All Bills

This bill expands the definition of "qualified military person" to mean a "veteran", which generally includes veterans of armed conflicts and other service members who were discharged under honorable conditions. The bill also provides that surviving spouses and children of qualified veterans are considered residents of Iowa for purposes of undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees at community colleges. 

The bill requires the corporation to provide specified information to the bureau. The bill requires the bureau, upon receiving the required information, to determine if the information included in the chart is accurate and notify the corporation of any inaccuracies. If the bureau determines that the college family loan or the partnership loan may offer a lower APR than the federal direct plus loan, the bill requires the bureau to publish on the bureau's internet site a statement that contains specified information until the college family loan or the partnership loan no longer has a lower APR. By October 1 each year, if the bureau determines that the college family loan or the partnership loan may offer a lower APR than the federal direct plus loan, the bill additionally requires the bureau to send specified information to each institution of higher education in Iowa eligible to receive funds through the college family loan or the partnership loan. 

Requires school bonds receive 80% approval at an elections. Prohibits another bond proposal from being put to voters for four years if a bond fails. Requires a school to put up 50% of the cost of a bond as a condition of holding a bond elections. 

Creates a tax credit for non-Iowans who graduate from a Regent institution and are employed in Iowa after graduation in specified professions (health care, or as teachers, engineers or veterinarians). Creates a formula based on the higher non-resident tuition. Allows the credit to be rolled forward but does not make it refundable.
 

Assessments: Requires schools to give teacher candidates an assessment to be used to determine whether the candidate meets the competency requirements. Requires DOE to develop and distribute the assessment. Includes requirements on remediation and on collecting data and publishing results. Special Ed: Requires teacher preparation programs to include classroom experience for teacher candidates with students with disabilities and with English learners. (DOE)

Creates a tax on college endowment over $500 million to be used for workforce grants, at the top rate of 7.1%. 

Bill requires that social studies in grades seven and eight include instruction related to United States government. The instruction related to civics and United States government must be at least one-half semester, or the trimester or quarter equivalent.

Requires that the United States government instruction provided in grades 9 through 12 also include instruction related to civics, and increases the offer and teach requirement from one-half unit to one unit. Applies to school years beginning on or after July 1, 2028.

Requires the Regents to use a selection committee to pick university presidents and specific members. Authorizes the committee to contract with a search company. Allows the names of candidates to be confidential. 

Prohibits schools from preventing students from engaging in religious, ideological or political speech or from expressing such views in schoolwork. Requires schools to allow students to wear clothing and jewelry that expresses political and religious views. Prohibits schools from discriminating against student clubs for political or religious views. Requires the DOE to distribute federal guidance on constitutional protections on these matters and for schools to give this to their employees and professional development. Waives school protections against lawsuits and allows student to bring actions for violations. 

Requires the Regent schools to require survey courses in American history and American government. Includes requirements for the Center for Intellectual Freedom on coursework. Includes requirements for public debates and lectures at the state schools. 

Requires the Regents to adopt a policy that freezes the undergraduate tuition paid by residents to the rate charged in their first year. 

Requires IWD to update the list of high-demand jobs once every five years in collaboration with community colleges when selecting and prioritizing such jobs. Changes wage requirement to "a competitive entry-level wage" when identifying high-demand jobs. Replaces current financial qualification requirement to the requirement that an applicant meet financial need criteria established by the college student aid commission, and the commission define financial need by rule. 

Adds intermediary sponsors as a class of entities that may provide apprenticeship training under the Iowa registered apprenticeship Act. Providing intermediary sponsors with the sole discretion for approving partner employers, provided that such employers are compliant with the intermediary's standards. Making intermediary sponsors eligible for financial assistance. 

Provides that a licensed journeyperson or master under the Iowa plumber, mechanical professional and contractor licensing Act may employ or supervise licensed apprentices. 

Creates a career training physical expansion program administered by IWD, with the purpose to provide financial assistance for the construction of new facilities that will expand the capacity of community colleges and unionized and nonunionized private sector apprenticeship programs to provide education and training for workers in high-demand fields in Iowa. Key eligibility requirement is that a program must demonstrate that construction of the new facility will directly result in an increase in the number of workers in high-demand fields in this state. 

