HF 175 Iowa House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

A bill for an act relating to in-state residency for purposes of undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees at regents institutions and community colleges for certain military personnel and family members.

HF 175 changes Iowa's tuition rules to allow certain military families to qualify for in-state tuition rates at public colleges. It directly affects active-duty military members stationed in Iowa, their spouses and children, veterans eligible for Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, and survivors of deceased veterans. The bill creates new definitions that let these groups be classified as Iowa residents for tuition purposes if they meet specific criteria, such as having the military member stationed in Iowa, filing Iowa taxes, or claiming dependents on tax returns. Spouses and children can maintain in-state status even if the military member is transferred, as long as they stay enrolled continuously. This policy change aims to reduce tuition costs for military-connected students without altering residency requirements for other students.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
Feb 2026
House Passage
Feb 2025
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Jan 30, 2025 Last action Mar 26, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Reprinted · 4 edits
MODERATE
This bill was reprinted to correct formatting errors and clarify definitions after being amended by the House. The most significant substantive change is the addition of a specific rule for 'survivors' (spouses or children of deceased veterans), defining their dependent children based on the last tax year the veteran filed, rather than a previous tax year. The bill also updated the definition of 'qualified military person' to include veterans stationed at Rock Island Arsenal and clarified that spouses or dependents maintain resident status if the service member is transferred while they are enrolled in school.
Scope change
The bill's scope remains focused on in-state tuition for military personnel and families, but the applicability was expanded to explicitly include survivors of deceased veterans and clarified for those stationed at Rock Island Arsenal.
DEFINITION

Added a specific definition for 'survivor' and clarified that their dependent children are determined by the last tax year the veteran filed.

Updated the definition of 'qualified military person' to explicitly include veterans stationed at Rock Island Arsenal.

Clarified that spouses or dependent children maintain resident status if the service member is transferred, deployed, or restationed while they are enrolled in school.

TECHNICAL

Corrected formatting and layout issues from the original introduction to ensure the text is clear and consistent.

Floor votes · House Feb 20, 2025

How they voted

930
Passed · 7 other
Total votes 100
Feb 20, 2025
D Democratic33
30 Yea 3
90% Yea
R Republican67
63 Yea 4
94% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
15
Key actions
8
Committee
6
Amendments
2
Feb 17, 2026
Upper · Passed
Committee report, recommending passage.
upper
Feb 16, 2026
Upper · Passed
Subcommittee reassigned: Dawson, Dotzler, and McClintock.
upper
Feb 12, 2026
Legislature · Passed
Subcommittee Meeting: 02/17/2026 8:30AM Lobbyist Lounge.
legislature
Mar 27, 2025
Legislature · Passed
Subcommittee recommends amendment and passage.
legislature
Mar 26, 2025
Legislature · Passed
Subcommittee Meeting: 03/27/2025 11:00AM Room 217 Conference Room.
legislature
Feb 25, 2025
Upper · Passed
Subcommittee: Dawson, Dotzler, and McClintock.
upper
Feb 20, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed House, yeas 92, nays 0.
lower
Feb 20, 2025
Lower · Passed
Amendment H-1017 adopted.
lower
Feb 19, 2025
Introduced
Amendment H-1017 filed.
lower
Jan 30, 2025
Introduced
Introduced, placed on calendar.
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.