Rep. Ken Croken

Maddy summaryHF 554 modifies Iowa public school library requirements. It requires school districts to employ a licensed teacher librarian (starting July 1, 2025), removing the previous option of hiring someone previously employed at a public library. The bill eliminates enforcement mechanisms like written warnings and hearings for library program compliance, removes confidentiality protections for parents requesting book removals, and deletes prohibitions against student involvement in material removal decisions. These changes directly affect school districts, library staff, and parents making material removal requests.

Maddy summaryHF 336 requires Iowa public school districts to incorporate age-appropriate Holocaust education into middle and high school curricula by the 2025-2026 school year. The bill mandates instruction covering the causes and consequences of the Holocaust, historical antisemitism, resistance efforts, and the U.S. role in defeating Nazi Germany, including contributions by diverse military groups. School districts must also provide teacher training on these topics through professional development programs using approved resources like the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. The Iowa Department of Education will annually report on school district compliance. This law applies to all public school districts in Iowa and uses existing state funding without requiring new appropriations.

Maddy summaryHF 504 establishes a robotics grant program within Iowa's STEM collaborative initiative to provide funding for school robotics programs. It appropriates $400,000 to offset costs like team stipends, competition fees, kits, and travel for public school districts, nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools. The bill also allocates $100,000 to the University of Northern Iowa to develop a public-private partnership supporting the Iowa regional FIRST robotics competition. These provisions directly support K-12 robotics education and competition participation through targeted financial assistance.

Maddy summaryHF 431 removes all time limits for victims to file civil lawsuits related to sexual abuse, human trafficking, or sexual exploitation of minors in Iowa. It applies directly to victims of these specific harms, including cases involving counselors, school staff, or others in positions of trust. The bill revives previously dismissed cases where the time limit had expired, allowing victims to file new lawsuits even if they were previously barred. This change takes effect immediately upon enactment, eliminating prior deadlines like the five-year window for school-related abuse claims.

Maddy summaryHF 368 updates Iowa's water quality laws to regulate large livestock operations. It specifically requires medium and large concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) - like major dairy or hog farms - to obtain federal-style NPDES permits for managing manure and wastewater. The bill establishes state rules for manure storage, treatment, and facility inspections, aligning with federal Clean Water Act standards. These permits aim to prevent pollution from runoff into rivers and streams, directly affecting agricultural operations that meet the CAFO size definitions.

Maddy summaryHF 412 modifies Iowa's child care assistance program to better support unhoused parents. It defines "unhoused" as lacking a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence (including living in motels, shelters, cars, or transitional housing) and requires the Department of Health and Human Services to extend the 30-day employment-based eligibility limit for parents of children under six years old who are unhoused. The bill also exempts unhoused children from program waiting lists and mandates an expedited process for approving assistance and extensions for unhoused applicants. These changes directly affect low-income parents experiencing housing instability who are seeking work.

Maddy summaryHF 411 exempts families determined by Iowa's Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to be "unhoused" from making copayments for the state child care assistance program (CCA). The bill defines "unhoused" as lacking a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, including living in motels, shelters, cars, or temporary settings. Unhoused families are not required to pay copayments as a condition of CCA program participation, and this exemption lasts for six months after HHS determines the family is no longer unhoused. This change directly affects low-income families experiencing housing instability who rely on state child care assistance.

Maddy summaryHF 376 sets specific limits on campaign contributions for Iowa candidates. It restricts contributions to $4,000 from individuals or political committees and $40,000 from political parties for statewide office candidates (like governor), while lowering these caps to $1,000 and $10,000 for state senator or representative candidates. The bill applies separately to each primary, general, and special election within an election cycle. Violations carry penalties including a serious misdemeanor charge (up to 1 year in jail and $2,560 fine) or civil penalties up to $2,000.

Maddy summaryHF 403 allows courts in Iowa to permit certain witnesses, including minors under 18 and victims or witnesses with mental illness, intellectual disabilities, or developmental disabilities, to testify via two-way closed-circuit video equipment instead of in the physical courtroom. This protects them from trauma caused by facing the defendant directly, which could impair their ability to communicate. The court must specifically find such measures are necessary and limit the room with the witness to the judge, attorneys, necessary technicians, and individuals supporting the witness’s well-being. The minor must also be informed the defendant will view their testimony via video but will not be physically present.

Maddy summaryHF 410 would require Iowa's Department of Health and Human Services to set reimbursement rates for child care providers caring for unhoused children equal to the rate for children needing special-needs care. The bill defines "unhoused" as lacking a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, including living in motels, shelters, cars, or transitional housing. This change directly affects child care providers serving unhoused children and the state's child care assistance program budget. The bill was introduced on February 13, 2025, and remains in committee.