Education

signed · Iowa · House May 6, 2026

HF 703: A bill for an act concerning information regarding certain state and federal student loan programs.

HF 703, the "Increasing Student Financial Aid Awareness Act," requires Iowa's Student Loan Liquidity Corporation to provide the Bureau of Iowa College Aid with annual estimates of federal direct PLUS loan interest rates and comparisons between state and federal loan terms. The Bureau must analyze this data to determine if Iowa's college family or partnership loans offer lower interest rates than federal PLUS loans. If they do, the Bureau must publish a clear online statement explaining this difference and require all Iowa colleges to include this information in financial aid offers to students. This bill directly affects Iowa students, families, and higher education institutions by improving transparency around loan options and ensuring they receive standardized comparisons of state and federal student loan rates.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationPromotes educational access by informing students of lower-cost state loan options, reducing financial barriers to higher education85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

passed · Iowa · House May 2, 2026

HF 2791: A bill for an act permitting an exchange of the cash reserve levy for another local levy within the school budget for certain school districts to correct for an extreme circumstance and including effective date provisions.

This bill allows certain Iowa school districts to temporarily exceed their usual cash reserve tax limits for the 2026-2027 school year if a single property tax correction caused their taxable value to drop by at least $100 million. To do this, the districts must offset the extra money raised for reserves by reducing other local property taxes, such as the management levy, ensuring the total tax amount remains within legal limits. The process requires the district to notify the Department of Management, which will then adjust the official tax rates to reflect these changes. This measure is designed to help districts maintain financial stability after a significant administrative error in property valuation.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill allows school districts to correct extreme tax valuation drops by temporarily increasing reserve levies, ensuring fiscal stability and protecting school budgets.85% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill allows districts to exceed reserve limits to correct tax drops, ensuring financial stability and protecting school budgets.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

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passed · Iowa · House Apr 29, 2026

HF 2759: A bill for an act relating to the payment of claims associated with nonpublic school pupil transportation, making appropriations, and including effective date provisions.

This bill increases the state funding limit for nonpublic school pupil transportation claims from approximately $8.997 million to $9.184 million for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. The additional funds are specifically designated to reimburse claims that were not previously paid because they were submitted late due to administrative errors. It directs the Iowa Department of Education to use these new moneys to process those delayed reimbursements and takes effect immediately upon enactment.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill increases state funding limits to reimburse delayed transportation claims for nonpublic schools, directly advancing fiscal management and appropriations.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill increases funding for nonpublic school transportation claims to reimburse previously unpaid delayed reimbursements.95% confidence ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationBill increases funding for nonpublic school pupil transportation to reimburse delayed claims, directly supporting transportation services.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

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passed · Iowa · House Apr 28, 2026

HF 2764: A bill for an act relating to school district budgeting by modifying provisions relating to proposed property tax amounts.

This bill modifies Iowa school district budgeting rules to address timing issues with property tax proposals. It establishes a specific public hearing date no earlier than March 20 of the preceding year, ensuring residents have time to provide testimony before tax amounts are finalized. Under new provisions, if state growth percentages are not set by March 5, school districts must limit their proposed budget growth to match the previous year's rate. Additionally, while most local governments can only lower proposed tax amounts after a public hearing, school districts are granted the ability to increase them if enrollment data or new laws require it. These changes aim to provide clearer timelines and flexibility for school districts during the budget process.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill strengthens school district budgeting by ensuring timely public hearings and preventing arbitrary budget cuts due to delayed state growth percentages, thereby protecting school funding stability.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Education

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passed · Iowa · House Apr 22, 2026

HF 2750: A bill for an act relating to the collection and distribution of fees for wire transmissions, the establishment of the school security grant program, and including contingent effective date provisions.

This bill establishes a new fee structure for wire transmissions, which are defined as money transfers sent to or from locations outside the United States. Financial institutions and their authorized representatives must collect a $5 fee for transfers of $500 or less, plus an additional 2% charge on amounts exceeding $500. The collected fees are submitted quarterly to the state Department of Revenue, with 10% directed to the office to combat human trafficking and the remainder deposited into the state's general fund. The Department of Revenue, working with the Department of Public Safety, is responsible for enforcing compliance, and may recommend license suspensions or revocations for non-payment.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill establishes new fees for wire transmissions and directs 10% to human trafficking office, increasing state revenue for public programs.90% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill establishes a school security grant program funded by wire transmission fees, providing financial resources for school safety infrastructure.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Education

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passed · Iowa · House Apr 20, 2026

HF 2755: A bill for an act relating to state participation in the federal tax credit program for individual contributions to scholarship granting organizations.

