A bill for an act relating to the use of synthetic media in campaign materials, and making penalties applicable.
HF 2609 requires political campaign materials containing synthetic media - digitally altered images, audio, or video that falsely mimic real people - to include a clear disclosure: "THIS CONTENT GENERATED USING SYNTHETIC MEDIA." It directly affects political advertisers, including websites, social media, TV ads, and printed materials like campaign signs. The law mandates this disclosure be prominently displayed, places sole responsibility on the publisher for compliance, and imposes penalties for willful violations (up to a year in jail or fines of $430-$2,560). The Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board must create implementing rules, and the disclosure does not prevent other legal actions against harmful synthetic media use.
Bill status
passed
3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
House Passage
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Feb 19, 2026
Last action Mar 17, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
Introduced
→
Reprinted
·
4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was reprinted in a more formal legislative format with updated page numbering and formatting. The substantive policy content regarding synthetic media disclosure requirements remains the same, though the reprinted version includes additional explanatory text about the bill's purpose and specific definitions of responsible persons.
TECHNICAL
Formatting and layout changed from line-by-line markup to standard bill format with proper section numbering and page headers.
Added explanatory text clarifying the bill relates to synthetic media in campaign materials and requires disclosure on published content.
Updated page numbering from single-page format to two-page format with proper legislative tracking numbers.
DEFINITION
Added specific definition of 'person who is responsible' as the person who pays for publication or creation, excluding media organizations acting on behalf of others.
Floor votes · House Mar 12, 2026
How they voted
88–2
Passed · 9 other
Total votes 99
Mar 12, 2026
D
Democratic32
84% Yea
R
Republican67
91% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
9
Key actions
3
Committee
1
Amendments
2
Mar 17, 2026
Upper · Passed
Subcommittee: Rozenboom, Schultz, and Winckler.
upper
Mar 12, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed House, yeas 89, nays 2.
lower
Mar 12, 2026
Lower · Passed
Amendment H-8058 adopted.
lower
Feb 26, 2026
Introduced
Amendment H-8058 filed.
lower
Feb 19, 2026
Introduced
Introduced, placed on calendar.
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
No sponsor information available.
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