SF 272 requires public employers in Iowa to provide cancer screening exams for full-time firefighters, police officers, and emergency medical services (EMS) providers within three years of hire and every three years thereafter. The state will reimburse political subdivisions up to $1,250 per employee per three-year period for these screenings, with no out-of-pocket costs for eligible workers. The bill also expands the definition of "cancer" in retirement systems to include all cancer diagnoses, ensuring broader eligibility for accidental disability and death benefits under the Public Safety Peace Officers' Retirement System (PORS) and Municipal Fire and Police Retirement System (411 System). It appropriates $1 million from the state general fund for FY 2025-2026 to cover these reimbursement costs.
This bill requires Iowa's area agencies on aging to hire a dementia service specialist in each agency to support people with dementia, their families, and caregivers. It also creates a dementia services coordinator role within the Department of Health and Human Services to coordinate statewide dementia initiatives. Key duties include providing referrals to support services, conducting community cognitive screenings, training staff on dementia care, and promoting dementia-friendly communities. The bill appropriates $750,000 for fiscal year 2025-2026 to fund these positions.
HF 364 appropriates $20,000 annually from the state general fund starting fiscal year 2025-2026 to provide free radon test kits to Iowa homeowners and renters. The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must designate a lab to supply, distribute, and analyze the kits, with the lab required to share test data with HHS. HHS will also create an online ordering system on its website for residents to request kits. This bill directly affects residential property occupants by making radon testing accessible at no cost, while the funding mechanism ensures ongoing availability through annual appropriations.
HF 809 repeals Iowa's beverage container deposit program, commonly known as the "bottle bill." The bill removes the requirement for a 5-cent deposit on beverage containers sold for off-premises consumption, ending the system where consumers paid a deposit at purchase and received a refund when returning containers. Businesses like retailers, distributors, and redemption centers will no longer handle deposits or refunds, and unclaimed refund values will be transferred to distributors or the state general fund. The repeal takes effect immediately for the deposit program (Division I) and six months later for related redemption provisions (Division II).
This bill addresses several areas under the Department of Health and Human Services, primarily focusing on administrative services organizations and child foster care. It includes employees of administrative services organizations in a specific public employment category and prevents their staff from serving as advocates for involuntarily hospitalized patients. The bill also updates child foster care provisions, assigning licensed foster parents (licensees) decision-making authority to apply the "reasonable and prudent parent standard" for children in their care. Additionally, it updates definitions to explicitly include licensed relatives and "fictive kin" as child foster care providers and defines "fictive kin" and "foster family home."
SF 216 appropriates $750,000 from Iowa's general fund for fiscal year 2025-2026 to improve dementia care coordination. The funds will hire a statewide dementia care coordinator within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and provide grants to each of Iowa's area agencies on aging to employ a dementia care specialist at each location. This establishes a dedicated state-level role and local support staff to better coordinate care for Iowans living with dementia. The bill directly affects dementia patients, their families, and local aging services providers through enhanced coordination resources.
This bill expands Iowa's Healthy and Well Kids in Iowa (Hawki) program to cover applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy for autism spectrum disorder treatment. It prohibits new applications for the autism support program after June 30, 2025, and repeals the program entirely on July 1, 2027. The bill appropriates $750,000 from the autism support fund to maintain Hawki's coverage of ABA services and supplemental dental care for fiscal year 2025-2026. It directly affects Iowa children enrolled in Hawki who require ABA therapy for autism treatment.
HF 912 creates a new fee waiver program for veteran-owned businesses in Iowa. It requires the Secretary of State to establish rules allowing qualified veteran-owned businesses (including LLCs, corporations, and nonprofits) to receive waivers for specific business filing fees. Veterans or veteran interest holders can file qualifying documents (like partnership registrations or corporate filings) without paying the standard fees. This applies to documents listed in existing statutes for business formations, making it a concrete administrative change for eligible businesses. The bill does not alter other veteran benefits listed in its title, such as tuition or tax credits, which remain unaffected by this specific provision.
SF 622 modifies several state economic development and tax credit programs managed by the Iowa Economic Development Authority and Iowa Finance Authority. It directly affects developers, investors, and communities seeking financial assistance or tax credits for infrastructure, redevelopment, tourism, and historic preservation projects. The bill streamlines the administration and review processes for brownfield, grayfield, and redevelopment tax credits, centralizing some functions within the economic development authority. It also adjusts eligibility requirements for the historic preservation tax credit, particularly for single-family residential projects. Additionally, the bill modifies how review committees are appointed for community attraction and sports tourism programs and removes a section regarding required benefits for certain tourism program applicants.
HF 257 is a bill that prohibits counties from charging a fee for the operation of registered all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) or off-road utility vehicles (UTVs) on secondary roads within their jurisdiction. This legislation directly affects counties by removing their ability to levy such fees, and it affects ATV and UTV operators by ensuring they will not incur these specific charges. The bill amends existing state code to implement this prohibition, similar to a current law that prevents cities from charging these fees. Its core provision ensures that ATV and UTV users can operate their registered vehicles on county secondary roads without an additional county-imposed fee.