Requires the Regents to adopt policies prohibiting state universities from offering courses with DEI curriculum. 

The bill requires the act of giving notice of a meeting of a governmental body to include (1) advising the news media who have filed a request for notice with the governmental body as provided under current law, (2) posting the notice in a prominent and conspicuous place that is designated annually by the governmental body, in a manner such that the notice is visible at all times, and (3) posting the notice on any associated internet site as specified in the bill. The bill requires a governmental body to provide notice if a meeting is canceled. 

Requires the the regent schools to waive tuition for a veteran with a 100% service disability if the veteran has exhausted other available state and federal resources.

Makes career and technical teachers eligible for supplementary weighting as shared operational functions. Requires the sharing be for at least 20% of the school year. 

Prohibits the Regent schools from hiring or employing a person with an H1-B visa who is a Chinese citizen. 

Requires the State BOE to report every October on incidents of antisemitism that occurred at public schools, community colleges and regents schools during the past year and on the investigations conducted on the incidents. Requires public schools, community colleges and regents to report every year. 

The bill provides that a career academy is required to include a minimum of two units of secondary education, of which at least one unit must be from a course that meets the requirements of Code section 261E.8 (district-to-community college sharing or concurrent enrollment program). The bill provides that the collective statewide articulation agreement must provide for the seamless transfer of academic credits earned through various completed programs, as well as requiring the inclusion of program-specific arrangements that favor the transfer of career and technical education credits unless extenuating circumstances prevent such transfer and is prohibited from including a uniform restriction related to the number of career and technical education credits that may be transferred. The bill modifies current code to require the department of education to establish a program to provide additional funds for resident high school pupils enrolled in grades 9 through 12 taking college level courses by various means, regardless of whether the general assembly appropriates money. Lastly, the bill provides provides that individualized career and academic plans developed by schools in cooperation with students enrolled in eighth grade must, among current requirements, now include a discussion with the student related to opportunities that are available to the student through the school district to earn college credit and industry-recognized credentials that are aligned to the student’s postsecondary and career interests.

Creates a temporary instrumentality of the general assembly exercising ministerial authority to apply statutory criteria to the board and institutions. Authority shall commence on July 1, 2027, and end July 1, 2032. 

Requires the state schools to cut administrative positions by 15% and managerial positions by 25%. Requires the authority to evaluate academic courses and allows the authority to order the elimination of programs. Limits reinstatement of such programs. Allows the authority to modify collective bargaining agreements. 

Prohibits the authority from violating federal law. Disqualifies any employee who interferes with the authority from employment. Requires schools to certify compliance, and gives authority subpoena powers. 

Provides various other changes related to auditing, savings, and accreditation. 

Requires an applicant for a CDL to complete training on human trafficking. Requires persons giving CDL training to include 30 minutes of coursework. Requires the DOT to work with the DOE and the State BOE on training materials. 

Renames the career and technical education services areas as content areas and requires DE to ensure that the six content areas in the high school career and technical education program are aligned to a national framework representative of all career pathways. Requires that regional career and technical education partnerships demonstrate all expenditures are aligned with high-skill, high-wage, and high-demand occupations. 

Defines "high-demand occupation” as an occupation in which state, local, or regional labor market forecasting shows occupational demand exceeds the overall state, local, or regional employer demand metrics, including in openings, numeric change, and growth.

Defines “high-skill occupation” as an occupation with education or training requirements, including the completion of an apprenticeship program, an industry-recognized credential, a short-term college credential such as a certificate or diploma, a noncredit college credential or certification, an associate degree or higher, on-the-job training, or on-the-job credential or certification.

Defines “high-wage occupation” as an occupation for which at least three of five hourly wage or annual salary measurements for that occupation exceed the hourly wage or annual salary for all occupations in the state or region.

Requires DE with the Iowa community colleges and in consultation with the regents, to implement statewide lower division general education framework and common course numbering systems for all coursework offered by the Iowa community colleges. 

Requires that by 2028-2029 school year, all Iowa community colleges must replace tradition, prerequisite remedial coursework in mathematics and English with corequisite models. 

