Sen. Sandy Salmon

Maddy summaryThis bill (SF 117) protects pharmacists and licensed healthcare practitioners (like doctors, nurses, and dentists) from employer or licensing board restrictions that interfere with their professional judgment when prescribing, dispensing, or administering medications. It prohibits boards or employers from creating rules that deter professionals from using treatments they deem appropriate based on their expertise and scope of practice. Any such restriction - whether in contracts, handbooks, or policies - is declared unenforceable and cannot lead to disciplinary action. The bill ensures professionals using medication decisions within their scope and best judgment cannot face license discipline for those choices.

Maddy summarySF 226 establishes a new process for reviewing eminent domain actions in Iowa. It allows property owners whose land is at risk of being taken under eminent domain (or applicants before the Iowa Utilities Commission) to petition Polk County district court for a declaratory review before the commission makes a final decision. The court can only declare legal rights and status under eminent domain law, not change outcomes, and the bill permits a new review in a different county after 18 months or if circumstances change, requiring a fresh court evaluation. Additionally, it mandates a $10 filing fee (deposited into the state general fund) and eliminates bond requirements for appeals or enforcement of related court orders.

Maddy summarySF 224 requires all Iowa Utilities Commission members to be present during live testimony at public utility, pipeline, or electric transmission line hearings. If any member is absent during testimony, the hearing must pause until all members return. For informational meetings about pipeline permits or utility projects, at least one commission member must be present, and the meeting must pause if they become unavailable until a member returns. The bill applies to hearings and meetings related to pipeline permits, electric transmission lines, and utility regulations, ensuring consistent commission presence without requiring formal meeting records.

Maddy summarySF 225 prohibits the Iowa Utilities Commission from renewing permits for pipelines transporting liquefied carbon dioxide and sets a maximum 25-year operational limit for such pipelines. The bill directly affects pipeline companies seeking to operate CO2 pipelines in Iowa and the commission responsible for issuing permits. It amends existing law to explicitly ban permit renewals and ensure no CO2 pipeline operates beyond 25 years, reinforcing a current 25-year limit already in place for all pipeline permits. The legislation does not change the existing 25-year cap but specifically prevents renewal for CO2 pipelines.

Maddy summarySF 239 requires applicants for hazardous liquid pipeline permits in Iowa to provide evidence of sufficient insurance or surety before a permit is granted. This insurance must cover damages from pipeline discharges (negligent or intentional), property damage from construction or discharges, and increased insurance costs or inability to obtain insurance for nearby residents. Pipeline owners must either purchase insurance for affected residents or reimburse them for higher premiums caused by the pipeline. The bill directly affects pipeline companies seeking permits and property owners near proposed pipeline routes. It establishes concrete insurance requirements to address financial risks tied to pipeline construction and operation.

Maddy summaryThis bill (SF 228) changes how the Iowa Utilities Commission can impose sanctions on intervenors - third parties like consumer groups or businesses participating in utility rate cases. It requires the commission to find two specific conditions before threatening or imposing sanctions: (1) the intervenor was knowingly dishonest or violated a criminal statute, and (2) the intervenor caused quantifiable injury exceeding $500 to the commission. The bill directly affects intervenors in contested utility cases by limiting sanctions to only the most severe misconduct with clear financial harm. It does not create new sanctions but sets strict procedural barriers for their use.

Maddy summarySF 229 reorganizes the Office of the Consumer Advocate within Iowa's Department of Justice. It requires the attorney general to appoint the advocate from a list provided by a committee (secretary of agriculture, auditor, treasurer), with Senate confirmation every four years, and mandates regular reporting to that committee. The bill establishes the office as a separate division, specifies its funding through charges to utility proceedings (as detailed in Sections 476.10 and 476.10B), and ensures fiscal self-sufficiency by requiring the advocate's expenses to be covered by these assessments. This directly affects the advocate's appointment process, operational structure, and funding mechanism within utility regulation.

Maddy summarySF 115 requires Iowa school districts to obtain written parental consent before enrolling students in human growth and development courses or facilitating attendance at related educational conferences. It mandates that school boards annually provide parents with specific information about such courses, materials, and conferences. The bill prohibits schools from requiring student participation in these programs without a parent's written request for excusal. School districts must cover the costs of compliance using existing state school foundation aid, as specified in the bill.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits exposing minors to "obscene performances," defined as visual acts showing sexual content (like exposed body parts or extreme sexual acts) that minors shouldn't view, lacking artistic value and appealing to prurient interest under community standards. It criminalizes knowingly exposing minors to such performances (aggravated misdemeanor) or admitting minors to venues showing them (serious misdemeanor for those under 18, aggravated misdemeanor for children under 14). Parents, guardians, or affected minors (after turning 18) can now sue for at least $10,000 in damages, plus other remedies like injunctions, with a 2-year filing window for parents or up to 10 years after turning 18 for former minors. The bill also bans public institutions and funds from supporting such performances.

Maddy summarySF 159 establishes new rules for how Iowa election officials handle voter records and ballot logs. It prohibits election officials from adding extra requirements when creating voter lists beyond existing rules and clarifies that "bona fide political research" includes work to maintain voter databases. The bill requires the state commissioner to create and keep a post-election record of all registered voters (organized by county) for eight years, available electronically at no cost. For ballot logs, it mandates detailed electronic logs for all ballots in large counties (over 100,000 population) and only absentee ballots in smaller counties, excluding personal information, with both types maintained for eight years and provided electronically upon request.