Iowa Bills

House File 881 expands the types of costs for which a person in control of hazardous substances can be held strictly liable. Current law already holds such individuals or entities responsible for certain costs related to hazardous conditions they create. This bill specifically adds "excessive and extraordinary costs" incurred by the state or its political subdivisions for the oversight and monitoring of these hazardous conditions. This means if a person causes a hazardous condition, they could be strictly liable for significant state or local government expenses related to monitoring that situation.

HF 768 extends the timeframe for filing complaints with the Iowa Public Information Board. It increases the deadline from 60 days to 90 days from the time an alleged violation occurred or could have been discovered. This change affects any aggrieved person, taxpayer, citizen, the attorney general, or any county attorney wishing to report alleged violations of Iowa's open meetings (Chapter 21) or open records (Chapter 22) laws.

HF 849 expands the definition of harassment to include the unauthorized sharing of personal information. The bill makes it an offense to purposefully disseminate, publish, distribute, or post another person's personal information without their consent, with the intent to threaten, intimidate, annoy, or alarm them or encourage others to do so. "Personal information" is defined to include contact details like home addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, social media profiles, places of employment, and photographic or film depictions. A violation of this provision is classified as harassment in the first degree, an aggravated misdemeanor, carrying potential penalties of confinement and fines.

House File 1053 modifies fuel taxation policies, primarily affecting retail dealers of E-15 gasoline and producers of biodiesel. The bill extends the E-15 gasoline tax credit, delaying its repeal from January 2026 to January 2029. However, for calendar year 2028, the E-15 credit will be reduced from nine cents to four and a half cents per gallon and will no longer be refundable. Additionally, the bill increases the sales tax refund available to biodiesel producers from four cents to four and a half cents per gallon produced.

HF 840 permits county hospitals to establish and operate their own child care facilities. This bill allows a hospital's board of trustees to either manage the facility directly or to contract with a person licensed to operate a child care facility. Any child care facility established by a county hospital under this bill must comply with existing state requirements for child care facilities as outlined in Code chapter 237A.

HF 1005 requires all individuals aged twelve and older to pass a written test and obtain an education certificate before operating an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) or off-road utility vehicle (UTV). This bill expands the current certificate requirement to include UTV operators, who are currently exempt. It also adds streets and highways to the list of locations where a certificate is needed, alongside public land, ice, and designated trails. Furthermore, the bill mandates that qualifying for this certificate will solely require passing a written test, removing the option to demonstrate riding skills. Operating these vehicles without the required certificate would constitute a simple misdemeanor.

HF 623 proposes changes to Iowa's early childhood education and care programs. It significantly modifies the statewide preschool program by allowing community-based providers to directly participate and receive state funding, independent of school district partnerships. The bill establishes new requirements for these directly participating community providers, including standards for instruction, data collection, and professional development. It also clarifies how state preschool foundation aid will be allocated and used, specifying it cannot fund facility construction. Additionally, the bill establishes a new child care continuum partnership grants pilot program within the Department of Health and Human Services and modifies other early childhood initiatives.

House File 850 expands the definition of illegal gaming in Iowa. The bill specifically defines and prohibits "account sharing," which involves sharing access to a gambling account to conceal identity, and "proxy betting," where one person places a wager on behalf of another to hide their identity. It also makes it illegal to, for a fee, deliver anything of value received outside an authorized gambling structure to place a wager. Individuals engaging in these newly defined activities will be subject to existing criminal penalties for illegal gaming, which range from a serious misdemeanor to a class "C" felony.

This bill, known as the "Community Anaerobic Digester System Act," establishes a framework for processing organic materials, such as agricultural manure, into renewable fuel and digestate. It defines various components and types of anaerobic digester systems, differentiating between general systems and "community" systems not tied to specific animal feeding operations. These systems are designed to break down organic matter to produce biogas and a nutrient-rich byproduct. The act also includes provisions for associated fees and penalties.

HF 973 proposes changes to property law impacting landlords, tenants, and manufactured/mobile home retailers. The bill increases the annual license fee for mobile home retailers and defines "rent" to include various payments beyond base rent. It modifies rules for serving legal notices to tenants, including how mail is counted for completion and allowing door posting with mailing for possession actions. Additionally, the bill extends the "peaceable possession" period from 30 to 90 days and allows landlords to dispose of abandoned personal property (excluding mobile homes) after a tenant's removal. It also restricts landlord access to tenant-owned mobile homes to specific situations like emergencies or securing the property after an eviction.

HF 1024 proposes to exclude overtime pay from the individual income tax in Iowa. This bill directly affects individuals who earn compensation at a rate of one and a half times their regular pay by allowing them to subtract this income from their taxable earnings. The bill amends the state's tax code to implement this exclusion. If enacted, these provisions would apply to tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2026.

HF 847 modifies the duties of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) related to air quality. It adjusts the state's annual greenhouse gas emissions reporting by aligning the timeframe with federal EPA inventories and allowing the federal report to satisfy state requirements. The bill also updates administrative code references for air emission and operating permit fees to reflect current regulations. Additionally, it repeals state mandates for the DNR to create a separate greenhouse gas inventory and a voluntary registry, and removes a provision for solid waste incinerator operator certification rules.