Iowa Bills

HF 650 allows Iowa county boards of supervisors to hire engineering firms (rather than individual licensed civil engineers) as county engineers. This directly affects county governments and engineering firms that may bid for these contracts. The bill amends state law to permit boards to contract with a professional engineering entity, where the firm’s licensed engineers perform all required duties, while maintaining the same bond requirement ($2,000-$5,000) that currently applies to individual engineers. Counties must still approve the bond covering the firm’s engineers as if it were for a single engineer. This change provides counties with more flexibility in how they secure engineering services for infrastructure projects.

This bill (HF 378) allows Iowa landowners and tenants suffering $1,000+ in annual economic loss to agriculture, horticulture, or tree/nursery operations from deer damage to obtain depredation permits. It creates a specific January 11-31 deer depredation hunting season for permit holders and expands permitted hunting methods to include rifles, shotguns, bows, and crossbows. The bill also clarifies that deer taken under these permits may be disposed of by composting or waste, rather than requiring meat donation. These changes directly affect farmers and land managers facing significant deer-related crop or property losses.

HF 545 regulates delivery network companies (like food or package delivery apps) and their drivers in Iowa. It requires drivers or companies to maintain specific insurance coverage during the "delivery service period" (from when a driver accepts a delivery request until goods are delivered), covering at least $50,000 per person for bodily injury, $100,000 for multiple people, and $25,000 for property damage. Companies must also disclose insurance details to drivers in writing before they accept delivery requests, clarifying that personal auto insurance may not cover delivery work. The bill ensures company insurance covers claims without requiring personal insurance to deny coverage first, and it does not override existing federal or state transportation laws.

HF 780 prohibits the Iowa Utilities Commission from renewing permits for pipelines transporting liquefied carbon dioxide and limits all such pipelines to a maximum 25-year operational period. The bill amends existing law to specifically prevent permit renewals for CO2 pipelines, while maintaining the current 25-year maximum permit duration. This directly affects pipeline companies seeking to operate or extend operations for liquefied CO2 transportation. The measure focuses on setting clear, time-bound operational limits for these specific pipelines.

HF 769 amends Iowa law to allow public school boards to authorize the sale, possession, and consumption of alcohol on public school property during approved nonschool-related events (like community festivals), but only if the event is deemed appropriate by the school board and the alcohol is sold under a five-day retail alcohol license held by a vendor other than the school. It maintains current bans on alcohol at school events, on private school property, and at higher education facilities. Violating the alcohol rules on school property remains a simple misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days in jail or a $105-$855 fine. The bill takes effect immediately upon enactment.

This bill changes how Iowa school districts fund charter schools for students living in their district. It requires school districts to pay charter schools an additional amount for "teacher salary supplement" per student, on top of existing funding formulas. This directly affects charter schools and school districts of residence, increasing the total state funding they receive per enrolled student. The change applies to all charter school students for school budget years starting July 1, 2025, and takes effect immediately upon enactment.

HF 301 requires the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics to prioritize Iowa residents, Iowa college/university graduates, or Iowa medical school graduates for federal medical residency and fellowship positions. It also mandates that primary care and psychiatry trainees complete rural rotations to gain exposure to rural healthcare settings across Iowa. The bill directly affects medical training programs at the University of Iowa, changing how candidates are selected and adding rural experience requirements. These are concrete policy changes to increase Iowa-focused medical training and rural healthcare exposure.

HF 880 modifies eligibility for Iowa's "enrich Iowa" program, which provides state funding to public libraries. The bill adds that libraries seeking this funding must not be dues-paying members of two specific types of advocacy organizations: national nonprofits promoting library legislation nationally, or state-focused nonprofits advocating for library-related policies within Iowa. This change directly affects public libraries that currently qualify for enrich Iowa assistance but belong to such organizations. The policy shift aims to adjust who qualifies for state library support without altering the program's core goals of improving access and reducing service inequities.

HF 302 amends Iowa law to remove language requiring consideration of reducing petroleum dependency or atmospheric contamination from agricultural energy policies. It specifically prohibits the Iowa Utilities Commission from factoring climate change into decisions about granting hazardous liquid pipeline permits. The bill changes two statutory sections: one eliminates references to reducing fossil fuel combustion impacts in agricultural energy support, and the other explicitly bans climate change as a consideration for pipeline permits. This directly affects the commission's permitting process for pipeline projects and the state's statutory framework for energy policy.

HF 575, the "Combatting Foreign Funding of Higher Education Act," requires Iowa's public universities (governed by the state board of regents) to annually report funding over $50,000 received from foreign sources. Each institution must detail the amount, type, purpose, and identity of foreign funders (including governments, entities, or non-U.S. individuals) by December 31 each year. Reports must be posted online by January 15, updated regularly, and made public records, with the attorney general able to enforce compliance through legal action. The bill excludes tuition payments from foreign students attending as individuals. It takes effect January 1, 2026.

HF 296, the "College Finance Transparency Act," requires Iowa's public universities under the State Board of Regents to publicly post detailed financial data online. It mandates that institutions disclose budgets, expenditures, vendors, and contracts exceeding $50,000, including annual departmental budgets, salary reports, and spending on diversity/inclusion initiatives. The information must be searchable, accessible without login, updated regularly, and retained online for 10 years, with a homepage link requiring no more than three clicks. The bill takes effect December 1, 2025, and excludes legally protected information from public posting. It directly affects all regents-controlled institutions of higher education in Iowa.

HF 861 changes how Iowa evaluates whether water uses qualify as "beneficial" for permit approvals. It removes the current legal definition of beneficial use and requires the Department of Natural Resources to assess each permit application individually on a case-by-case basis, rather than applying predefined categories. The bill also sets strict deadlines: new permits must be decided within 90 days and renewals within 30 days, while requiring all permits to include routine conservation practices and emergency measures. This directly affects water users seeking permits for diversion, storage, or withdrawal across Iowa.