Sen. Jeff Reichman

Maddy summarySF 317 increases the annual registration fee for individuals listed on the sex offender registry. Currently, these individuals pay $25 annually to the sheriff of their principal residence county. This bill raises that annual fee to $50, effective for their first required in-person appearance after July 1, 2025. Sheriffs will continue to collect these fees and retain the discretion to allow payment over time, in installments, or waive the fee if the person is unable to pay. The collected fees are used to help cover the costs associated with sex offender registration duties.

Maddy summarySF 47, known as the "Uniform Public Expression Protection Act," creates a special legal process for individuals facing lawsuits that target their exercise of free speech, press, assembly, or association on matters of public concern. It allows a defendant to file a "special motion for expedited relief" to dismiss such a lawsuit, which then pauses other legal proceedings like discovery. The court must dismiss the case if the defendant shows it falls under these protections and the plaintiff cannot demonstrate a valid initial legal claim. The bill also mandates the award of court costs, attorney fees, and litigation expenses to the party who prevails on this special motion.

Maddy summaryThis Iowa bill updates barbering and cosmetology licensing rules. It allows schools to host non-class activities without disrupting instruction, lets instructors provide paid services at school during non-teaching hours, and creates a combined license for esthetics and nail technology (requiring full completion of all requirements to qualify). The licensing board cannot approve programs with lower standards than existing licenses or duplicate existing programs. Licensed schools where students practice services are exempt from separate establishment licensing.

Maddy summarySF 356 amends Iowa law to limit county central committee officers to a maximum two-year term, regardless of whether a successor has been elected. This directly affects county-level political party officers (such as chairs and treasurers) in all Iowa counties. The key change replaces current law - which allowed officers to serve until a successor was elected (potentially exceeding two years) - with a fixed term limit. The bill ensures officers cannot serve longer than two years, even if no replacement is chosen promptly.

Maddy summarySJR 6 is a constitutional amendment proposing to repeal Iowa’s natural resources and outdoor recreation trust fund (which funded parks, trails, and conservation) and replace it with a new property tax relief trust fund. The amendment would dedicate a portion of increased sales and use tax revenue (capped at 0.375% of taxable sales) to lower school district property tax levies uniformly across the state. This fund would replace revenue previously generated from the foundation property tax levy, directly reducing property taxes for homeowners and businesses that fund public schools. As a constitutional amendment, it requires voter approval after legislative passage.

Maddy summaryThis bill imposes a moratorium on new gambling licenses in Iowa, limiting the total number of licenses for gambling games (on boats, structures, or racetracks) to 19 through June 30, 2030. It restricts new licenses to counties that already had licensed gambling operations on the bill's effective date. The law allows existing licensees to move within their county, sell facilities while retaining licenses, or issue new licenses if a previous license was surrendered, not renewed, or revoked in the same county. The moratorium ends on July 1, 2030, and the bill takes effect immediately upon enactment.

Maddy summarySF 112 would establish a new Iowa transactional currency backed by physical gold and silver stored in a state-approved depository. Individuals or other states could purchase the currency by paying for the equivalent amount of gold or silver (with fees), with each unit representing a specific fractional troy ounce of metal. Holders could redeem the currency for U.S. dollars (by selling the metal) or for physical gold/silver (by receiving the metal from the depository), and the treasurer of state would set security and fraud prevention rules. The bill directly affects currency buyers, the treasurer’s office, and approved depositories, but does not change existing state or federal currency laws.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits using or creating bots to buy event tickets online in excess of posted limits or to bypass sales systems like electronic queues or access controls. It defines "bot" as software mimicking human activity (excluding browser autofill), "event" as paid public performances, and "ticket" as admission proof. Ticket sellers must report violations to the attorney general within five days, who can then sue violators for up to $10,000 per violation or $100,000 for violating an injunction. The bill directly affects ticket sellers, bot developers, and buyers attempting to circumvent ticket purchase limits.

Maddy summarySF 90 would make daylight saving time the permanent official time in Iowa, eliminating the current biannual clock changes. This bill directly affects all Iowa residents, businesses, and organizations by establishing a single time standard year-round instead of switching between standard time and daylight saving time. The key provision amends state law to define daylight saving time (central standard time) as the official time, removing the requirement to "spring forward" in March and "fall back" in November. It does not create new programs or alter other regulations, focusing solely on the time standard for state operations. The bill is currently in committee review after being introduced in January 2025.

Maddy summaryThis Iowa bill (SF 50) protects sports officials from civil lawsuits for actions taken while officiating games, such as refereeing or umpiring, unless their conduct was intentional, malicious, or extremely careless. It also increases penalties for assaulting sports officials: knowingly causing serious injury during an assault is now a class D felony, while other assaults against officials become serious misdemeanors. The law defines "sports official" as referees, umpires, or similar personnel registered with governing organizations. This applies immediately to all cases filed after enactment, including those involving incidents that occurred before the law took effect.