Transportation

passed · Iowa · House Mar 20, 2025

HF 533: A bill for an act relating to the midwest interstate passenger rail compact, and including effective date provisions.

HF 533 establishes the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Compact, creating a formal agreement among Midwest states to coordinate passenger rail improvements. The bill creates a commission with members appointed by each state (including a governor's designee, a private sector representative, and two legislators) to advocate for funding, develop long-range rail plans, and coordinate with federal and local entities. It directly affects participating states like Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota, as well as rail agencies and stakeholders involved in regional transportation planning. The compact requires states to fund the commission equally but does not mandate specific rail projects or funding commitments. The bill is procedural, focusing on setting up a collaborative framework rather than implementing new infrastructure.

Topics ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationEstablishes Midwest rail compact commission to advocate for funding and coordinate rail infrastructure improvements, directly advancing public transit infrastructure.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Rail

Track

passed · Iowa · House Mar 19, 2025

HF 173: A bill for an act relating to additional penalties for violations for failing to reduce speed when required or otherwise control a motor vehicle that result in serious injury or death.

HF 173 adds enhanced penalties for drivers convicted of specific traffic violations that cause serious injury or death. It directly affects drivers who violate Iowa's speed control laws (like failing to slow for pedestrians, work zones, or emergency vehicles) and cause harm. If a violation causes serious injury, offenders face an additional $500 fine or up to 90 days license suspension; for death, the penalty is $1,000 or up to 180 days suspension. The bill expands existing penalties under Code section 321.482A to include violations of section 321.288, which governs speed control in critical situations.

Topics ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationBill increases penalties for traffic violations causing injury/death, enhancing road safety standards under transportation regulations.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Driver Licensing Traffic Safety

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died · Iowa · House Apr 2, 2026

HF 581: A bill for an act establishing a scenic byways enhancement fund, including by providing for voluntary contributions to the fund, making appropriations, and including effective date provisions.

HF 581 creates a state fund to support Iowa's scenic byways, managed by the Department of Transportation. It requires county treasurers or the vehicle registration department to ask vehicle owners to make a voluntary $1 or more contribution during registration renewal, with up to 5% of collected county funds allowed to stay in the county general fund. The fund will finance byway maintenance, development, litter prevention, and enhancements. The bill takes effect January 1, 2026.

Topics ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationCreates state fund for scenic byway maintenance/development, directly funding transportation infrastructure enhancements through voluntary contributions.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Transportation Funding Vehicle Registration

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died · Iowa · House Mar 21, 2025

HF 614: A bill for an act requiring the state transportation commission to prioritize the improvement of United States highway 30.

HF 614 requires Iowa's state transportation commission to prioritize improvements to U.S. Highway 30 across the state, specifically from the Missouri River near Missouri Valley to the Mississippi River near Clinton. The bill mandates that the commission include in its long-range transportation plan a strategy to expand all two-lane sections of this highway segment to four-lane divided roadways until the entire route meets that standard. This policy change directly affects Iowa's transportation planning process and the communities along U.S. Highway 30. The bill does not create new funding but directs the commission to prioritize this specific highway in its existing planning framework.

Topics ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationMandates expansion of US Highway 30 from two-lane to four-lane, directly advancing road infrastructure improvements per bill's explicit requirements.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Roads & Highways

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passed · Iowa · House Mar 24, 2025

HF 895: A bill for an act relating to regional transit districts.

HF 895 removes a population requirement for counties to create regional transit districts in Iowa. Currently, a county must have over 175,000 residents to form such a district with participating cities; this bill eliminates that threshold. It allows any county with participating cities to establish a regional transit district, including counties with populations below 175,000. The change directly affects counties and cities seeking to coordinate public transit services, particularly those without existing urban transit systems. The bill aims to expand opportunities for regional transit planning across more communities.

Topics ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationRemoves population barrier for regional transit districts, enabling more counties to establish public transit services and coordinate infrastructure, directly advancing transit accessibility.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Public Transit

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passed · Iowa · House Mar 24, 2025

HF 886: A bill for an act relating to the improvement of United States highway 30, including prioritization by the state transportation commission and restrictions on associated use of eminent domain.

