Natural Resources and Environment

SF 548 requires all passengers on personal watercraft (like Jet Skis) in Iowa to wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket (Type I, II, III, or V) while the craft is moving. It allows exceptions if the passenger is 18+ and the watercraft is traveling at 10 mph or less or in a no-wake zone. The bill directly affects all personal watercraft operators and passengers on Iowa waters. Violating this rule is a simple misdemeanor punishable by a $30 fine. The law updates existing administrative rules into statute.

SF 424 changes how 50 special nonresident deer hunting licenses are allocated in Iowa. It directs 40 licenses to Iowa conservation organizations (as defined by law) and 10 licenses to the governor, who may accept all, part, or none. Unaccepted governor licenses by September 1 are added to the conservation organizations' allocation. These licenses are issued automatically when purchasing a regular nonresident hunting license (including habitat fees), waive hunter education requirements, and are intended for promoting Iowa's natural resources to nonresident guests and dignitaries. Media from these hunts cannot be used for political campaigns.

SF 2178 expands eligibility for Iowa's lifetime hunting, fishing, and fur harvester licenses. It allows applicants who will turn 65 during the calendar year they apply to qualify, rather than requiring them to have already turned 65 by the application date. This change directly affects Iowans aged 64 who apply for these licenses in the year they reach age 65. The bill modifies existing law to make the eligibility requirement more inclusive for applicants approaching their 65th birthday.

SF 2349 amends Iowa law to give county auditors the option of making district parcel records available online instead of filing them physically with the county recorder. These records identify all land parcels within drainage districts and levees, including legal descriptions, parcel numbers, and owner names. The bill directly affects landowners in these districts by clarifying how their property information is documented and accessible, and it changes the process for county auditors who manage these records. The key change is the new online filing option, which eliminates the need for physical filing while maintaining the requirement to document all parcels in the district.

This bill requires Iowa's Department of Natural Resources to create a searchable online database of public water sample data. The database must allow users to filter results by contaminant type (including nitrates), location, water supply system, and sampling date. It mandates that all water testing results from public water systems be publicly accessible in this format, including contaminant levels. The department must have the database operational within six months of the bill's effective date.