Rep. Cindy Golding

Maddy summaryHF 458 establishes a state grant program within Iowa's Department of Justice to fund nonprofit organizations operating sexual assault forensic examination centers. Eligible nonprofits must be state-incorporated, employ sexual assault nurse examiners, maintain dedicated treatment facilities for survivors, and prioritize sexual assault care as their primary mission. The program requires grantees to provide medical forensic services to all survivors - including adults, children, rural residents, and people with disabilities - and conduct mandatory trainings for medical staff, law enforcement, prosecutors, and the public on sexual assault services and prevention. Grantees must submit annual reports on services delivered but may seek additional funding from other sources, with the contract structured as general reimbursement for operating costs.

Maddy summaryHF 2413 modifies Iowa's rulemaking process by defining "major rules" and adding new review requirements. A "major rule" is defined as one costing at least $200,000 annually, significantly affecting competition/employment, or amending federal Clean Air Act plans. State agencies must now provide detailed regulatory analyses for major rules, including cost-benefit comparisons, and the Legislative Services Agency must conduct a separate review of these rules before they take effect. This directly affects state agencies creating regulations and indirectly affects businesses and citizens subject to those rules. The bill aims to increase transparency and accountability in the rulemaking process for significant regulations.

Maddy summaryHF 2209 requires Iowa State University's College of Veterinary Medicine to admit at least 80% of students who are Iowa residents or attended eligible Iowa colleges. It prioritizes applicants planning to work in Iowa rural communities (under 25,000 people) and specialize in mixed-animal veterinary care. Applicants must disclose their Iowa background and career intentions in their applications. The university must submit annual reports to the legislature detailing admission statistics and reasons for rejections.

Maddy summaryHF 2145 prohibits the Iowa governor from closing, mandating restrictions on, or regulating places of worship during any emergency, including disaster declarations or public health crises. It directly affects all religious buildings in Iowa with an active congregation, ensuring they cannot be subject to executive orders under emergency powers. The bill explicitly defines "place of worship" as a building where a congregation regularly gathers for religious practice, blocking any governor-led restrictions during emergencies. This is a procedural measure limiting executive authority, not creating new regulations.

Maddy summaryHF 463 creates two specialized human trafficking prosecution units within Iowa's Department of Justice, one serving western Iowa and the other eastern Iowa (divided by Interstate 35). These units will bring together prosecutors, investigators, law enforcement, victim services, healthcare professionals, and community advocates to investigate, prosecute human trafficking cases, and support victims. The units will also provide community training and technical assistance to raise awareness. The bill directly affects victims of human trafficking and requires coordination between the Attorney General's office, public safety, and health agencies. It defines "human trafficking" using the existing legal standard from Iowa Code section 710A.1.

Maddy summaryHF 2447 requires data centers in Iowa to submit quarterly reports on water and energy usage, including details like water sources, efficiency metrics (e.g., water usage effectiveness), and energy consumption data. It also mandates a separate utility tariff classification for data centers to ensure their costs are fairly allocated without shifting expenses to other electricity users. Data center operators must report basic facility information (name, address, operational dates) alongside usage metrics, with reports published online by state agencies. These requirements apply to all existing and new data centers within specified timeframes after the bill’s effective date.

Maddy summaryHF 2577 modifies Iowa's property tax system to limit annual increases in taxable property values. For residential, commercial, and industrial properties, it prohibits value increases exceeding the prior year's value (2027-2029) or an inflation-linked factor (2030+), unless specific changes occur like ownership shifts, boundary adjustments, or major improvements over 5% of current value. The bill requires assessors to base values on fair market value using standard appraisal methods while restricting consideration of business financial data for commercial/industrial properties. These changes directly affect property owners and local governments relying on property tax revenue for funding. The bill also includes retroactive provisions for certain tax years.

Maddy summaryHF 2399 modifies Iowa's public contracting rules for public improvement projects. It allows a government entity to award a contract to a local contractor (defined as one with headquarters within 50 miles of the project) if their bid is up to 10% higher than the lowest responsive, responsible bid from a non-local contractor (headquarters >50 miles away). This change directly affects local contractors competing for public works projects and state/local governments issuing contracts. The bill maintains the requirement to select the lowest bid as the default, only permitting the local contractor exception under the specified conditions. It does not apply to public utility contracts covered under separate statutes.

Maddy summaryHF 2429 prohibits Iowa state agencies from using the term "West Bank" to refer to Judea and Samaria in official government materials, such as press releases, rules, or guidance documents. It also bans the use of state funds to create such materials containing that term. State agency heads may waive these restrictions if they determine it serves the state's interest, but must provide a written justification to the legislature within 30 days. This bill directly affects all state agencies producing public communications and aims to standardize terminology in official state publications.

Maddy summaryHF 2077 modifies Iowa's education funding rules to allow school districts to use money from the Secure an Advanced Vision for Education (SAVE) fund for increased insurance costs associated with employing individuals who hold professional permits to carry weapons under state law. The bill expands the definition of "school infrastructure" under the SAVE fund to specifically include these higher insurance premiums. This change directly affects school districts that hire permit holders for security roles, providing funding flexibility for related insurance expenses. The policy change is purely procedural, clarifying eligible uses of existing SAVE fund resources without altering the fund's overall purpose or creating new financial obligations.