county and state election offices.
SF 498 prohibits Iowa counties and cities from enforcing local ordinances that require specific landscape design products, materials, or aesthetic choices in commercial or multifamily residential zones. It allows local governments to regulate landscaping only for safety buffers between zones, public safety issues (like obstructed views), or compliance with existing stormwater and topsoil conservation laws. The bill does not affect private agreements between property owners, such as restrictive covenants, that set landscape standards. This policy change directly impacts local government regulations in these zoning areas while preserving private property rights.
SF 8 prohibits Iowa school districts and charter schools from disciplining employees, contractors, or students for using legal names, names listed in school registration records, or for not using personal pronouns in official communications (like emails or forms). It specifically bans actions like termination, suspension, or fines for these reasons and defines "disciplinary action" broadly to include all such penalties. Employees wrongfully terminated under this law can seek reinstatement, back pay, and up to three times their annual wages through civil court. The bill applies directly to all public and charter schools in Iowa, affecting staff, contractors, and students in daily school interactions.
SF 552 requires Iowa's Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Department of Administrative Services (DAS) to review anti-obesity medications - including GLP-1 agonists - for use in two specific programs: the state's medical assistance program (Medicaid) and health insurance plans for state employees. The review must assess medication effectiveness for weight loss, impact on related health conditions (comorbidities), potential cost savings, recommended eligibility, and short- and long-term coverage costs. HHS and DAS must submit a report to the legislature by January 5, 2026, detailing their findings, proposed eligibility rules, and cost analysis. This bill does not change current coverage but mandates a formal review to inform future policy decisions.
SF 640 establishes the Iowa Major Events and Tourism Program to provide financial assistance to Iowa nonprofit organizations hosting tourism events like festivals, conventions, and sports competitions that generate significant economic impact. Eligible organizations must submit economic analyses showing projected hotel occupancy, attendee numbers (including out-of-state visitors), and revenue, and must cover at least 50% of event costs themselves. The program is funded with $15 million from sports wagering receipts for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, and it repeals related provisions of the existing sports tourism infrastructure program to prevent overlapping funding.
SF 517 requires public and nonpublic schools in Iowa to report suspected child abuse by staff to child welfare authorities and law enforcement if the abuse would be a criminal act. Schools must also cooperate with child protection assessments, including allowing confidential interviews with children. The bill mandates that the state child welfare department notify school boards and the board of educational examiners when abuse by a staff member is confirmed. This triggers potential license denial or revocation for licensed educators if they have a founded abuse report on file in the state's central registry. The law updates school procedures for handling abuse reports and ties educator licensing decisions directly to confirmed abuse findings.
SF 541 amends Iowa election laws to standardize ballot handling, voter verification, and canvassing procedures. It requires election officials to preserve federal election ballots for 22 months (Sec. 7,9,10), mandates voter ID numbers for absentee ballot challenges (Sec. 1), and sets fixed days (Monday/Tuesday) for counting results after most elections (Sec. 2,3,12). The bill also updates electronic record retention rules, requiring voter registration histories to be kept for multiple election cycles (Sec. 6) and clarifies how judges and clerks are retained based on approval votes (Sec. 4). These changes directly affect county election officials, voters, and judicial retention processes.
This bill extends Iowa's incentives for school district reorganization or dissolution through July 2030. It provides extra state funding to districts that share grades with other districts or merge, calculated as one-tenth of the percentage of a student's school day spent in another district. Districts receiving this "supplementary weighting" can use it for up to three years, with renewal requiring progress reports on reorganization plans. The bill applies to districts that initiate reorganization by 2030 and certify their plans to the state education department.
SF 489 requires Iowa's Department of Transportation (DOT) to ensure equal representation from both government entities (like cities or counties) and non-governmental groups (such as private developers or community organizations) when creating statewide urban design specifications. These specifications guide how cities plan and build transportation infrastructure, like streets and public spaces. The bill amends existing DOT duties to explicitly include this requirement in their planning responsibilities. It does not change the DOT's other core functions, such as highway maintenance or transportation data reporting. The bill is currently under review by the Transportation committee.
This bill (SF 555) changes Iowa's requirement for land to qualify for special turkey and deer hunting licenses. It increases the minimum farm unit size from 2 contiguous acres to 20 contiguous acres for parcels purchased on or after January 11, 2027. Landowners seeking these special licenses on newly purchased land will now need at least 20 acres, while current landowners with smaller parcels (2+ acres) remain unaffected. The change directly affects new land buyers aiming to use special hunting licenses on their property.
