Rep. Bill Gustoff

Maddy summaryHF 2366 modifies Iowa's education laws regarding private instruction and dual enrollment. It removes the requirement for parents to provide immunization records or blood lead tests when first placing a child in private instruction, while adding specific reporting details like the child's age, course outline, and instructor information to school districts. The bill ensures privately instructed students can participate in public school academic and extracurricular activities through dual enrollment and guarantees that diplomas from private instruction programs are treated equally to public school diplomas. These changes directly affect parents of privately instructed children, school districts, and private instruction providers.

Maddy summaryHF 2475 requires nonprofits making donations to public education to make related records publicly accessible. Specifically, it deems nonprofits acting as "supporting organizations" (under IRS rules) as government bodies, treating their records as public unless confidentiality is required by law. It also removes an existing exception that previously kept donation records to public schools, colleges, or supporting foundations confidential. This bill directly affects nonprofits donating to public educational institutions (like school districts, community colleges, or state-regent universities) and gives the public the right to examine and copy those donation records.

Maddy summaryHF 2180 establishes a state-funded grant program to help Iowa veterans obtain service animal training. It appropriates $100,000 annually starting in 2026 to provide eligible veterans with grants of up to $5,000 per lifetime, paid directly to accredited Iowa-based training organizations. To qualify, veterans must be state residents meeting department-defined criteria, and organizations must maintain a physical Iowa location and meet accreditation standards. The program requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to set rules for accreditation, application processes, and fund oversight, while coordinating outreach with local veteran service offices.

Maddy summaryHF 2077 modifies Iowa's education funding rules to allow school districts to use money from the Secure an Advanced Vision for Education (SAVE) fund for increased insurance costs associated with employing individuals who hold professional permits to carry weapons under state law. The bill expands the definition of "school infrastructure" under the SAVE fund to specifically include these higher insurance premiums. This change directly affects school districts that hire permit holders for security roles, providing funding flexibility for related insurance expenses. The policy change is purely procedural, clarifying eligible uses of existing SAVE fund resources without altering the fund's overall purpose or creating new financial obligations.

Maddy summaryHF 2272 modifies license renewal requirements for certain educational practitioners in Iowa. It adds a new exemption: practitioners employed for 20+ years (unless holding an evaluator endorsement requiring 10-year renewal) are exempt from renewal requirements, alongside the existing 10-year exemption for those with advanced degrees. The bill allows continuing education to be completed electronically and requires the Board of Educational Examiners to conduct criminal history checks every five years for exempt practitioners. This directly affects licensed educational professionals meeting the specified employment duration thresholds. The bill does not change the board’s authority to deny or revoke licenses under existing rules.

Maddy summaryHF 2271 modifies Iowa's world language instruction requirements for grades 9-12 in public school districts, nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools. It prohibits educators from altering languages that use grammatical gender (like Spanish or French) to incorporate gender-neutral terms. The bill specifically requires that instruction maintain the language's original grammatical structure, including gendered nouns and pronouns. This policy change directly affects how world language courses are taught in participating schools across Iowa.

Maddy summaryHF 2225 creates a tax credit for Iowa residents who paid nonresident tuition at state universities and later work in the state as health care professionals, teachers, licensed veterinarians, or professional engineers. The credit equals 100% of the difference between the nonresident and resident tuition rates they paid during their studies, available within three years of graduation while employed in Iowa. Unused credit can be carried forward for up to five years to offset future income tax, but it is not refundable and does not apply to nonresidents. The bill requires the Board of Regents to publish historical tuition rates online and applies retroactively to tax years starting January 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryThis resolution honors Staff Sergeants William Nathaniel Howard and Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, Iowa National Guard members killed in action during a December 13, 2025, enemy attack in Palmyra, Syria. It recognizes their service, sacrifice, and posthumous promotions to staff sergeant, while also acknowledging three wounded Iowa National Guard soldiers from the same incident. The resolution formally expresses the House of Representatives' respect for their lives and sacrifice, and directs copies to be sent to their families as a gesture of recognition. This is a commemorative resolution with no policy or funding changes, solely intended to honor the fallen service members and their families.

Maddy summaryHF 44 amends the regulations for the sale and use of consumer fireworks. The bill allows consumer fireworks to be sold from permanent buildings year-round, removing previous seasonal limitations. It also adds the general election day in even-numbered years as a permitted day for using consumer fireworks, specifically between 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. This affects individuals who sell fireworks from permanent structures and those who use consumer fireworks.

Maddy summaryHF 965 increases the state adoption tax credit available against the individual income tax. It raises the maximum credit for qualified adoption expenses from $5,000 to $20,000 per adoption, directly affecting taxpayers who adopt a child. The credit is refundable, meaning any amount exceeding a taxpayer's liability can be returned. This bill takes effect upon enactment and applies retroactively to adoptions finalized on or after January 1, 2024.