This bill directs the Governor of Iowa to opt into a federal tax credit program that allows individuals to receive tax breaks for donating money to scholarship-granting organizations. These organizations are nonprofits that provide financial aid for elementary and secondary education expenses, such as tuition and tutoring, to students in both public and private schools. To maintain eligibility for this program starting in tax years after January 1, 2027, the state's departments of revenue and education must follow federal rules and submit required information to the U.S. Treasury.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill establishes a state tax credit program for education donations, promoting fiscal incentives and supporting educational funding.85% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill enables tax credits for donations to scholarship organizations, expanding financial aid access for K-12 and private school students.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

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passed · Iowa · House Apr 20, 2026

HF 2748: A bill for an act relating to agriculture, including by providing for the powers and duties of the department of agriculture and land stewardship, including the promotion and regulation of commodities and products; the regulation of the transportation of agricultural commodities; the use of agricultural land; and taxation, including property taxes, excise and sales taxes, and income taxes; making penalties applicable; and including effective date and applicability provisions.

This bill establishes a Choose Iowa school purchasing program that matches school district spending on local agricultural products with state funding, allowing schools to purchase meat, poultry, dairy, grains, eggs, honey, and produce from Iowa farms at a one-to-one reimbursement rate. It also creates a Choose Iowa food bank purchasing program that provides matching funds to Iowa food banks and emergency feeding organizations for similar local food purchases, with a cap of $50,000 per organization annually. The legislation authorizes the Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship to administer these programs, set membership criteria for participating farms and businesses, and use up to 5% of program funds for administrative costs. Additionally, the bill allocates $1.75 million annually to support renewable fuel infrastructure for retail motor fuel sites and $150,000 for program administration.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill provides state funding matching for agricultural purchases, strengthening local food systems and supporting Iowa farmers through dedicated appropriations.85% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill provides matching funds for schools to purchase local agricultural products, enhancing school food programs and supporting student nutrition.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

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passed · Iowa · House Apr 14, 2026

HF 2752: A bill for an act relating to the teach Iowa scholar program, including modifying eligibility provisions and establishing funding allocations.

This bill modifies the Teach Iowa Scholar Program to change how state funding is distributed to teachers starting in the 2026 fiscal year. It mandates that 20% of the funds go to special education instructors and 50% go to teachers working in rural school districts, which are defined as those with fewer than 1,000 students. The legislation also clarifies that a single teacher cannot receive funding under both categories simultaneously, requiring the state department to assign them to only one group. These changes directly affect eligible classroom teachers in Iowa by altering the specific criteria and allocation percentages for the scholarship fund.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill establishes specific funding allocations for the Teach Iowa Scholar Program, directing state funds to special education and rural teachers.90% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill increases funding for special education and rural teachers, strengthening educational access and teacher support.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

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passed · Iowa · House Mar 31, 2026

HF 2652: A bill for an act relating to play-based learning in preschool, prekindergarten, and kindergarten.

HF 2652 requires Iowa schools serving preschool through kindergarten to incorporate specific amounts of play-based learning into daily instruction. It mandates at least 90 minutes of play-based learning per half school day and 180 minutes per full day for prekindergarten programs, and at least 45 minutes daily for kindergarten programs. The bill defines "play-based learning" as child-directed activities promoting development through play, excluding recess or physical education. This applies to all public school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools offering these grades.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates specific play-based learning time in early education curriculum, advancing developmental teaching methods for preschool/kindergarten programs.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

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passed · Iowa · House Mar 30, 2026

HF 2725: A bill for an act relating to education reporting, including the sharing of unit-level wage data for secondary and postsecondary program evaluation, the establishment of the condition of education report, consolidating certain required reports, modifying responsibilities for the future ready Iowa last-dollar scholarship report, modifying Iowa workforce development data-sharing provisions, and creating a return on investment reporting system to be overseen by the Iowa student aid commission.

HF 2725 requires Iowa's Department of Workforce Development to share unit-level wage data (like job titles, earnings, and locations) with the Department of Education for evaluating secondary and postsecondary education programs. It establishes an annual "condition of education report" due April 1 each year, consolidating multiple existing reports, and creates a statewide return on investment (ROI) reporting system overseen by the Iowa Student Aid Commission. Public colleges and universities must submit program-level data - including costs, completion rates, graduate earnings, and job placement - to the Commission for public publication. Institutions failing to comply may lose eligibility for state financial aid programs, though federal aid remains unaffected. The bill directly affects public colleges, students seeking program transparency, and state agencies managing education data.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationEstablishes data-driven reporting systems (condition of education report, ROI tracking) to evaluate program effectiveness and inform education funding decisions, strengthening accountability and outcomes.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

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