Republicans’ supermajorities in both chambers of the Iowa Legislature allowed them to push several high-profile bills to the governor throughout the legislative session – but many of the thousands of bills discussed this session failed to advance.
Lawmakers adjourned for the 2025 legislative session early Thursday after a night of debate and closed-door caucus meetings and nearly two weeks after the session was scheduled to end. Republicans were able to reach agreements Wednesday to pass several of the policy bills that had failed to advance earlier in the session, including Gov. Kim Reynolds’ bills providing paid parental leave for state employees and reducing the state’s unemployment insurance taxes on employers.
Earlier in the year, the Republican-controlled chambers moved quickly to pass measures like the bill removing gender identity from the Iowa Civil Rights Act. Other measures passed through with less coordination – legislation on eminent domain use in carbon sequestration pipelines only made it to a vote following a concerted effort by a group of 12 GOP senators who said they would not support any budget bills until the bill was brought to the floor.
Republicans’ supermajorities in both chambers of the Iowa Legislature allowed them to push several high-profile bills to the governor throughout the legislative session – but many of the thousands of bills discussed this session failed to advance.
Lawmakers adjourned for the 2025 legislative session early Thursday after a night of debate and closed-door caucus meetings and nearly two weeks after the session was scheduled to end. Republicans were able to reach agreements Wednesday to pass several of the policy bills that had failed to advance earlier in the session, including Gov. Kim Reynolds’ bills providing paid parental leave for state employees and reducing the state’s unemployment insurance taxes on employers.
Earlier in the year, the Republican-controlled chambers moved quickly to pass measures like the bill removing gender identity from the Iowa Civil Rights Act. Other measures passed through with less coordination – legislation on eminent domain use in carbon sequestration pipelines only made it to a vote following a concerted effort by a group of 12 GOP senators who said they would not support any budget bills until the bill was brought to the floor.
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However, many of the bills discussed throughout the session failed to make it to the governor’s desk. Among the legislation that failed are several of the priorities put forward by Reynolds in January, as well as legislation on a top issue highlighted by Republican legislative leaders: property taxes.
Though many measures failed this session, they can be revived in the 2026 legislative session, the second part of the 91st General Assembly. Additionally, not all of the bills passed are guaranteed to become law – they’re contingent on Reynolds’ signature.
The governor has 30 days from the end of session, June 14, to sign bills passed from the 2025 session into law.
Here’s a breakdown on high-profile bills passed and signed into law from this session – and the legislation that did not move forward:
Signed into law
Gender identity protections: Reynolds signed Senate File 418 into law in February, removing gender identity as a protected class under the Iowa Civil Rights Act. The bill, the first measure signed from this session, removes protections against discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations and education for transgender individuals on the basis of their gender identity. It also removes Iowans’ ability to change their sex as designated on their birth certificate after receiving gender-affirming medical treatment, and modifies definitions of “sex” and “gender” in Iowa law, and changes language in the law banning material related to gender identity for K-6 students to refer to “gender theory.”
Hands-free cellphones: Senate File 22, signed into law in April, bans the handheld use of cellphones and other electronic devices while driving when not in voice-activated or handsfree modes. The measure has been supported by law enforcement officials and families of people involved in car accidents that said the state’s current distracted driving laws do not allow for effective enforcement. Warnings will begin for violations of the law July 1, with penalties beginning Jan. 1, 2026.
Nursing home oversight: House File 309 changed a 2024 law that allows nursing homes to provide additional context and evidence before the Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing makes a decision to issue a citation when reviewing claims of substandard care and placing residents in immediate jeopardy of serious injury or death. Democrats brought forward multiple amendments to add other proposals they said would improve nursing home oversight in the state that were not granted subcommittee hearings that were not added to the bill.
Open beverage containers: House File 181, signed into law in March, extends Iowa’s ban on open containers of alcoholic beverages in the passenger compartments of vehicles to drinks containing tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC.
Workforce training contract requirements: Senate File 603 makes changes to the state Registered Apprenticeship Act, barring state agencies and local governments from mandating requirements related to apprenticeship training for contractors outside of legal requirements. Local entities would also not be allowed implement other “restrictions, qualifications, or requirements” on contractors, subcontractors, developers and apprentices.
Education
Accreditation retaliation: House File 295 would bar national accrediting agencies from taking negative actions against state universities for complying with, or refusing to disobey, state law. If authorized by the attorney general, universities with cause would have the option to file a civil suit against the accreditor. It was signed by Reynolds May 6.
Cellphones in school: Reynolds signed House File 782 into law in April, a bill requiring public K-12 school districts set a policy on cell phones that, at minimum, bans their use during instructional periods beginning in the 2025-2026 school year. The measure contains exemptions, including for students who have an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 plan that involves accommodations using a cellphone or other device. Parents can also ask school districts to allow their child keep access to their phone during class periods if they establish a “legitimate” reason related to the student’s mental or physical health.
Career education: Career planning is required for fifth- and sixth-grade curriculum alongside expanded career education in seventh and eighth grades under House File 316. The Iowa Department of Education is also required to develop a list of industry recognized credentials and create a seal for schools to put on student transcripts and other documents if they have earned a professional credential while in the K-12 school system.
Charter school boards: House File 785 would require all members of a charter school board to be U.S. residents, and that only one member of the board can live outside Iowa.
Concussion diagnoses: House File 471 would expand the definition of “licensed health care provider” who can direct a student to be removed from extracurriculars because they show signs of brain damage or concussions. The definition is expanded to include people with a doctorate in psychology who have specialty training in neuropsychology or concussion management.
Court-ordered college payments: Senate File 513 will bar courts from ordering parties involved in the dissolution of a marriage to pay a postsecondary education subsidy for dependents. Reynolds signed the legislation May 6.
National Guard financial aid: House Files 117 and 118, both signed by the governor in early May, expand National Guard scholarship programs, with HF 117 establishing a new program for non-traditional degree seekers and HF 118 making changes to the National Guard Service Scholarship program.
Threat assessment teams: Senate File 583 authorizes K-12 school districts, private schools and charter schools to create threat assessment teams consisting of school officials, law enforcement, mental health and social services workers. These teams, tasked with preventing school shootings and other violence, are allowed to share “reasonably necessary” information about students when their behavior could pose a safety risk to other students or school staff.
Tuition freeze: House File 440 would require state universities to study impacts of keeping tuition for students at what they paid their first undergraduate year. Universities would also need to establish at least one three-year degree program and institute work plus programs, where students can work part time and have their tuition paid for by a qualified employer. Reynolds signed the legislation May 6.
Year-round academic calendar: House File 392 would allows school districts to apply to implement year-round school calendars for ninth through 12th grade.
Justice
Firearm age limits: House File 924 lowers the age limit for carrying a firearm from age 21 to 18, a measure lawmakers said was needed in response to court rulings that found state age limits for people over 18 were unconstitutional.
Natural resources
Drones: Senate File 491 further restricts remote-piloted aircrafts from flying over farmsteads in Iowa. The bill would prohibit drones, without landowner permission, to fly within 400 feet of farm animals, farm equipment or structures. Reynolds approved the bill May 6.
Natural disaster assistance: Senate File 619 retroactively appropriates $13.6 million from the Iowa Economic Emergency Fund for fiscal year 2025, backfilling the response efforts following severe flooding and tornados in the summer of 2024. A majority of the funding, $11.6 million, goes to the Disaster Recovery Housing Assistance Program and $2 million to the Nuisance Property and Abandoned Building Fund, in addition to extending tax exclusions for developers building new houses in disaster-impacted areas.
Other components of the bill include allowing the Iowa Department of Management access to 10% of the state’s Economic Emergency Fund when the governor issues a disaster proclamation and the creation of a new loan program for “ongoing risk mitigation” projects.
Roofs on docks: House File 710, signed into law May 6, allows hard dock roofs over boat slips and hoists on Iowa lakes. The law fixes an issue impacting dock owners in Carter Lake which has shores in both Iowa and Nebraska.
Sent to governor
Agriculture
Grain indemnity: Senate File 608 was approved by the Legislature, as a compromise between the bills proposed in each chamber. The final version of the bill, which was sent to the governor, will increase the grain indemnity fund maximum to $16 million, and minimum to $8 million, to cover farmers’ losses when their buyers go broke. It would also allow farmers with deferred-pricing contracts to partake in the fund’s protections.
Education
Absence exception for religious instruction: House File 870 allows students who are absent from school while attending religious instruction to be exempt from some state attendance laws.
Bullying definition: House File 865 would change the definition of bullying and harassment in Iowa Code to “repeated and targeted” acts and conduct that create a hostile school environment for a student. This is a shift from current language that defines bullying as acts and conduct based on “any actual or perceived trait or characteristic,” with 17 characteristics, including age, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and disability listed as potential traits a student could face bullying over. While Republicans said schools were not enforcing anti-bullying laws if the student was not facing harassment because of one of the listed categories, Democrats said the change could mean some instances of bullying go unaddressed because they are not “repeated and targeted” acts.
Child abuse investigations: Though House File 389 – a bill that proposed giving the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services the authority to investigate alleged child abuse cases at schools – did not pass as a standalone measure, the language from this proposal made it to the governor through the standings appropriations bill. The language also allows Iowa HHS to work with the state Board of Educational Examiners when school employees were involved in these cases.
Fetal development instruction: Senate File 175 is a measure requiring human growth and development classes for Iowa students in grades 5-12 include fetal development videos and graphics depicting “the humanity of the unborn child by showing prenatal human development, starting at fertilization.” It is similar to bills discussed in previous sessions that directly reference the “Meet Baby Olivia” video produced by an anti-abortion organization, though this year’s bill does not include a specific reference to it. But this year’s measure does include one new provision – the House added a ban on materials to meet this requirement coming from entities that perform or “promote” abortions, or that contract, affiliate, or make referrals to organizations that perform or promote abortions.
Math education: House File 784 is Reynolds’ proposal to improve math education following recent scoring that the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results that found mathematics scores decreased for Iowa fourth and eighth graders. The measure creates personalized mathematics plans and other intervention strategies to assist K-6 students deemed “persistently at risk” for mathematics proficiency, as determined through a mathematics screener from the Iowa Department of Education.
Nonpublic school athletics: School districts would be directed to allow students living in the district but attending a nonpublic school to participate in athletics offered by the public school district that were not offered by the private school for the past two years under House File 189.
School performance profiles: House File 393 would change how school performance grades are calculated for school districts, by stating the schools will not have their grade impacted by students who of school multiple times past the first instance.
U.S. citizenship test: Iowa high schoolers would be required to pass the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services naturalization civics test to graduate beginning in the 2026-2027 school year under Senate File 369. The measure requires students earn at least 60% to pass, with those who fail allowed to retake the test as many times as necessary to earn a passing grade.
Vaccine exemptions: House File 299 would require all K-12 schools, child care centers, community colleges, public universities and private universities using the tuition grant program to include information on vaccine requirement exemptions in communications with students and families about vaccines. Child care providers and K-12 schools are also required to publish information about exemptions on their website and in student registration documents under the bill.
Higher education
College reporting requirements: House File 890 would change where community colleges provide program-level data to from the state community colleges bureau to the Iowa Department of Education through its annual report. The Iowa Department of Administrative Services and Department of Education would also be required to develop an annual compensation schedule and determine benefits for all employees of the Iowa Educational Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired and Iowa School for the Deaf.
DEI in state entities: House File 856 would bar state entities, including community colleges, from spending any funds on opening or keeping diversity, equity and inclusion offices or officials. The Iowa Senate voted to remove private universities from the bill through amendment May 9, to which the House concurred and sent the bill to the governor’s desk May 13.
Medical residency requirements: House File 516 would require the University of Iowa doctor of medicine and dental programs to enroll classes made up of at least 80% resident students, or those who meet other qualifications.
Pregnant student accommodations: Senate File 288, passed unanimously out of both chambers, would require public universities to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnant students and new mothers. These accommodations include allowing leaves of absence and providing more time to make up assignments and tests.
School of intellectual freedom: House File 437 would have the University of Iowa establish a center for intellectual freedom, which would focus on “the historical ideas, traditions and texts that have shaped the American constitutional order and society,” according to bill language, and promote free speech, civil discourse, civic education and intellectual diversity.
Health care
Cancer coverage for firefighters, EMS: House File 969 expands disability and death benefits for firefighters, emergency medical services responders and law enforcement officers to cover all types of cancer. It also changes contribution rates for several of the retirement and disability systems for public safety and government employees in order to finance this change.
Health care training, access: Another proposal from the governor, House File 972, proposes changes to Iowa’s health care system and training options. The proposal directed Iowa HHS to draw down more than $150 million in federal funds to create 115 new medical residency slots at state teaching hospitals, as well as consolidating and providing $10 million more in funding to the state’s student loan repayment programs. It also proposed creating a “hub-and-spoke” funding model for rural health care systems based on the state’s Centers of Excellence Program and would have increased Medicaid rates for health care providers serving mothers and infants.
Medicaid work requirements: Senate File 615, setting work requirements for Iowa’s expanded Medicaid program, passed both chambers. The measure requires people receiving health coverage through the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan, or IHAWP, to work at least 80 hours each month to retain health care coverage. The provision was for IHAWP recipients between ages 19 to 64 with some exceptions, like for people with serious illnesses or injuries and those with children under age 6. It also includes language that would end IHAWP in the future, contingent on federal approval, if the federal government allows Iowa to implement work requirements and then later revokes approval.
Outside of the legislative directive, the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services has moved to set work requirements for IHAWP through a federal waiver. The HHS proposal would set higher requirements, at 100 hours of work per month, to stay eligible with similar exemptions.
Personal needs allowance: Language in the Health and Human Services budget raises Medicaid beneficiaries’ monthly personal needs allowance – money that can be used by residents at care facilities for items like cell phone service, clothing, snacks or cable TV – from $50 to $65 each month. The policy measure was added to House File 1049 after a separate bill, Senate File 476, failed to advance, but at a lower increase to $55 per month.
Pharmacy benefit managers: Senate File 383 sets regulations on pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), the businesses negotiating prescription drug prices between drug manufacturers, health insurance companies and pharmacies in an effort to provide help to rural and independent pharmacies. The bill limits PBMs’ ability to engage in certain business practices that restrict people’s ability to fill drugs at the pharmacy of their choosing, or that provide financial incentives or penalties to encourage the use of mail-order or specific pharmacies. It also requires PBMs reimburse pharmacies for drug costs at the national or Iowa average acquisition cost, and sets a dispensing fee of $10.68 from PBMs to pharmacists for each prescription filled at rural and small pharmacies. Pharmacists and supporters said the measure will stop the trend of closures of pharmacies in rural Iowa communities, but opponents and some business group advocates said the bill will lead to higher drug and health insurance costs for Iowans.
Labor and the workforce
Unemployment insurance taxes: Senate File 607 lowers the taxable wage base used in calculating unemployment insurance taxes from 66.7% to 33.4%, money collected from businesses and employers put toward the state’s Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund. The bill, a priority of Reynolds, also makes changes to the state’s unemployment tax tables.
State government
Citizenship verification for voting: House File 954 is the bill proposed by Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate after his guidance to county auditors ahead of the 2024 election to challenge the ballots of 2,176 registered voters as “potential noncitizens,” 277 of whom the Secretary of State’s office said were confirmed to not be U.S. citizens. The measure allows the Secretary of State’s office to contract with state and federal agencies, as well as private entities, to verify the citizenship status of registered voters. This provision would prevent the need to challenge ballots like in 2024, Pate said. However, the bill also allows registered voters to be challenged at the polls over their citizenship status, a provision Democrats argued could lead to discrimination.
The bill also includes a ban on ranked choice voting and an increase for the eligibility requirement to gain “political party” status on Iowa ballots.
Election recounts: House File 928 makes multiple changes to Iowa’s election recount system, including a requirement for results to be within a threshold of 1% or 50 votes, whichever is less, in order for a candidate to request a recount, with a 0.15% difference for recounts in statewide and federal races. The legislation also changes the composition of election recount boards, having county auditors leading the board with their staff and hired election workers with an equal number of workers from each political party.
Paid parental leave: A proposal the governor has proposed in several recent legislative sessions, House File 889, providing four weeks of paid parental leave for parents for state employees within 12 months of birth or adoption, made it to the finish line in 2025. The bill also adds a new policy allowing state employees to convert unused sick days to vacation time with some stipulations.
Justice and public safety
Anti-SLAPP lawsuits: After several years of attempting to pass a bill providing protections against “strategic lawsuits against public participation,” or SLAPP lawsuits, the Legislature sent Reynolds House File 472. The measure allows expedited relief in court for actions related to First Amendment rights, like the freedom of speech and press, in SLAPP cases that are filed against news organizations and activists in an attempt to stop these entities from speaking publicly about certain issues by engaging them in long, expensive lawsuits. The bill was amended by the Senate to state anti-SLAPP protections could not be applied retroactively
Exposing minors to obscene materials: House File 306 would raise criminal penalties for the knowing dissemination or exhibition of obscene materials to a minor, with harsher penalties in place for repeat offenses. The first offense of the crime would be charged as a misdemeanor, the second offense as an aggravated misdemeanor and third or subsequent offenses would be changed as a Class D felony with mandatory minimum jail time. Minors who are charged with this crime for disseminating or showing obscene material to another minor would face a serious misdemeanor charge, but would not be subject to the heightened charges for additional offenses.
Minors testifying in court: Both chambers have approved Senate Joint Resolution 9, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird’s proposed constitutional amendment to allow minors and some adults with disabilities to testify remotely against their alleged abusers using a closed-circuit television system. The constitutional amendment was brought forward to address an Iowa Supreme Court ruling that found this practice was unconstitutional. This is not a measure that needs the governor’s approval – it must pass in a second General Assembly, then go before voters on a general election ballot before it can be added to the state constitution.
Open records, meetings: House File 706 proposes raising penalties for violations of Iowa’s open meeting laws and would require newly elected and appointed public officials to receive training on open meetings and records laws. The measure was amended by the Senate to block two types of records – security camera footage at the Iowa Capitol and information from state employee identification card access systems – from public access, listing them as confidential records.
Police review boards: Cities that have a civil service commission could not adopt or establish a citizens’ boards that review the conduct of law enforcement officers under Senate File 311. The measure also makes changes to the makeup of city civil service commissions, as well as how legal disputes proceed when employees dispute a commission’s decisions or actions.
Service animals: House File 615 would remove current requirements in state law that law enforcement officials say make it more difficult to charge people for misrepresenting an animal as a service animal. It would remove current provisions stating a person must be first given a warning and can only be charged for misrepresentation of an animal as a service animal or service animal in training if they knowingly falsify the animal’s status.
Pipelines
Eminent domain: Following a dramatic debate around eminent domain, carbon sequestration pipelines and the potential holes in the bill, House File 639 advanced from the Senate Monday. Despite numerous attempted amendments, including one that would have replaced the bill with language from House File 943, to outlaw eminent domain on CO2 pipelines, none of the amendments were adopted.
HF 639 would adjust the definition of a common carrier, expand who is able to intervene in Iowa Utilities Commission proceedings, restrict the IUC’s ability to sanction intervenors, require IUC presence at all hearings, limit the permits for CO2 pipelines to one 25-year term and hold the pipeline operators responsible for insurance increases landowners face.