HF 886 prioritizes expanding Iowa's two-lane sections of U.S. Highway 30 into four-lane divided highways, requiring the state transportation commission to focus on this corridor from Missouri Valley to Clinton. It restricts the use of eminent domain (taking private land) for this project on century farms (family-owned for over 100 years) or residential properties until all other alternatives are exhausted. The bill directly affects landowners near Highway 30, particularly those with century farms or homes, by limiting the state's ability to acquire their property for expansion. The law mandates that the transportation commission include specific four-lane expansion plans for the entire Highway 30 route in its long-term improvement program.

Topics ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationBill explicitly prioritizes expanding US Highway 30 to four lanes, directly advancing road infrastructure improvements per its title and summary.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Roads & Highways

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died · Iowa · House May 2, 2026

HF 882: A bill for an act relating to a railway tracks overpass and underpass fund, and making appropriations.

HF 882 creates a state fund managed by the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) to provide grants for constructing highway overpasses and underpasses across railway tracks. The fund, financed by state appropriations, will directly assist cities and counties in covering construction costs for these safety improvements, which currently require local governments to pay half of maintenance costs without similar construction support for county roads. Key provisions include prohibiting fund money from reverting at year-end and directing the DOT to distribute grants based on need. This bill addresses a gap where cities have limited support for overpass construction while counties lack comparable assistance for secondary roads.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill creates state fund via appropriations to finance highway safety projects, directly funding public infrastructure through budget allocation.95% confidence ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationBill creates state fund for highway overpasses/underpasses to improve railway crossing safety, directly funding transportation infrastructure projects.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Bridges Rail Transportation Funding

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in committee · Iowa · House Apr 3, 2025

HF 770: A bill for an act relating to reasonable and prudent following distances while a person is operating a motor vehicle, and making penalties applicable.

HF 770 sets specific minimum following distances for drivers based on highway speed limits: 50 feet at 35 mph or slower, 100 feet for 35-55 mph, 150 feet for 55-65 mph, and 200 feet for speeds over 65 mph. The bill directly affects all drivers operating vehicles in the same lane and direction, requiring them to maintain these distances under clear conditions. Violations remain a $135 scheduled violation, but additional penalties apply if the violation causes serious injury ($500 fine or 90-day license suspension) or death ($1,000 fine or 180-day suspension). The law amends existing traffic rules to replace vague "reasonable and prudent" standards with clear, speed-based distance requirements.

Topics ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationBill establishes mandatory safe following distances to reduce collisions, directly enhancing road safety standards per transportation infrastructure and vehicle regulation policies.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Driver Licensing

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in committee · Iowa · Senate Apr 15, 2025

SSB 1219: A bill for an act relating to transportation and other infrastructure-related appropriations to the department of transportation, including allocation and use of moneys from the road use tax fund, the primary road fund, and the statutory allocations fund.

SSB 1219 is a funding bill that allocates $346 million from the primary road fund and $17.6 million from the road use tax fund to Iowa's Department of Transportation (DOT) for fiscal year 2025-2026. It directs these funds toward critical operations, including transportation maintenance ($346 million), motor vehicle operations ($32.7 million), systems modernization ($20 million), and facility repairs (e.g., $18.9 million for the Waterloo garage renovation). The bill also specifies that driver’s license and identification card fees must cover related costs, not exceeding the revenue generated. These funds directly support DOT services like road maintenance, vehicle licensing, and infrastructure projects across Iowa.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesAllocates $346M from primary road fund and $17.6M from road use tax fund for transportation infrastructure, directly funding essential public services via existing appropriations.95% confidence ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationAllocates $346M for transportation maintenance, $20M for systems modernization, and $18.9M for facility repairs per bill summary, directly funding infrastructure improvements.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Transportation Funding

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signed · Iowa · House May 15, 2026

HF 766: A bill for an act relating to motor vehicle window tint, and making penalties applicable.

HF 766 modifies regulations for motor vehicle window tint, directly affecting individuals who operate vehicles on Iowa highways. The bill establishes specific light transmittance standards in state law, removing the Department of Transportation's authority to set these rules. It prohibits front windshields from having less than 70% light transmittance and side windows immediately next to or forward of the driver from having less than 50% light transmittance. Operating a vehicle in violation of these standards would be subject to a scheduled fine.

Topics ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationEstablishes mandatory safety standards for vehicle window tint (70% front windshield, 50% side windows), directly enhancing highway safety visibility per transportation infrastructure regulations.95% confidence