Iowa Bill Tracking And State Guide
Everything you need to know to engage with the Senate and House
How does a bill become law in Iowa?
- Idea Generation: Ideas for bills can come from legislators, constituents, businesses, government agencies, and other groups. When a problem arises, a legislator formulates it into a bill.
- Bill Drafting: The Legal Services Division of the Legislative Services Agency drafts the bill, incorporating necessary legal research and reviews of current laws.
- Introduction: The completed bill is filed with the Secretary of the Senate or Chief Clerk of the House, assigned a number, and read to the relevant chamber. It's then sent to a standing committee for further review.
- Standing Committee Work: A committee reviews the bill, recommends changes, or sends it to the floor for debate.
- Calendar: The bill is placed on the regular calendar, and the Majority Leader decides the order of debate.
- Debate: The bill is debated in the chamber where members can propose amendments. A majority vote is required to pass the bill to the other chamber.
- Second Passage: If the other chamber makes amendments, the bill returns to the original chamber for approval. If there are disagreements, a conference committee may be appointed to finalize the bill.
- Conference Committee: A committee comprised of members from both chambers resolves differences and presents a compromise bill for both chambers to vote on.
- Enrollment: The final version of the bill is prepared and signed by chamber leaders before being sent to the Governor.
- Governor’s Action: The Governor can sign, veto, or take no action on the bill. If vetoed, the Legislature can override the veto with a two-thirds majority.
- Iowa Law: If the Governor signs the bill or if it passes over a veto, it becomes law, typically effective July 1 unless specified otherwise. Enacted laws are published in the Iowa Code.
How can a member of the public get involved in the legislative process in Iowa?
To get involved in the legislative process in Iowa, a member of the public can consider the following actions:
1. Contact Legislators: Individuals can reach out to their elected Senator or Representative to express their opinions on current issues or propose ideas for new bills. Citizen input is valuable, and legislators often rely on feedback from constituents.
2. Attend Legislative Sessions: Members of the public can attend sessions at the Iowa State Capitol to observe the legislative process, including debates and discussions on bills.
3. Participate in Committee Meetings: Many legislative committees hold hearings that are open to the public. Attending these meetings can provide insight and offer opportunities to voice opinions on specific legislation.
4. Engage in Grassroots Advocacy: Citizens can organize or join interest groups, professional associations, or advocacy organizations that align with their views, which can promote specific causes or legislation.
5. Provide Testimony: Individuals may have the opportunity to testify during committee hearings to share their experiences or expertise related to a bill, offering a personal perspective on the issue at hand.
6. Stay Informed on Legislation: Keeping track of proposed bills and legislative actions allows citizens to understand what is being discussed or decided.
7. Vote: Participating in elections ensures that citizens have a say in the choice of their representatives, who make legislative decisions on their behalf.
How can FastDemocracy help me with that?
Tracking bills is hard, especially if you rely on state legislature websites, which are often hard to navigate. Thousands of bills get filed in Iowa every year (and about 180,000 bills nationwide). If you want to be an effective advocate, you need to know where legislation of interest stands, and act quickly.
FastDemocracy's free version allows you to track an unlimited number of bills - no strings attached. We'll send you a daily or weekly email on your priority bills and give you tools to research bills and legislators.
FastDemocracy Professional is for anyone who tracks bills in a professional capacity. It features
- real-time bill, amendment and hearing alerts
- automated reporting
- team collaboration
- bill tagging for clients and stakeholders
- bill similarity detection
- ...and much more
How do I track bills in Iowa?
1. Sign up here for a free FastDemocracy account.
2. Head to Tracked Topics to select issue areas you care about.
3. Use the search bar on top if you're looking for something specific.
4. Click "Track Bill" for any legislation you'd like to monitor a bit closer. That's how you add it to your Tracked Bills. You can also click on a bill to learn more, see the bill summary, most recent actions, votes, news and tweets. You can also contact legislators or share your bills on social media.
5. You can track an unlimited number of bills for free and we'll send you a daily or weekly email if your tracked legislation moves.
6. Do you need real-time alerts, outreach tools, bill lists, and professional functions? Then FastDemocracy Professional is the right fit for you.
7. Track bills on your smartphone using our free mobile app.
How do I find my local Iowa Senator and Representative?
You can use the Find Your Legislators tool to find them, see their voting records, and contact them.
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Most tracked bills in Iowa, 2025-2026 Regular Session
A bill for an act relating to early childhood education and care, including by modifying provisions related to the statewide preschool program, the child development coordinating council, programs for at-risk children, the responsibilities of the department of education, the early childhood Iowa initiative, and the state child care assistance program, and establishing the child care continuum partnership grants pilot program within the department of health and human services.(See HF 623.)
Last Action
Committee report approving bill, renumbered as HF 623.
