Rep. Charley Thomson

Maddy summaryHF 2284 requires all Iowa wind turbines over 100 kilowatts to undergo annual safety inspections by qualified inspectors, covering structural, mechanical, electrical, and safety systems. Operators must submit detailed inspection reports to the Iowa Utilities Commission within 30 days and halt operations for safety issues until fixed within 90 days. The bill imposes civil penalties of up to $5,000 per turbine for missed inspections, $2,000 for late reports, and $10,000 for unresolved safety concerns. It directly affects wind energy operators statewide, with enforcement handled by the Iowa Utilities Commission, which will maintain a public inspection database and conduct random audits.

Maddy summaryHF 2316 amends Iowa law to define an "unborn child" as an individual organism from fertilization to fetal death or live birth, treating them as legal persons for specific purposes. It expands wrongful death damages to include the death of an unborn child, and creates new criminal provisions making homicide and assault against an unborn child subject to the same legal protections as crimes against born persons. The bill explicitly excludes unintentional harm or death resulting from life-saving medical procedures for the pregnant woman or miscarriages. This law applies only to incidents occurring on or after its effective date.

Maddy summaryHF 2286 replaces Iowa's social studies curriculum standards by directly adopting South Dakota's standards as the state's new requirements. It mandates specific content including U.S. government, U.S. history, and voting procedures (requiring one-half unit of government and one unit of history), while explicitly prohibiting "action civics" (defined as assignments encouraging political activism or advocacy). The bill modifies graduation requirements to include three years of social studies and removes the Iowa Department of Education's authority to set social studies content, directing schools to follow the adopted standards instead. This directly affects all Iowa public and accredited nonpublic schools, their students, and teachers implementing social studies curriculum.

Maddy summaryHF 2285 requires all Iowa public school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools to offer a junior firefighter program to students in grades 9-12. The program must teach about fire service work in a safe environment, build life skills like teamwork, and connect students with emergency responders to encourage future careers in firefighting. Schools can create the program themselves or partner with national organizations, and it may be offered as an extracurricular activity or part of career education. The bill specifies that schools will fund this requirement using existing state school foundation aid, with no new state funding needed for implementation.

Maddy summaryHF 2195 requires Iowa county election commissioners to label every ballot cast in primary and general elections with the specific method used to vote. The label must distinguish between in-person voting on election day, in-person voting before election day, and mail voting - separating standard mail ballots from those cast by military personnel or overseas citizens under federal law. This policy change aims to provide transparency about voting methods by mandating standardized ballot labeling across all counties. The state election commissioner will develop implementing rules under Chapter 17A of Iowa law. The bill is currently in the introduction stage, having been referred to the State Government committee on January 29, 2026.

Maddy summaryHF 2164 requires voters registering to vote on election day or casting an in-person absentee ballot to cast a provisional ballot instead of a regular ballot if their eligibility cannot be verified immediately. The absentee and special voters precinct board must later verify the voter's eligibility - specifically checking if they have a felony conviction without restored voting rights - before counting the ballot. This changes current law, which allowed some voters to cast regular ballots if electronic verification was possible at the polling place. The bill directly affects voters registering or voting in person on election day who cannot prove eligibility through electronic means.

Maddy summaryHF 2166 requires Iowa's state commissioner of elections to create a record of all voter registration data for every voter who cast a ballot in each election, organized by county, within 60 days after the election. This record must be retained for eight years and made available electronically at no cost to the public upon request (with physical storage options for very large files). The bill directly affects voters whose data is included in the record and the public seeking access to election-related voter registration information. It establishes a new procedural requirement for preserving and providing access to historical voter registration data.

Maddy summaryHF 2165 modifies Iowa's absentee voting process to standardize ballot handling and return procedures. It requires absentee ballots to be mailed in a specific envelope system (including affidavit, delivery, and return envelopes with matching serial numbers) and sets a strict deadline: ballots must be received by the county commissioner's office by 5:00 p.m. the day before election day, either via mail (postmarked by that date) or delivered in person. This directly affects Iowa voters who request absentee ballots, changing how they must package, sign, and return their ballots. The bill clarifies verification steps and adds a secrecy envelope requirement if ballots cannot be folded to hide votes.

Maddy summaryHF 2056 requires Iowa's public health department to establish a standing order allowing pharmacists to dispense hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin to patients aged 18 or older upon direct request, without a prescription. Pharmacists must provide manufacturer instructions but cannot require a prescription, appointment, or record the patient encounter. The bill grants immunity from civil or criminal liability to pharmacists and the health department medical director for dispensing under this order. It directly affects patients seeking these medications and pharmacists who dispense them under the new protocol.

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.