Iowa Bills

in committee · Iowa · House Mar 5, 2025

HF 742: A bill for an act establishing requirements relating to heat response in work areas and providing penalties.

HF 742 requires Iowa employers to provide heat safety measures for workers exposed to extreme heat conditions (heat index ≥90°F). Specifically, it mandates employers to offer shaded areas for outdoor workers, provide at least 32 ounces of cool drinking water hourly, and implement adjusted work-rest schedules (10 minutes every 2 hours for 90-100°F, 15 minutes hourly above 100°F). The law applies to all employers with employees working in heat-exposed environments and includes penalties of up to $500 per violation for noncompliance. Enforcement falls to the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing, which will oversee compliance and issue fines.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

in committee · Iowa · House Mar 5, 2025

HF 745: A bill for an act concerning city regulation of single-family residential property.

HF 745 allows Iowa cities to prohibit corporations or business entities using private equity funds, hedge funds, or real estate funds from purchasing single-family homes between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2030. This directly affects large investment firms and corporate landlords seeking to buy residential properties in local communities. Cities could implement this restriction through local ordinances during the five-year period, which automatically expires after 2030. The bill aims to limit corporate ownership of single-family homes to promote community welfare, without affecting individual homebuyers or non-corporate entities.

Topics ✓ Housing

in committee · Iowa · House Mar 5, 2025

HSB 303: A bill for an act creating the foundation property tax reduction fund, and making appropriations and related transfers to the fund.

This bill creates a new "foundation property tax reduction fund" in Iowa's state treasury, funded by redirecting interest earnings from several existing state funds (including the Iowa economic emergency fund, cash reserve fund, and taxpayer relief fund) starting in 2026. The fund's primary purpose is to lower property tax levies for school districts by making direct payments to them, effectively reducing the amount homeowners and businesses would pay in property taxes. School districts and property taxpayers - particularly those with agricultural land eligible for existing tax credits - will directly benefit as the fund supplants funds that would otherwise be collected through the standard property tax system. The fund operates separately from the general state fund and is specifically designed to lower the foundation property tax levy rate under existing school finance rules.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Education ✓ Housing

in committee · Iowa · House Mar 5, 2025

HF 747: A bill for an act providing for a human trafficking task force and an annual report to the general assembly.

HF 747 creates a state human trafficking task force to coordinate anti-trafficking efforts and improve victim support. The task force, established by the public safety commissioner, identifies existing victim services, develops public education materials, and makes recommendations to combat trafficking. It must submit annual findings to the general assembly by November 1, which will be included in the office’s existing annual report. This directly affects state agencies (like law enforcement and corrections), victims of trafficking, and the public through improved coordination and awareness resources.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

in committee · Iowa · House Mar 5, 2025

HSB 299: A bill for an act relating to the distribution of counterfeit and unsafe lighters, and making penalties applicable.

This bill prohibits selling, offering for sale, or giving free samples of counterfeit lighters (copies of protected brands) or unsafe lighters (those not meeting ASTM safety standards for disposable or utility lighters) within Iowa. It directly affects retailers and distributors who sell lighters in the state, excluding items passing through Iowa via interstate commerce or stored in non-retail warehouses. Violations carry civil penalties of up to $1,000 for first offenses and $5,000 for repeat offenses, enforceable by state agencies. The law remains in effect even if federal cigarette safety standards later preempt it.

in committee · Iowa · House Mar 5, 2025

HF 743: A bill for an act concerning city regulation of single-family residential property.

HF 743 would allow Iowa cities to require new buyers of single-family homes to live in the property as their primary residence for at least two years before selling it. The bill defines "occupy" as physically residing in the home as a primary dwelling and permits cities to grant exceptions for "good faith" reasons like job loss or health issues. This requirement would directly affect homebuyers in cities that choose to implement this rule. Cities would have the option to adopt this policy but are not required to do so. The bill focuses on regulating short-term resale activity to promote community stability.

Topics ✗ Housing

in committee · Iowa · House Mar 5, 2025

HF 750: A bill for an act relating to leave of absence from civil employment provided to members of the military.

