Rep. Adam Zabner

Maddy summaryHF 2384 increases Iowa's maximum unemployment benefits for eligible workers. It raises the cap from 16 to 26 times a worker's weekly benefit amount during a benefit year. For workers laid off due to an employer's business closure, it increases the cap from 26 to 39 times the weekly benefit amount. This change directly affects unemployed Iowans who qualify for benefits, ensuring they receive more total support under these specific circumstances. The bill modifies how benefit limits are calculated based on prior earnings.

Maddy summaryHF 2631 establishes Iowa's Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program, creating a paid, job-protected leave system for eligible employees. It directly affects workers at covered employers (private businesses with 10+ employees year-round or public employers) who need leave for bonding with a newborn/adopted child, caring for a family member with a serious health condition, taking medical leave for their own serious health issue, or addressing qualifying circumstances as a crime victim (e.g., seeking medical care, legal assistance, or safety measures). The program is funded through employee premiums, with benefits calculated based on spendable weekly earnings, and is administered by the Department of Workforce Development. This legislation expands on existing federal protections by adding specific coverage for crime victim-related leave and standardizing definitions for eligibility and benefits.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a state-funded health insurance subsidy program to help Iowans maintain affordable health coverage after federal subsidies expire in 2026. It establishes a new state fund that will provide financial assistance equal to the value of the federal premium tax credit that would have been available in 2025, ensuring residents do not lose coverage due to the federal funding reduction. The program requires applicants to submit standard health insurance application information including income and immigration status, with subsidies potentially available retroactively from January 1, 2026. State agencies will develop an online application system, and the bill appropriates state funds for the 2026-2027 fiscal year to cover these subsidies until federal credits are restored.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies how Iowa calculates and distributes funding to area education agencies and school districts, primarily adjusting the foundation base percentages used to determine regular program and special education support services funding. It establishes new formulas for calculating professional development supplements starting in 2026 and requires that at least 90% of special education support services funds received by districts after 2025 be used for services contracted from area education agencies. The legislation also ensures that certain teacher and professional development supplements are paid in full even if the governor orders budget reductions, protecting these specific funding categories from cuts. Additionally, the bill clarifies rounding rules for most funding computations and includes a legislative intent statement linking school funding quality to student education quality.

Maddy summaryHF 327 creates a tax credit for Iowa residents who serve as clinical preceptors for advanced registered nurse practitioner students. The credit provides $1,000 per clinical preceptorship (involving at least 100 hours of supervised learning) with a maximum $2,000 annual credit, directly affecting licensed nurse practitioners who mentor students without compensation. To qualify, preceptors must be employed at the clinical site, selected by the nursing program, and have at least one year of mentoring experience. The credit is refundable if it exceeds tax liability, and preceptors must document student details including hours and program information. The bill applies to tax years beginning January 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryHF 2367 prevents homeowners' associations in Iowa from banning unit owners from planting native vegetation (like Iowa's indigenous grasses, flowers, shrubs, and trees) on their personal lawns, provided the area is kept free of weeds, invasive species, and trash, and the plants don't extend onto public areas, neighboring properties, or interfere with traffic or utilities. Associations may still set reasonable rules for planned native vegetation landscapes, but cannot impose height restrictions that hinder proper maintenance. The bill applies only to individual unit owners' lawns, not common areas or properties where owners lack landscaping authority.

Maddy summaryHF 2364 requires Iowa legislators' salaries to be suspended if the state fails to enact specific budget funding levels (state percent of growth and categorical state percent of growth) within 30 days of the governor's budget transmission. This applies directly to Iowa legislators during the regular legislative session. If the required budget provisions aren't passed by the deadline, salaries are suspended starting on day 31 and remain suspended until the funding levels are enacted. Any withheld salary is forfeited and not paid retroactively upon later enactment of the budget provisions.

Maddy summaryHF 2291 prevents Iowa state agencies from charging members of the legislature fees when they request to examine or copy public records they are legally allowed to access under existing law. The bill amends Iowa Code section 22.3 to create a specific exception, ensuring legislators face no fees for these requests - covering all public records accessible to the public under section 22.2, excluding those protected by confidentiality rules in section 22.7. This change applies directly to Iowa legislators and state agencies managing public records. The bill does not alter the standard fee structure for non-legislative requests. It is a procedural change focused on removing financial barriers for legislative oversight.

Maddy summaryThis bill (HF 2290) changes Iowa's law governing township trustee boards. Currently, townships with a taxable property valuation of $250 million or more must have five trustees, while others have three. The bill eliminates this distinction, requiring all townships to have exactly three trustee members regardless of their property valuation. This change applies uniformly to every township board across Iowa, simplifying the structure without altering other duties like fence viewing or meeting requirements.

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.