Iowa Bills

in committee · Iowa · House Mar 7, 2025

HF 505: A bill for an act relating to noodling licenses.

HF 505 requires anyone noodling (fishing for catfish using bare hands or feet) in Iowa to purchase a license. The license restricts noodling to daylight hours, limits harvest to three catfish per license (each at least 10 inches long), and prohibits special equipment like gloves or scuba gear. The natural resource commission will set the license fee and duration through rules. Violating these rules incurs fines of $35 for taking fish unlawfully or $20 for attempting it.

in committee · Iowa · House Mar 7, 2025

HF 284: A bill for an act modifying provisions related to public libraries that are eligible to receive state assistance under the enrich Iowa program.

HF 284 modifies Iowa's "enrich Iowa" program, which provides state funding to public libraries to improve services and reduce inequities. The bill adds new requirements: libraries seeking this state assistance must not be dues-paying members of (1) a nationwide nonprofit advocating for library legislation, or (2) a statewide nonprofit promoting library-related laws at federal, state, and local levels. This change directly affects public libraries eligible for enrich Iowa funding by restricting their membership in certain advocacy organizations. The bill does not alter funding amounts or existing service requirements, only the eligibility criteria tied to organizational affiliations.

in committee · Iowa · House Mar 7, 2025

HF 88: A bill for an act relating to education, including by modifying provisions related to private instruction, world language instruction, dual enrollment, and the tuition and textbook tax credit, and including effective date, applicability, and retroactive applicability provisions.

HF 88 modifies Iowa's education laws to clarify requirements for private instruction, world language teaching, and tuition tax credits. It requires parents of privately instructed children to submit detailed course outlines, immunization records, and blood lead test results by September 1 each year. The bill defines "independent private instruction" as non-accredited programs with ≤4 unrelated students, no tuition, and religious focus, while ensuring diplomas from such programs are treated equally to public school diplomas. It also prohibits altering grammatical gender in world language instruction (e.g., Spanish/French) and provides a 25.5% tax credit for tuition paid for kindergarten through grade 12. These changes apply immediately upon enactment.

Topics ✗ Education

in committee · Iowa · House Mar 7, 2025

HF 234: A bill for an act establishing the armed forces reserve component scholarship program within the college student aid commission.

HF 234 establishes a scholarship program for Iowa residents serving in U.S. military reserve components (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, or Space Force) who are enrolled full-time at eligible Iowa colleges or universities. The scholarship covers up to 100% of tuition and mandatory fees - based on financial need - for up to eight semesters, administered by the College Student Aid Commission. To qualify, students must complete required active duty training, maintain satisfactory academic progress, and provide military certification. The program requires applicants to apply for all other available state and federal aid, and funds are distributed based on eligibility if appropriations are limited.

Topics ✓ Education ✓ Veterans

in committee · Iowa · House Mar 7, 2025

HF 448: A bill for an act relating to elective social studies courses emphasizing religious scripture that school districts may offer and teach.

HF 448 allows Iowa public school districts to offer elective high school courses (grades 9-12) focused on the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) or New Testament of the Bible. School boards must approve such courses after a school improvement advisory committee recommends them by majority vote. The courses must teach biblical content, history, and cultural influence neutrally - without endorsing any religion - and must accommodate diverse student perspectives. Students may use any Bible translation, and schools may display relevant historical materials if educationally appropriate.

in committee · Iowa · Senate Mar 6, 2025

SF 464: A bill for an act relating to salaries and allowances of state elected officials, and including effective date and applicability provisions.

This bill establishes salary rates and allowances for Iowa's state legislators and statewide elected officials, effective with the 2027 legislative session. Regular legislators will receive $45,000 annually, plus per diem for session days and a $3,450 monthly allowance for district expenses. Leadership roles (e.g., Speaker of the House) will earn $67,500, while the governor receives $230,000 and other statewide officials like the secretary of state earn $180,000 annually. All salaries include annual cost-of-living adjustments tied to state employee pay increases, capped at 3% per year.

in committee · Iowa · House Mar 6, 2025

HF 821: A bill for an act creating a contractor performance assessment system.