Makes changes to summative testing, health curriculums, financial literacy and non-compliant school districts. 

Includes requirements for school districts on notice for hearing, inspection of curriculum by the public, inspection of professional development materials by board members, and on other matters. Includes additional bond notice requirements. Authorizes schools to move certain funds into the school flexibility account. Makes changes to open enrollment. Makes changes to conference boards. 

Bill strikes provisions of state policy to apply affirmative action measures to correct deficiencies in the state employment system where those remedies are appropriate, and the various requirements relating to affirmative action for state and educational entities including, DAS, board of regents, judicial branch, DE, schools districts, AEAs, community colleges, and accredited private institutions. 

Relates to public-facing chatbots and provides definitions. 

Requires a deployer to implement and maintain protocols meant to detect, respond to, report, and mitigate harm the deployer's public chatbot may cause a user in a manner that takes commercially reasonable steps to protect the well-being of users; limit the collection and storage of user information collected by a public chatbot to what is necessary to fulfill the deployer's purpose for making the public chatbot publicly available; clearly and conspicuously disclose the public chatbot and not a licensed medical, legal, financial, or mental health professional at the beginning of the public chatbot's interaction with a user and at three-hour intervals of continuous interaction with the user; and implement protocols to respond to user prompts indicating the user has suicidal ideations or the intent to cause self-harm. Includes other requirements. 

Allows AG to bring enforcement actions and sets penalties up to $2,500 or $7,500 for violating injunctions. 

Requires the board of educational examiners to establish additional endorsements for instruction related to fine arts, mathematics, science, and agriculture. 

Establishes annual condition of education report and combines several other reports. Requires DWD to give unit-level wage information to DE to evaluate education program outcomes, among other changes

Caps aggregate property tax levies at 102%. Excludes valuation for new property. Exempts $25,000 in value for residential property. Includes the disclosure of property ax information related to special taxing districts. Combines the disclosure with other disclosures and requires statements to be clear and concise. COG: Requires COGs to include planning services for local governments. Bonds: Makes the procedures for issuing essential county purpose bonds the same as general obligation bonds and ends the option of issuing a bond without an election. 

Makes the Governor’s property tax proposals. Includes limits on local government spending (102% with exceptions for growth) and on reserve fund balances; prohibitions on the use of bonds for general operations; changes to assessments for commercial property and an end to property tax replacement payments; changes to credits and exemptions including a property tax freeze for seniors in homes under $350,000; changes to SAVE distributions; changes to urban renewal laws and use of urban renewal funds and TIF divisions; moving assessments to every three years and adding land reports to be filed with the DOM by auditors; creating a shared-services grant program for local governments; creating Firsthome Iowa accounts 
for contributions by families to help children with down payments; creating a study task force led by DOR; makes county auditors, treasurers and recorders appointments by supervisors. Requires the SOS to make recommendations on additional changes needed. (Governor) 

The bill prohibits a department or establishment from applying for or accepting a high-impact federal grant, defined in the bill, without approval from the general assembly or from the legislative council if the general assembly is not in session. 

Prior to applying for or accepting a high-impact federal grant, a department or establishment must also submit a federal grant request report to the legislative services agency (LSA) that includes the duration and amount of the grant, the conditions for receiving the grant, and a description for how the Department or establishment will change the program or service being funded by the grant. 

Requires a department or establishment that receives a federal guidance document to submit to the LSA a copy of the guidance within 10 days of receipt. 

The bill makes the House's proposed FY 2027 appropriations for economic development, the EDA, the DWD, the IFA and for the Regents. 

Key funding provisions include:

• Adult basic education and literacy: $4,500,000 - this is a $1 million decrease from last year. 

• Registered apprenticeship programs: $760,000 - this is the same as last year. 

• Manufacturing 4.0: $2,350,000 - this is the same as last year. 

The bill adds career and technical education instructors to the list of positions that qualify for supplementary weighting when shared between a school district and another political subdivision for at least 20 percent of the school year. 

The bill repeals the summer youth intern pilot program. This division takes effect June 30, 2026. 

