SF 351 Iowa Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

A bill for an act relating to mental health support for corrections officers, and making appropriations.

This bill requires Iowa's Department of Corrections to provide mental health support for state corrections officers. It mandates hiring mental health liaisons for each correctional facility (or covering multiple facilities), implementing an annual 5-10 question mental health screening survey to identify severe conditions like schizophrenia or depression, and establishing outreach teams to refer officers needing care to local providers. The bill also requires the department to provide one annual, confidential, employer-funded counseling session per officer and appropriates $400,000 for fiscal year 2025-2026 to cover liaison salaries, screening technology, and outreach team costs. These changes aim to improve officer mental health, reduce turnover, and support workplace well-being.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Feb 18, 2025 Last action Feb 20, 2025
Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
2
Key actions
1
Committee
1
Feb 20, 2025
Upper · Passed
Subcommittee: Schultz, Blake, and Bousselot.
upper
Feb 18, 2025
Introduced
Introduced, referred to Judiciary.
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Sarah Garriott
Sarah Garriott
DDemocratic
IA
14