Criminal Justice

passed · Iowa · House Mar 31, 2026

HF 2629: A bill for an act relating to trespass, and providing penalties.

HF 2629 proposes a new criminal offense for "unlawful squatting" in Iowa, targeting individuals who enter and occupy someone else's property without legal permission. It defines unlawful squatting as entering and residing on a dwelling, commercial building, or vacant property without showing valid documents like a lease, deed, rental receipt, or owner authorization - unless the person is an immediate family member of the owner. Violations are classified as a serious misdemeanor (first offense), aggravated misdemeanor (second), or class D felony (third+), with fines and jail time increasing for repeat offenses. The bill also requires property owners (or their authorized representatives) to report squatting to police and allows victims to sue for damages, while exempting law enforcement acting in good faith. This is a proposed law introduced on February 19, 2026, not yet enacted.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeExpands criminalization by creating new offense for squatting, increasing penalties for non-violent occupancy, aligning with oppose indicators.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

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passed · Iowa · House Mar 18, 2026

HF 2718: A bill for an act relating to the seizure of firearms, providing penalties, and including effective date provisions.

HF 2718, the "Anti-Red Flag Gun Seizure Act," prohibits Iowa state agencies, law enforcement, and political subdivisions from enforcing any "red flag law" that orders the seizure of firearms from law-abiding citizens without a violent felony conviction. The bill defines "red flag law" as any federal or state law, order, or measure requiring firearm surrender except for those in custody after violent felony charges. It bans state entities from using federal funds to enforce such laws and imposes a $50,000 civil penalty per violation for agencies employing officers who knowingly enforce them. The act also allows affected individuals to sue for damages, injunctions, and attorney fees, taking effect immediately upon enactment.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeBans enforcement of red flag laws, restricting law enforcement's ability to seize firearms under such orders, opposing a common criminal justice reform measure.92% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

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passed · Iowa · House Mar 12, 2026

HF 2584: A bill for an act establishing drug-free homeless service zones, and providing penalties.

HF 2584 establishes "drug-free homeless service zones" around facilities that provide shelter or housing for homeless individuals and receive government funding. It prohibits selling, transferring, or possessing drugs within 300 feet of these facilities and requires operators to display bilingual signs identifying the zone. Violations carry increased prison sentences (up to one year longer), mandatory fines of at least $2,000, and disqualify operators from state homelessness grants for three years if they allow drug use on premises. The bill directly affects homeless service providers, individuals using these services, and law enforcement operating within designated zones.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeIncreases prison sentences and fines for drug offenses near homeless shelters, expanding criminalization without rehabilitation focus.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

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signed · Iowa · Senate Jun 11, 2025

SF 462: A bill for an act relating to weapons, including mandatory minimum sentences relating to the control, possession, receipt, or transportation of a firearm or offensive weapon by a felon, and the sharing of identifying information of persons prohibited from acquiring a pistol or revolver by court order, and providing penalties.

SF 462 strengthens firearm restrictions for convicted felons by mandating minimum prison sentences for possessing, receiving, or transporting firearms or offensive weapons. It directly affects individuals convicted of felonies who are prohibited from owning guns under state law. The bill requires courts to share identifying information about these prohibited individuals with law enforcement to prevent gun sales. Additionally, it establishes penalties for violations, focusing on reducing firearm access by high-risk individuals.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeMandates minimum sentences for felon firearm possession, expanding criminalization and reducing judicial discretion per 'oppose' indicators.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

signed · Iowa · House Jun 6, 2025

HF 879: A bill for an act relating to critical infrastructure sabotage, and making penalties applicable.

HF 879 strengthens penalties for intentionally damaging critical infrastructure, such as power grids, water systems, or transportation networks. It increases criminal penalties for sabotage acts that threaten public safety or disrupt essential services. The law directly affects individuals who commit such acts by imposing stricter fines and potential prison sentences. This bill, signed into law by the Governor on May 1, 2025, modifies existing statutes to apply enhanced penalties to these specific offenses.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeIncreases penalties for infrastructure sabotage, aligning with oppose indicators of harsher sentencing.90% confidence ✓ EnergySupports EnergyBill protects energy infrastructure (power grids) via enhanced sabotage penalties, directly supporting energy infrastructure security as per topic description.95% confidence ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationBill explicitly protects transportation networks from sabotage by increasing penalties, aligning with 'protect' indicator for support.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

signed · Iowa · Senate May 19, 2025

SF 311: A bill for an act relating to city civil service employees and related procedures and including effective date provisions.