Adds intermediary sponsors for apprenticeships; a class of entities that provide apprenticeship training under Code chapter 84D and that are subject to registration with the Iowa office of apprenticeships. Including implementation provisions. 

Allows licensed journey and master plumbers to employ such apprenticeships. 

Makes the person who provides input to an AI the owner of the output. Makes a person who trains an AI the owner of the AI. Deems ownership to belong to the person's employer if the training is in the scope of employment. Provides definitions. 

Sets the SSA and Categorical growth rates a 1.75% for the 2026-2027 school year. Changes the formula for the property tax replacement to schools. Makes the regular program cost per pupil for 2026 the regular program cost in the base year plus $5 and recalculates the cost in future years. Funds the budget adjustment of a district through the foundation formula and not property taxes as of 2026. Makes the school budget enrollment the greater of the actual enrollment and the adjusted enrollment for the base year. Includes a formula for the adjusted enrollment.

This bill requires the state board of regents to direct each regent institution to establish a policy that freezes the undergraduate tuition paid by residents to the rate charged in their first year. 

Allows a person to have a dangerous weapon in a state or local government, or regent school or community college, parking lot, if the weapon is out of sight and in a locked car. Prohibits HHS from adopting rules that bar a person transporting foster children from having a weapon in the vehicle. 

Provides that a political subdivision may invest up to 25 percent of its public funds in a joint investment trust authorized under Code section 12B.10(5)

Modernizes recordkeeping requirements for IPERS by striking prohibitions against requiring digital signatures, simplifying procedures for using the Treasurer’s office to pay out missing funds, changing the dates for mailing out statements and authorizing the use of reloadable payment cards.

Allows a high school to require a student who takes a community college class through the school and fails the class to pay the school for the cost of the course. 

Division VI: Eliminates funding for the 260E New Jobs Training Program for agreements made after June 30, 2026. 

Provides that if a community college offers the course using both instruction that is delivered in person and primarily over the internet, the student is required to enroll in the in person instruction unless the superintendent authorizes the student to enroll in the online option. 

Requires the department of inspections, appeals, and licensing (DIAL) to establish a medication aide certification registry on DIAL's internet site. 

Authorizes a DIAL approved medication aide challenge examination to be administered by an area community college and authorizes other department-approved competency evaluation programs to administer a department-approved medication aide challenge examination. 

Requires DIAL to adopt rules that include specified provisions relating to qualifications of medication aids, these relate to procedures for DIAL approved medication aide courses and DIAL-approved medication aide challenge examinations. 

Prohibits indirect charges exceeding 5% from being charged against state grants. Defines indirect costs, requires a grant budget to list direct and indirect costs, and requires state departments to collect any improper chargers as offsets against future grant payments. 

Establishes continuing appropriations in fiscal years for which the general assembly does not pass an annual budget by July 1. Requires the DOM and LSA to determine amounts for line-item appropriations. Does not apply limits to standing appropriations and excludes one-time appropriations. 

Requires the superintendent and each employee, contractor, and volunteer to ensure that all curriculum provided by the employee, contractor, or volunteer; all educational materials provided to students by the employee, contractor, or volunteer; and all staff or student training provided by the employee, contractor, or volunteer does not teach, advocate, encourage, promote, or act upon specific stereotyping and scapegoating toward others on the basis of demographic group membership or identity. 

Prohibits school from expending money towards material that violates these provisions. Authorizes civil relief. 

Makes changes to charter schools and eliminates innovation zone schools. Increases the funding for charter schools. Allows charter school students to participate in sports and extracurricular activities at public HS. Requires charters to make drivers education available. 

Requires school districts and accredited nonpublic schools to offer and teach one-half unit of United States government instruction as part of the required five units of social studies instruction in grades 9-12. Requires that the United States government instruction provided to students enrolled in school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools in grades 9-12 also includes instruction related to civics. 

Prohibits designing chatbots that encourage users to commit suicide or perform acts of violence. Requires chatbots frequently disclose during a chat that they are not human. Includes other requirements, and allows the Attorney General to bring enforcement actions. 

Charters: Increases the funding for charter schools. Adds charter school employees to IPERS. Allows charter school students to participate in sports and extracurricular activities at public HS. Deems charter school boards as local education agencies.

