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SF 2198 Iowa Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

A bill for an act relating to the authority of an attorney in fact under a durable power of attorney for health care.

This bill clarifies the authority of a health care decision-maker (attorney in fact) appointed under a durable power of attorney for health care in Iowa. It requires the decision-maker to follow the person's expressed wishes as written in the power of attorney, a separate life-sustaining procedures declaration, or communicated directly to them. The bill specifies that verbal requests to others or other documents cannot restrict the decision-maker's authority unless the power of attorney document explicitly states limitations. If the person's wishes are unknown, the decision-maker must act in their best interests based on medical condition and prognosis.
Issues: ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareClarifies healthcare decision-maker authority to follow patient's expressed wishes, protecting patient autonomy in medical decisions per bill's explicit language.95% confidence
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Feb 2026
House Passage
Mar 2026
Signed into Law
Apr 2026
Introduced Feb 4, 2026 Signed Apr 9, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

Enrolled → Enrolled with Governor's Action · 1 edit · Apr 9, 2026
MINOR
The bill text was reformatted from a line-by-line vertical layout to a standard horizontal paragraph format. The substantive legal language regarding the duties of an attorney in fact and the authority to withdraw hydration or nutrition remains unchanged.
TECHNICAL

The entire document layout was converted from a vertical list of words to standard horizontal paragraphs for readability, but no policy, legal, or procedural changes were made.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 24, 2026

How they voted

46–0
Passed · 3 other
Total votes 49
Feb 24, 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
12
Key actions
4
Committee
1
Apr 9, 2026
Signed into law
Signed by Governor.
upper
Mar 10, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed House, yeas 93, nays 0.
lower
Feb 24, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed Senate, yeas 47, nays 0.
upper
Feb 4, 2026
Upper · Passed
Committee report, approving bill.
upper
Feb 4, 2026
Introduced
Introduced, placed on calendar.
upper
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.