This bill revises regulations for city civil service employees, primarily impacting police and fire departments, and modifies city civil service commissions. It prohibits cities with civil service commissions from establishing citizen review boards for officer conduct and mandates that larger cities (over 50,000 residents) establish civil service commissions with five to seven members. The legislation also changes the standard for employee discipline, requiring "just cause" and proof by a "preponderance of the evidence" for violations of law, city policies, or department rules, with cities bearing the burden to show punishment is proportionate. Furthermore, it requires the disclosure of exculpatory evidence to employees facing charges and adjusts appeal hearing procedures.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeBill prohibits citizen review boards for officer conduct, reducing police accountability and oversight mechanisms.85% confidence ✗ Labor & EmploymentOpposes Labor & EmploymentBill restricts collective bargaining by prohibiting citizen review boards and changes discipline standards, limiting public employee protections.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

passed both · Iowa · Senate Apr 29, 2025

SJR 9: A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Iowa relating to the right of an accused to confront children and other witnesses.

SJR 9 proposes adding a new section to the Iowa Constitution to protect children under 18 and witnesses with mental illnesses, intellectual disabilities, or developmental disabilities. It would allow future laws to limit an accused person's right to confront these specific witnesses during legal proceedings. The amendment requires voter approval after being referred to the general assembly for the next election. This is a proposed constitutional change, not an enacted law, and would enable state lawmakers to create procedures for handling testimony from vulnerable witnesses.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeAllows limiting defendant's right to confront vulnerable witnesses, directly reducing a core criminal procedure right per bill's explicit language.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

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passed · Iowa · House Apr 3, 2025

HF 899: A bill for an act relating to indecent exposure, including the unlawful electronic transmission of sexually explicit visual material, and providing penalties.

HF 899 makes it a serious misdemeanor (punishable by up to 1 year in jail and a $430-$2,560 fine) to knowingly send unsolicited, unwanted explicit images electronically to someone 18 or older. It specifically prohibits sending images showing: (1) a person's genitals or pubic area, (2) someone engaged in a sex act, or (3) a male person's visible genitals in an erection. The law applies to adults who send such material they know or should know the recipient didn't want. This bill directly affects individuals who share unsolicited explicit images via email, text, or other digital means in Iowa.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeExpands criminalization by creating new offense for unsolicited explicit images, increasing penalties for digital communication without consent.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

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signed · Iowa · House Mar 28, 2025

HF 181: A bill for an act prohibiting open containers of beverages containing tetrahydrocannabinol in the passenger area of motor vehicles on highways, and making penalties applicable.

This bill expands Iowa's existing open container laws to include beverages containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), directly affecting drivers and passengers in motor vehicles on public roads. It prohibits the possession of an open or unsealed container of any beverage with THC in the vehicle's passenger area. This restriction applies regardless of whether the THC beverage is otherwise legal, though such containers may be transported in the trunk or behind the last upright seat if the vehicle lacks a trunk. Violations of this prohibition would be considered a simple misdemeanor, punishable by a scheduled fine.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeBill expands criminalization of THC beverages in vehicles, increasing penalties and restricting lawful possession, which opposes criminal justice reform principles.85% confidence ✗ TransportationOpposes TransportationBill restricts transportation by prohibiting open THC containers in passenger areas of vehicles, limiting driver and passenger mobility options.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

signed · Iowa · House Mar 28, 2025

HF 180: A bill for an act relating to the criminal offense of grooming and the sex offender registry, and making penalties applicable.

This bill enhances penalties for the criminal offense of grooming. It mandates that individuals convicted of grooming, which is a Class D felony, must register as a Tier I sex offender. Additionally, persons convicted of grooming will receive a special sentence, including 10 years in the custody of the Iowa Department of Corrections with parole eligibility, and must register as a sex offender for 10 years upon their release. This bill directly affects individuals convicted of grooming by imposing these specific registration and sentencing requirements.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeBill increases mandatory sentences and expands criminalization by requiring sex offender registration for grooming convictions.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice