Fiscal Note
Fiscal Services Division
HJR 4 – Weapons, Right to Keep and Bear Arms (LSB1195HV)
Analyst: Christin Mechler (515.250.0458) christin.mechler@legis.iowa.gov
Fiscal Note Version – New
Description
House Joint Resolution 4 proposes an amendment to the Iowa Constitution related to the right
of the people to keep and bear arms, explicitly stating that this right shall not be infringed. The
amendment states that the sovereign State of Iowa affirms and recognizes this right to be a
fundamental individual right, on which any and all restrictions shall be subject to strict scrutiny.
Background
Iowa Code section 49A.1 and the Iowa Constitution require that when an amendment to the
Constitution is first passed by the General Assembly and has been referred to the next
succeeding General Assembly, the State Commissioner of Elections (Secretary of State) is
required to publish the proposed amendment in two newspapers of general circulation in each
Iowa congressional district once each month for three consecutive months prior to the start of
the next General Assembly. Upon passage of the same amendment by the second General
Assembly, the amendment is to be published in newspapers in all 99 counties once each month
for three consecutive months immediately preceding the general election.
The 88th General Assembly passed Senate Joint Resolution 18, the initial version of the
proposed amendment, on March 13, 2019, and subsequently referred the amendment for the
consideration of the 89th General Assembly. The initial amendment was published in eight
newspapers (two in each congressional district) for a three-month period in the fall of 2020
(FY 2021).
Assumptions
• The average cost to publish an amendment in a single newspaper is $600.
• Publication of the amendment will occur in 99 newspapers (one in each county) for a three-
month period.
Fiscal Impact
Constitutional Amendment Publication Cost. The estimated cost to publish a proposed
Constitutional amendment passed by the General Assembly during the 2019 Legislative
Session was $14,400 (8 newspapers x 3 months x $600). These costs were incurred in the fall
of 2020 (FY 2021).
Assuming the proposed amendment is passed a second time during the 2021 Legislative
Session, the estimated cost would be $178,200 (99 newspapers x 3 months x $600). The costs
would be incurred in the fall of 2022 (FY 2023).
The above publication costs would be incurred by the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office.
Sources
Legislative Services Agency
Office of the Secretary of State
/s/ Holly M. Lyons
January 25, 2021
Doc ID 1,209,659
The fiscal note for this Bill was prepared pursuant to Joint Rule 17 and the Iowa Code. Data used in
developing this fiscal note is available from the Fiscal Services Division of the Legislative Services
Agency upon request.