A bill for an act relating to magistrate judges, and including effective date provisions.

This bill (SSB 1201) revises Iowa’s rules for appointing magistrate judges. It requires counties to have at least one resident magistrate and establishes a new formula for apportioning magistrate positions based on estimated case load, travel time, and administrative duties - not just population. The bill also creates temporary assignment rules allowing magistrates to serve multiple counties if workload allows, with this provision set to expire January 1, 2029. These changes affect county magistrate appointing commissions, magistrates, and the state court administrator who implements the apportionment.