This bill (HF 750) expands leave rights for Iowa state and local government employees who serve in the military. It ensures these employees receive a leave of absence - including travel time to and from military duty - without losing pay, status, or performance ratings during their first 30 days of active duty. The bill also allows leave for inactive duty training hours and clarifies that for workdays spanning 24 hours, only one day of leave is required. It applies to members of the National Guard, military reserves, Civil Air Patrol, and the U.S. Coast Guard.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

in committee · Iowa · House Mar 5, 2025

HSB 302: A bill for an act relating to the financing of the acquisition, construction, reconstruction, expansion, improvement, or repair of conduit and the acquisition of associated real estate interests.

This bill updates Iowa law to include "acquisition, construction, reconstruction, expansion, improvement, and repair of conduit" (such as utility pipes and infrastructure) and related real estate purchases under the definition of an "essential corporate purpose" for cities. It directly affects Iowa municipalities, allowing them to issue general obligation bonds for these projects without requiring voter approval at an election. Previously, such bonds for "general corporate purposes" needed voter consent, but this change streamlines financing for conduit infrastructure. The bill does not fund new projects but modifies the legal framework for how cities can finance existing or planned conduit work.

in committee · Iowa · House Mar 5, 2025

HF 798: A bill for an act relating to parental authorization for minors to create accounts on social media platforms, providing civil penalties, and including applicability provisions.

HF 798, the "Social Media Parental Authorization Act," requires social media companies operating in Iowa to obtain prior parental authorization before allowing minors (under 18) to create accounts. This authorization must be either written or digital, verified by the platform, and grants parents access to monitor their child’s posts, messages, account settings, and usage time. The bill prohibits companies from collecting or storing minor data without authorization and bans account creation if minors are already restricted by other state or federal laws. Violations can result in civil penalties up to $1,000 per violation for companies, or $10,000 per violation plus actual damages for harmed individuals.

Topics ✓ Technology

in committee · Iowa · House Mar 5, 2025

HF 740: A bill for an act relating to rent increases under residential landlord and tenant rental agreements and in manufactured home communities and mobile home parks.

HF 740 limits rent increases for current tenants in Iowa residential rentals and mobile home parks. Landlords cannot raise rents more than three times the Midwest consumer price index (CPI) increase over the past year or the assessed property value increase (whichever is higher), whichever is greater. Mobile home park tenants must receive written notice of any rent increase at least 90 days before it takes effect. The bill directly affects existing renters in these housing types by capping annual rent hikes based on economic or property value metrics.

Topics ✓ Housing

in committee · Iowa · House Mar 5, 2025

HF 751: A bill for an act relating to the disposition of collected criminal case fines and establishing a victim restitution fund.

HF 751 changes how criminal case fines are distributed in Iowa. Instead of sending 9% of fines to county general funds, 8% will go to counties, 85% to the state court administrator, and 7% to a new victim restitution fund. This fund, managed by the Department of Justice, will pay for out-of-pocket costs victims incur due to crimes (like medical bills) and provide at least $150,000 to victims' families in death cases. Unspent funds in the restitution account will carry over to the next fiscal year instead of reverting to general funds.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

in committee · Iowa · House Mar 5, 2025

HSB 301: A bill for an act relating to animal feeding operations, by providing for the regulation of anaerobic digester systems, providing fees, making penalties applicable, and including effective date and applicability provisions.

This bill establishes regulations for on-farm anaerobic digester systems used to process manure and organic waste from animal feeding operations. It defines key terms like "digestate" (nutrient-rich material after processing) and "digester feedstock" (organic materials used in the system), requires these systems to be linked to the farm they serve (via common ownership or adjacency), and gives Iowa's Department of Agriculture authority to create detailed rules for construction, operation, and manure storage. The rules apply only to farm-based systems, not commercial facilities, and clarify how manure processing through these systems meets existing disposal requirements. Farms using anaerobic digesters must comply with these new standards for building and operating their systems.

Bill results