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HF 2256 Iowa House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

A bill for an act exempting a parent’s or legal guardian’s inability to access appropriate behavioral or mental health treatment for their child from the definition of child abuse.

HF 2256 expands Iowa's criteria for identifying a child as needing assistance (CINA) due to chemical dependency, mental health issues, or behavioral disorders. The bill allows courts to declare a child a CINA if they require treatment for serious chemical dependency, mental illness, or behavioral health issues that threaten safety or cause aggressive behavior, and the parent/guardian is unwilling or unable to secure that treatment. It removes an outdated subsection (232.96A(13)) to align the law with this expanded definition. This change directly affects children needing specialized treatment and their families when parents cannot or will not seek care.
Issues: ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeExpands treatment access for youth with mental health/substance issues to prevent escalation to criminal justice system, aligning with reform goals.90% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExpands access to mental health/substance use treatment for children via CINA criteria, strengthening healthcare access for vulnerable youth.92% confidence
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
House Passage
Apr 2026
Senate Passage
Apr 2026
Signed into Law
May 2026
Introduced Jan 30, 2026 Signed May 6, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

Enrolled → Enrolled with Governor's Action · 2 edits · May 6, 2026
MINOR
This bill adds a new exemption to Iowa's child abuse laws, stating that a child's lack of access to behavioral or mental health treatment should not be considered child abuse if the parent or guardian is unable to provide care solely because they cannot access such treatment. This change aims to prevent families from being penalized for systemic barriers to mental health care rather than parental neglect.
Scope change
The bill expands the definition of child abuse by creating a specific exception for cases where a parent's inability to access mental health treatment prevents them from providing necessary care.
DEFINITION

Added a new provision (Subparagraph Division d) to Section 232.68 that exempts situations where a parent cannot access behavioral or mental health treatment from being classified as child abuse.

REQUIREMENT

Added a requirement for the Department of Health and Human Services to update its child abuse assessment policies and manuals to include this new exemption.

Floor votes · Senate Apr 6, 2026

How they voted

46–0
Passed · 3 other
Total votes 49
Apr 6, 2026
D Democratic15
14 Yea 1
93% Yea
R Republican34
32 Yea 2
94% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
27
Key actions
10
Committee
4
Amendments
3
May 6, 2026
Signed into law
Signed by Governor.
lower
Apr 13, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed House, yeas 90, nays 0.
lower
Apr 13, 2026
Lower · Passed
House concurred in Senate amendment H-8299.
lower
Apr 6, 2026
Introduced
Senate amendment H-8299 filed.
lower
Apr 6, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed Senate, yeas 47, nays 0.
upper
Apr 6, 2026
Upper · Passed
Amendment S-5120 adopted.
upper
Mar 19, 2026
Introduced
Amendment S-5120 filed.
upper
Mar 19, 2026
Upper · Passed
Committee report, recommending amendment and passage.
upper
Mar 9, 2026
Legislature · Passed
Subcommittee recommends passage.
legislature
Mar 4, 2026
Legislature · Passed
Subcommittee Meeting: 03/09/2026 12:30PM Room 315.
legislature
Mar 4, 2026
Upper · Passed
Subcommittee: Alons, Evans, and Petersen.
upper
Feb 26, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed House, yeas 90, nays 0.
lower
Jan 30, 2026
Introduced
Introduced, placed on calendar.
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.