House • Feb 27, 2025Latest Version
A bill for an act prohibiting private institutions of higher education that participate in the Iowa tuition grant program from establishing diversity, equity, and inclusion offices.
Last Action
Committee vote: Yeas, 7. Nays, 4.
House • Feb 26, 2025Latest Version
A bill for an act relating to medication abortions including required informed consent and the dispensing of abortion-inducing drugs to patients within the state.
Last Action
Committee vote: Yeas, 13. Nays, 6. Excused, 2.
House • Feb 26, 2025Latest Version
A bill for an act relating to pipelines transporting liquefied carbon dioxide, including permit renewal and operation limitations.
Last Action
Committee vote: Yeas, 20. Nays, 1.
House • Feb 25, 2025Latest Version
A bill for an act restricting county and city diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
Last Action
Subcommittee recommends passage.
legislature • Feb 24, 2025Latest Version
A bill for an act relating to sex and gender, including those and related terms for purposes of statutory construction, indications of a person’s sex on certain vital records, gender identity under the Iowa civil rights Act, and school curricula related to gender theory.(See HF 583.)
Last Action
Committee report approving bill, renumbered as HF 583.
House • Feb 24, 2025Latest Version
A bill for an act relating to obscenity exemptions for public libraries and educational institutions.(See HF 521.)
Last Action
Committee report approving bill, renumbered as HF 521.
House • Feb 20, 2025Latest Version
A bill for an act incorporating provisions related to pregnancy and fetal development into the human growth and development and health curricula provided by school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools to students enrolled in grades four through twelve. (Formerly SSB 1028.)
Last Action
Read first time, passed on file.
House • Feb 19, 2025Latest Version
A bill for an act relating to damages incurred due to releases of carbon dioxide from liquefied carbon dioxide pipelines or carbon dioxide facilities and including effective date provisions.
Last Action
Subcommittee: Bousselot, Blake, and Webster.
Senate • Feb 18, 2025Latest Version
A bill for an act relating to minors present at drag shows, and providing penalties.
Last Action
Subcommittee recommends passage.
House • Feb 18, 2025Latest Version
A bill for an act prohibiting certain actions relating to abortifacient drugs in the state, and providing penalties.
Last Action
Introduced, referred to Health and Human Services.
House • Feb 17, 2025Latest Version
A bill for an act incorporating provisions related to pregnancy and fetal development into the human growth and development and health curriculum provided by school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools to students enrolled in grades seven through twelve.(See HF 391.)
Last Action
Committee report approving bill, renumbered as HF 391.
House • Feb 13, 2025Latest Version
A bill for an act relating to pipelines transporting liquefied carbon dioxide, including permit renewal and operation limitations.
Last Action
Subcommittee: Bousselot, Blake, and Webster.
Senate • Feb 12, 2025Latest Version
A bill for an act relating to policies for certain private spaces in facilities of public entities, providing penalties, and including effective date provisions.
Last Action
Subcommittee: Rozenboom, Schultz, and Staed.
Senate • Feb 05, 2025Latest Version
A bill for an act requiring students to pass the United States citizenship and immigration services naturalization civics test as a condition of high school graduation and high school equivalency diplomas.(See HF 165.)
Last Action
Committee report approving bill, renumbered as HF 165.
House • Jan 30, 2025Latest Version
A bill for an act relating to education, including by modifying provisions related to private instruction, world language instruction, dual enrollment, and the tuition and textbook tax credit, and including effective date, applicability, and retroactive applicability provisions.
Last Action
Committee vote: Yeas, 14. Nays, 9.
House • Jan 29, 2025Latest Version
A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Iowa relating to the right to reproductive care.
Last Action
Subcommittee: Rozenboom, Celsi, and Schultz.
Senate • Jan 27, 2025Latest Version
A bill for an act relating to hazardous liquid pipelines, including the establishment of setbacks and safety regulations, specified utility construction project requirements, pipeline project investor disclosures, voluntary easement negotiation requirements, and provisions for land surveys in connection with hazardous liquid pipeline construction projects, and including effective date and applicability provisions.
Last Action
Subcommittee: Bousselot, Blake, and Webster.
Senate • Jan 27, 2025Latest Version
A bill for an act relating to the exercise of eminent domain for the construction of hazardous liquid pipelines and including effective date and applicability provisions.
Last Action
Subcommittee: Webster, Sweeney, and Wahls.
Senate • Jan 23, 2025Latest Version
A bill for an act incorporating provisions related to pregnancy and fetal development into the human growth and development and health curriculum provided by school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools to students enrolled in grades seven through twelve.
Last Action
Introduced, referred to Education.
House • Jan 16, 2025Latest Version
All Legislators in Iowa (Senator and Representative)