Buildings: Requires IFA to work with charter schools and private schools with students who receive ESA funds on financing building and repairing school buildings. Creates a revolving fund.

Pre-school: Authorizes community-based providers to participate in pre-school programs for four-year olds and to receive state aid. Establishes a funding formula.

ESA: Allows a student to apply for an ESA from December 1-20 preceding the school semester for which the application is wanted. Makes the ESA payment 50% for the first semester.

Start date: Changes the school start date.

Study: Directs the DOE to establish a task force to study teacher training.

Requires applicants for a new CDL or to renew a CDL to provide English proficiency. Gives specific requirements for the exam. Prohibits a company from hiring a driver who is not proficient. Limits damages for towing the vehicle of a driver who is not proficient. 

Requires local government policies to be adopted through ordinances. Requires such ordinances to have a cost analysis. Includes requirements for posting public notices on the statewide public notice internet site. 

Excludes the school district foundation property tax imposed under Code section 257.3 from the division of revenue under Code section 403.19 (tax increment financing). 

Authorizes school districts to voluntarily approve by resolution the payment from the school district's general fund to the municipality for deposit in the municipality's special fund all or a portion of the foundation property taxes levied for fiscal years beginning on or after July 1, 2027, against property located in the urban renewal area. 

Provides that school district foundation property taxes levied under Code section 257.3 and deposited into a municipality's special fund as a result of a division of revenue shall not be expended for or otherwise used in connection with an urban renewal project approved on or after Jan 1, 2025, that in whole or in part includes the planning, construction, or operation of a stadium or sports arena primarily intended for use by one or more professional sports teams. 

Requires regents to ensure that no less than 1 percent of their respective total endowment assets are invested by July 1, 2027, in one or more innovation funds certified by the economic development authority. 

Provides each institution shall retain discretion to determine which innovation funds to invest in, when investments are made, and the structure of commitments. Authorizes the institution to implement investments through direct commitments as capital is called. 

Authorizes the state board of regents to grant an institution a one-year waiver from the requirements of the bill if adequate innovation fund capacity is not available or market conditions would materially impair prudent investment. 

Requires annual reports to the board with specified content, requires economic development to maintain public list of all innovation funds eligible, and includes standards. 

DIVISION IV —— PROPERTY VALUATIONS AND ASSESSMENT LIMITATIONS.

This bill amend Code section 441.21 by specifying that for assessment years beginning on or after January 1, 2027, structures on agricultural land constructed on or after January 1, 2027, that are not agricultural dwellings shall not be included in determination of productivity and net earning capacity of agricultural property and shall not be allocated any portion of the total county productivity value so determined. 

The bill strikes the calculation of the residential property assessment limitation for assessment years beginning on or after January 1, 2026, and strikes the provision within the agricultural property assessment limitation calculation that limits growth of residential or agricultural property to the growth in the other classification (ag-residential tie). 

The bill modifies provisions governing the calculation of payments made to local governments that are made to replace property taxes due to the application of the residential property assessment limitation to certain portions of commercial and industrial property valuations and eliminates the appropriation for such payments for fiscal years beginning on or after July 1, 2027, due to elimination of the assessment limitations.

This bill makes the proposed FY 2027 GF appropriations for the DOE, the DOB and the Regents. Some key appropriations include: 

• Community College State General Aid: $247,008,533 this is a 1.5% increase. We are asking for a 4% increase or $12 million.

• Workforce Training and Economic Development Fund: $15,100,000. This is the same as last year. 

• ACE Infrastructure: $6,000,000. This is the same as last year. 

• Future Ready Iowa Last Dollar Scholarship Program: $23,927,005. This is the same as last year.

The bill makes the Governor's proposed FY 2027 appropriations for economic development, the EDA, the DWD, the IFA and for the Regents. 

Key funding provisions include:

• Adult basic education and literacy: $4,500,000 - this is a $1 million decrease from last year. 

• Registered apprenticeship programs: $760,000 - this is the same as last year. 

• Manufacturing 4.0: $2,350,000 - this is the same as last year.