HF 821 requires Iowa's Department of Administrative Services (DAS) to create an online contractor performance assessment system. This system will allow government agencies to evaluate contractors, architects, and engineers who work on public projects in Iowa. It uses specific metrics like whether work was completed on time, if costs stayed within budget, and the history of change orders to assign performance grades. Government agencies can then use this system to determine if a contractor is "responsible" when awarding future contracts. The bill directly affects contractors working on state public projects and the agencies that hire them.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

in committee · Iowa · Senate Mar 6, 2025

SF 198: A bill for an act relating to the licensure of crematory operators and funeral establishments, and making penalties applicable.

This bill establishes new licensure requirements for crematory operators in Iowa, requiring 12 hours of education and practical training on crematory equipment operation. It mandates that funeral directors seeking crematory operator licenses must not have had their licenses revoked or suspended within the past two years. The bill prohibits paying or accepting commissions for securing funeral business (a simple misdemeanor) and expands grounds for license revocation to include misrepresenting services or allowing unlicensed operation of cremation equipment. These provisions directly affect crematory operators, funeral directors, and cremation facilities operating in Iowa.

in committee · Iowa · House Mar 6, 2025

HF 816: A bill for an act relating to creation of transfer on death deeds and to disclaimers of an interest in real property.

HF 816 creates a legal mechanism in Iowa for property owners to transfer real estate automatically to named beneficiaries upon their death, using a "transfer on death deed" (TODD). This allows owners to bypass probate for the property while retaining full control during their lifetime (including the ability to sell or mortgage the property). The deed must be recorded before the owner's death, and the beneficiary must survive the owner to inherit; it does not affect existing creditors or joint ownership arrangements. The bill directly affects Iowa property owners seeking a simple, non-probate transfer method for real estate.

in committee · Iowa · House Mar 6, 2025

HF 810: A bill for an act relating to granting supplemental aid or a modified supplemental amount for school districts with high open enrollments, and including effective date and applicability provisions.

HF 810 modifies Iowa's funding formula for school districts with high open enrollment (over 45% of students enrolled through open enrollment). It removes the "teacher salary supplement" from the calculation for supplemental aid, expands eligibility beyond the 2024 budget year, and requires school boards to hold public hearings before requesting aid. The bill also limits property tax increases for districts receiving aid after 2025, capping the next year's tax rate at the level of the aid year. It applies to school budget years starting July 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✗ Education

in committee · Iowa · House Mar 6, 2025

HF 819: A bill for an act relating to an absentee ballot marking pilot program for voters with disabilities.

HF 819 establishes a pilot program allowing voters with disabilities that prevent them from marking ballots by hand to independently and privately mark absentee ballots using assistive technology (like nonvisual or low-vision tools) or electronic devices that produce paper records. The program requires the state commissioner of elections to create rules for requesting absentee ballots by mail and to test the program in enough counties to determine statewide feasibility if not implemented statewide. The commissioner must submit annual reports to the legislature on the program’s progress by December 31 each year. The pilot program will end on July 1, 2028, unless extended.

Topics ✓ Technology

in committee · Iowa · Senate Mar 6, 2025

SSB 1207: A bill for an act relating to pharmacy benefits managers, pharmacies, and prescription drugs.

This bill restricts pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) from requiring patients to use mail-order pharmacies exclusively (except for specialty drugs). It mandates that PBMs pass all prescription drug rebates directly to insurers or employers to lower premiums, and requires PBMs to pay pharmacies a $3 dispensing fee for small stores (5 or fewer locations) or pharmacies in rural "pharmacy deserts" (areas more than 30 miles from the nearest pharmacy). The bill also bans "spread pricing" in new contracts (effective 2026), where PBMs charge insurers more than they pay pharmacies for the same drug. These provisions directly affect PBMs, pharmacies, insurers, and patients seeking prescription drugs.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

Bill results