A bill for an act prohibiting the intentional emission of air contaminants into the atmosphere, and providing penalties.
HF 2640 prohibits intentionally emitting chemicals or devices into the atmosphere within Iowa for the purpose of altering weather, climate, or sunlight intensity. It requires all Iowa airports open to the public to report monthly (starting October 2026) on aircraft equipped with such devices, including their presence, landings, takeoffs, or refueling. Non-compliant airport projects lose eligibility for state funding, and violations are punishable as class D felonies (up to 5 years in prison) for individuals or $100,000 civil penalties for corporate officers. This bill directly affects airport operators, aviation entities, and any organization using weather-modification technology within Iowa.
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 18, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
Introduced
→
Reprinted
·
3 edits
MINOR
The bill was reprinted with significant formatting improvements and substantive additions. The most important change is the addition of an exemption for licensed aerial applicators using agricultural inputs like fertilizers and pesticides, which clarifies that routine farming operations are not subject to weather engineering prohibitions. The bill also added a specific date stamp indicating it was amended and passed by the House on March 5, 2026.
Scope change
The bill's scope was narrowed by adding an exemption for licensed aerial applicators conducting agricultural operations, ensuring that routine farming activities are not prohibited under the weather engineering ban.
EXEMPTIONS
Added a new subsection exempting licensed aerial applicators from the weather engineering prohibition when applying agricultural inputs like fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, provided they follow applicable regulations and are not intentionally affecting weather conditions.
TECHNICAL
Converted the bill from a line-by-line legislative markup format to a standard printed bill format with proper section numbering and layout.
TIMELINE
Added a House passage date stamp indicating March 5, 2026, showing the bill's legislative progress.
Floor votes · House Mar 5, 2026
How they voted
59–25
Passed · 15 other
Total votes 99
Mar 5, 2026
D
Democratic32
78% Nay
R
Republican67
88% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
11
Key actions
5
Committee
3
Amendments
2
Mar 18, 2026
Legislature · Passed
Subcommittee recommends passage.
legislature
Mar 17, 2026
Legislature · Passed
Subcommittee Meeting: 03/18/2026 12:30PM Room 315.
legislature
Mar 10, 2026
Upper · Passed
Subcommittee: Westrich, Knox, and Taylor.
upper
Mar 5, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed House, yeas 59, nays 26.
lower
Mar 5, 2026
Lower · Passed
Amendment H-8102 adopted.
lower
Mar 3, 2026
Introduced
Amendment H-8102 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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