This bill (SSB 3087) enhances safety protections for judicial officers and related legal professionals in Iowa. It allows judicial officers, attorneys general, deputy attorneys general, and assistant attorneys general to obtain permits to carry weapons openly or concealed (with specific courtroom restrictions), while establishing new criminal penalties for threatening these individuals or their immediate family (a class "C" felony) and for maliciously sharing their personal information like addresses or phone numbers (a serious misdemeanor). The law directly affects judges, prosecutors, and their families by creating clearer legal safeguards against threats and harassment. Penalties aim to deter intimidation that could disrupt judicial work or endanger families.
SF 2161 defines "coercive control" as a pattern of behavior causing physical, emotional, or psychological harm that unreasonably interferes with someone's free will and personal liberty. It expands the legal definition of domestic abuse to include these controlling tactics, such as financial exploitation, isolation, technology-based harassment, or threats involving children or immigration status. The bill affects individuals in intimate relationships or family/household situations where such control occurs, making protective orders automatically cover coercive control behaviors. This change ensures courts can address psychological and financial abuse as part of domestic abuse cases, without requiring physical assault.
HF 2111 amends Iowa law to explicitly prohibit courts from deferring or suspending sentences for individuals convicted of sexual exploitation of a minor under Iowa Code section 728.12. The bill directly affects sentencing decisions in cases involving this specific offense, which involves the sexual exploitation of minors. It updates sentencing rules (Section 907.3) to state that courts may not defer judgment or suspend sentences for violations of section 728.12, reinforcing an existing restriction. This change ensures that offenders in these serious cases face immediate sentencing consequences without the option of deferred judgment or suspended sentences. The bill applies to all cases where the underlying offense is defined in section 728.12.
This bill strengthens protections for crime victims in Iowa by expanding confidentiality for victim-counselor communications and updating key procedures. It requires victim counselors to complete specialized training (covering trauma, laws, and resources) and establishes strict rules preventing disclosure of counseling records, with limited exceptions for imminent danger or victim consent. The bill also allows courts to issue lifetime protective orders for sexual assault victims, eliminating the previous one-year limit and enabling victims to seek these orders without appearing in court. Additionally, it modifies sex offender registration requirements to mandate in-person updates within three business days for address, employment, or school changes.
HF 2015 requires courts to order convicted individuals to pay restitution to law enforcement agencies for the replacement, training, and related costs of police service dogs that are permanently disabled or killed due to intentional harm. It directly affects people convicted of knowingly and willfully torturing, injuring, or killing a police dog. The bill adds this restitution requirement as an additional penalty beyond existing punishments. It does not cover accidental injuries or minor harm, focusing only on severe, intentional acts against working police dogs.
This bill requires individuals arrested for felony or aggravated misdemeanor crimes to submit DNA samples for profiling, expanding current law that only applied to convicted individuals. It also establishes a process allowing people to request removal of their DNA from the database if their case was dismissed, charges were dropped, or no charges were filed within one year of arrest. Additionally, the bill allocates $600,000 annually starting July 2026 from the general fund to support the investigation and prosecution of cold cases.
SF 2155 reclassifies misoprostol, mifepristone, and methotrexate as Schedule III controlled substances in Iowa. This would make distributing or dispensing these medications a class C felony, punishable by fines between $1,000 and $50,000. The bill directly affects healthcare providers, pharmacies, and anyone involved in supplying these medications. It changes the legal status of these drugs from non-controlled to controlled substances with specific criminal penalties. The bill is currently under review by the Judiciary Committee.
This bill requires individuals on felony probation or parole who are arrested for new felony charges to have an initial court appearance before a magistrate prior to being released under pretrial guidelines or bond schedules. It directly affects people under supervision by Iowa's district department of correctional services who face new felony charges while on probation or parole. The key provision amends Iowa law to mandate this court appearance within 24 hours (or the next business day) after release, overriding current exceptions that allowed such individuals to be released without immediate court review. The bill does not change pretrial release guidelines but ensures judicial oversight for this specific group before they are released.
This bill creates a new offense called "aggravated eluding" in Iowa law. It makes it a class D felony (carrying up to 5 years in prison and a $1,025-$10,245 fine) for a driver who, while being chased by police within Iowa, knowingly crosses into another state without yielding to the officer. The bill also allows Iowa police to continue pursuing and arresting such drivers in other states during "fresh pursuit" (defined as pursuit without unreasonable delay), requiring them to report the arrest to the other state's authorities and follow extradition rules. It directly affects drivers fleeing police across state lines and law enforcement officers conducting cross-state pursuits.
This bill adds 15 specific synthetic drugs - including fentanyl analogs like "Butonitazene," "Flunitazene," and "para-chlorofentanyl," plus compounds like "dipentylone" and "ethylphenidate" - to Iowa's controlled substances schedule under Section 124.204. It updates Iowa's law to align with federal designations in Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Violating these new schedule classifications carries penalties: class B felony (25-year mandatory minimum + $5,000-$100,000 fine), class C felony (up to 10 years + $1,000-$50,000), or aggravated misdemeanor (up to 2 years + $855-$8,540). The bill takes effect immediately upon enactment.
