Rep. Brooke Boden

Maddy summaryHF 421 extends the deadline for filing workers' compensation claims when an employee cannot get an accurate diagnosis due to delays from an employer-chosen health provider. It allows the filing period to be extended until diagnosis is possible, but only if the delay was solely caused by the provider and the employee made a diligent effort to get care. The bill also changes the definition of "date of injury" to when the employee knew or should have known the injury was work-related and serious enough to permanently affect their job. This applies retroactively to injuries occurring on or after August 1, 2022, directly affecting workers seeking compensation for delayed-diagnosed injuries.

Maddy summaryHF 150 prohibits Iowa public school districts from using standards-based grading for students in grades six through twelve. The bill defines standards-based grading as a method that evaluates students on mastery of specific, smaller learning objectives within subjects, rather than traditional letter grades or points. If passed, school districts would be required to switch to alternative grading systems for middle and high school students. The bill is currently under review by the education subcommittee after being introduced in January 2025.

Maddy summaryHF 280 prohibits the governor from closing, mandating, or regulating places of worship during disasters or public health emergencies, including under emergency proclamations. It directly affects religious congregations using buildings designated as active places of worship. The bill defines "place of worship" as a building where an active congregation gathers for worship. This law would prevent executive actions restricting religious gatherings during declared emergencies. The bill is currently in the Judiciary committee after being introduced on February 10, 2025.

Maddy summaryHF 90 modifies continuing education requirements for licensed professionals in Iowa. It requires that all continuing education credits must directly relate to the licensed profession, prohibiting boards from imposing unrelated requirements. The bill also exempts licensed practitioners with at least ten years of experience and a master’s or doctoral degree from renewal requirements (unless they hold an evaluator endorsement needing ten-year renewal). Additionally, it mandates the Iowa Supreme Court to update attorney continuing education rules to ensure they only include practice-related requirements.

Maddy summaryHF 106 amends Iowa law to allow parents to pursue wrongful death claims if an unborn child dies due to another party's negligence or misconduct. The bill expands the definition of "person" in wrongful death statutes to include an unborn child, defined as a human embryo or fetus from fertilization until birth. This change enables legal claims to survive the death of an unborn child, meaning parents could seek compensation for the loss as they could for a born child. The policy directly affects families who experience the death of an unborn child due to accidents or negligence, providing a legal pathway for compensation under existing wrongful death laws.

Maddy summaryHF 4 requires healthcare providers to submit claims for reimbursement to a patient's primary health insurance plan first, before submitting to any secondary plans. It also mandates that primary health plans must provide a copy of the "explanation of benefits" (EOB) to the patient, their representative, or a secondary plan within 30 days of a request. The bill directly affects patients, healthcare providers, and health insurance companies by standardizing claim submission order and improving access to EOB documentation. These provisions aim to streamline billing processes and reduce administrative delays for covered individuals. The bill is procedural, focusing on claim handling rules rather than altering health coverage benefits.