SF 2399: A bill for an act relating to bail and bond amounts and conditions. - Iowa

Reprinted Marked Up → Reprinted · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill replaces the old general bail rules with specific, higher minimum bond amounts for violent crimes to ensure dangerous defendants remain in custody. It mandates that courts must justify any decision to set bail lower than these new minimums and requires written findings for any adjustments. The bill also updates the bond schedule to adjust for inflation and adds a requirement that pretrial risk evaluations be verified by corrections staff before a judge sees them.

Scope change

The scope shifted from a general framework allowing broad judicial discretion on bail to a specific mandate setting minimum bond amounts for Class A felonies and forcible felonies.

REQUIREMENT

Establishes specific minimum bond amounts: $500,000 for Class A felonies, $25,000 for Class B forcible felonies, $10,000 for Class C forcible felonies, and $5,000 for Class D forcible felonies.

Requires courts to provide written justification if they set bail lower than the new statutory minimums.

ELIGIBILITY

Replaces the previous rule allowing release on one's own recognizance for nonviolent misdemeanors with a policy prioritizing public safety and victim safety over release.

ENFORCEMENT

Mandates that pretrial risk evaluations from the Department of Corrections must be verified by an evaluator before being submitted to a magistrate.

TIMELINE

Updates the timeline for revising the uniform bond schedule to adjust annually for inflation, with the first update due by July 1, 2027.

Enrolled with Governor's Action → Reprinted Marked Up · 2 edits

MINOR

The bill was reprinted from its final 'Enrolled' version to a 'Marked Up' version, which displays the text with numerous OCR errors, formatting inconsistencies, and placeholder lines (such as the Governor's signature block and date). No substantive policy changes to the bail and bond laws were made; the text remains identical to the original enrolled version aside from these presentation and scanning artifacts.

TECHNICAL

The document contains extensive formatting changes, including the addition of a Governor's signature block and date, and the removal of certification signatures, indicating a transition from a finalized bill to a draft or scanned version.

The text exhibits numerous OCR (optical character recognition) errors, such as misspelled words ('Reynojfls', 'Govemor'), garbled characters ('©*•', 'aeooion'), and broken sentence structures, which are artifacts of the scanning process rather than legislative amendments.

Enrolled → Enrolled with Governor's Action · 4 edits · May 5, 2026

MODERATE

This bill updates Iowa's bail laws to require magistrates to justify any bail amounts lower than the standard schedule and to strictly limit when defendants can be released on their own recognizance (without money). It adds new requirements for verifying pretrial evaluations and mandates that the bond schedule be updated for inflation by 2027.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of judicial oversight by requiring written justification for deviations from standard bail amounts and restricts the circumstances under which a defendant can be released without posting bail.

REQUIREMENT

Magistrates must now provide written justification if they set bail lower than the uniform bond schedule or release a defendant without requiring security.

A new requirement mandates that pretrial release evaluations completed by the Department of Corrections must be verified by an evaluator before being submitted to a magistrate.

ELIGIBILITY

Defendants are only eligible for release on their own recognizance if charged with specific nonviolent misdemeanors or needing medical attention, removing broader eligibility previously implied.

TIMELINE

The Judicial Council is required to revise and update the uniform bond schedule to adjust for inflation by July 1, 2027.

Signed Enrolled Bill (PDF) → Enrolled · 2 edits · May 5, 2026

MINOR

The bill was finalized by the Governor and Lieutenant Governor, removing the original signature block and adding certification signatures from the Senate President, House Speaker, and Secretary of the Senate. The legislative text itself remains substantively unchanged, retaining rules on bail amounts, release conditions, and the bond schedule update timeline.

TECHNICAL

Removed the original signature block containing the Governor and Lieutenant Governor names and dates from the top of the document.

Added certification signatures for the Senate President, House Speaker, and Secretary of the Senate, along with the Governor's approval line at the bottom to finalize the enrolled bill.

Introduced → Signed Enrolled Bill (PDF) · 5 edits · May 5, 2026

MODERATE

This bill establishes mandatory minimum pretrial bond amounts for violent felonies, including Class A felonies ($500,000) and forcible felonies ($5,000 to $25,000), while also restricting the use of own recognizance release to nonviolent, non-drug misdemeanors. It requires magistrates to provide written justification if they set bail below the uniform schedule or release a defendant without financial security, and it mandates that pretrial release evaluations be verified by the Department of Corrections before being used.

Scope change

The bill significantly narrows the scope of who can be released on their own recognizance to only those charged with nonviolent, non-drug misdemeanors, while expanding the scope of mandatory financial bonds for specific felony categories.

REQUIREMENT

Establishes specific minimum bond amounts for Class A felonies ($500,000) and Class B, C, and D forcible felonies ($25,000, $10,000, and $5,000 respectively).

Requires magistrates to provide written justification if they deviate from the uniform bond schedule or release a defendant without financial security.

ELIGIBILITY

Restricts eligibility for release on own recognizance to defendants charged only with nonviolent, non-drug simple or serious misdemeanors.

ENFORCEMENT

Mandates that pretrial release evaluations must be verified by the Department of Corrections before a magistrate can consider them.

TIMELINE

Directs the Judicial Council to update the bond schedule for inflation by July 1, 2027.

A bill for an act relating to bail and bond amounts and conditions.

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