Rep. Jeff Cooling

Maddy summaryHF 812 requests the Iowa legislative council to form an interim study committee to plan a state education summit for 2026. The committee, with specific membership including educators, administrators, and education officials, must determine the summit’s location, agenda, and speakers by December 2025. It will focus on identifying best practices in education, such as active learning and technology use, and develop speaker recommendations. The committee’s final report will propose the summit’s details to the legislature and governor.

Maddy summaryHF 740 limits rent increases for current tenants in Iowa residential rentals and mobile home parks. Landlords cannot raise rents more than three times the Midwest consumer price index (CPI) increase over the past year or the assessed property value increase (whichever is higher), whichever is greater. Mobile home park tenants must receive written notice of any rent increase at least 90 days before it takes effect. The bill directly affects existing renters in these housing types by capping annual rent hikes based on economic or property value metrics.

Maddy summaryHF 727 caps the annual finance charge for consumer credit sales at 10% on unpaid balances. It applies to both open-end credit (like credit cards) and other installment credit, limiting how much lenders can charge in interest. The bill directly affects consumers who take out credit for purchases and the lenders who provide those loans. Key provisions set a strict 10% annual rate ceiling, replacing previous higher thresholds. This is a concrete policy change to limit interest costs for borrowers.

Maddy summaryThis proposed constitutional amendment would establish a fundamental right to reproductive care in Iowa's Constitution, protecting services like contraception, abortion, prenatal care, and infertility treatment. It prohibits the state from interfering with these personal health decisions unless a "compelling state interest" is proven through the "least restrictive means," with specific exceptions allowing post-viability abortion restrictions only when medically necessary to protect a patient's life or health. The amendment directly affects all Iowans seeking reproductive healthcare by enshrining these rights at the constitutional level. If adopted by the legislature and voters, it would replace current state abortion laws with this new constitutional standard, though it remains a proposal pending ratification.

Maddy summaryHF 659 creates a state-administered Iowa Housing Tax Credit Program to support affordable housing development. It allows developers of qualifying low-income housing projects to claim tax credits against certain state taxes, with a $15 million annual cap (plus carryover from previous years). The bill also establishes neighborhood renovation grants and increases tax incentives for first-time homebuyers. These provisions directly affect housing developers, low-income residents, and homebuyers by providing financial tools to build and purchase housing in Iowa.

Maddy summaryHF 671 removes gender restrictions from Iowa's marriage laws. It amends the statute to state that "a party who otherwise meets the requirements... is eligible to marry any other such party regardless of gender," replacing previous language specifying "a marriage between a male and a female." The bill also updates related provisions, including void marriage definitions and a new section stating marriage is the "legally recognized union of two eligible parties," requiring all future legal interpretations of marriage terms to align with this gender-neutral definition. This change directly affects any individuals seeking marriage in Iowa who meet other statutory requirements, regardless of gender.

Maddy summaryHF 665 requires Iowa's public colleges and universities to enhance mental health support for students. It mandates annual mental health awareness sessions during orientation, integration of mental health topics into coursework, and publication of campus mental health resources online. The bill also requires institutions to implement an annual online screening tool for mental health conditions (starting three years after enactment), provide mental health first aid training for resident assistants and advisors, establish peer support programs using student peers, and form partnerships with local mental health providers for referrals. These measures directly affect all students at Iowa's public institutions of higher education.

Maddy summaryHF 661 creates a comprehensive child care package in Iowa. It expands the state's child and dependent care tax credit to match the federal credit amount (retroactive to 2025), establishes a state grant program to raise wages and provide health insurance/benefits for child care workers, and introduces a new small business tax credit for employers offering on-site or nearby child care (capping at $3,000 per employee annually, with a total $2 million annual limit). The bill also adjusts state child care assistance eligibility, raising required work hours for parents and increasing income thresholds to 265% (basic care) and 290% (special needs) of the federal poverty level, while requiring state reimbursement rates to match private-pay rates. These changes directly affect child care workers, small employers providing child care benefits, and low-income families seeking state assistance.

Maddy summaryThis bill (HF 663) seeks to continue Iowa's Medicaid-funded family planning services by requiring the state to request federal approval for a new "Iowa Family Planning Network." It would replace the current state program (Section 217.41B of the Iowa Code) with a network operating under the same benefits and rules as a federal waiver approved in 2017. The repeal of the old program takes effect only after the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approves the new state plan amendment. This change directly affects Iowans who use Medicaid for family planning services and the state program providing those services.

Maddy summaryThis bill changes how Iowa calculates weekly workers' compensation benefits for injured workers. It requires benefits to include overtime and premium pay in the calculation (previously excluded), and adds an annual cost-of-living adjustment based on Social Security's adjustment. These changes apply specifically to injured workers who earned overtime or premium pay before their injury. The law modifies existing calculation methods in Iowa Code §85.36 to ensure benefits reflect their actual pre-injury earnings and adjust for inflation.