The Iowa State Capitol on February 13, 2024. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Dozens of bills passed during the 2024 legislative session take effect Monday, including measures to cut state boards and commissions, limit the potency of consumable hemp products and set new education policies for public K-12 schools.
During the 2024 legislative session, the Republican-controlled Legislature passed more than 180 bills on topics ranging from tax cuts to K-12 education policy to health care. July 1, the start of the budget year, is the date when most bills are signed by the governor. Kim Reynolds come into effect this year, although other start dates may be set out in legislation.
A law passed in the 2024 session to make “illegal reentry” a state crime in Iowa was set to go into effect Monday but will not be enforced. U.S. District Judge Stephen Locher issued a preliminary injunction on the law in a case brought by the U.S. Department of Justice and a coalition of civil rights groups. Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird has appealed the decision, seeking to allow the law to remain in place.
If enacted, it would give state law enforcement officials the ability to charge undocumented immigrants with an aggravated crime if they have previously been deported, denied entry or removed from the U.S., and give judges the ability to stay the deportation orders against parties found guilty.
Here’s a look at some of the laws passed during the 2024 legislative session that will take effect Monday:
Educational institutions in the region, teacher salaries
House File 2612 will make changes to Iowa Area Education Agencies and increase teacher pay. One of the most notable measures passed during the 2024 session, the bill was signed by Reynolds in March.
In the upcoming 2024-2025 school year, Iowa AEAs – the regional agencies that provide special education and other support services to Iowa schools – will maintain all school districts’ special education funding. However, in the coming year, only 40% of funding for general education and media services will go to AEAs, while 60% will be set aside by school districts for discretionary use. The money can be spent at AEAs or other providers, or used for other general funds.
In the second year of implementation, 90% of special education funding will go to AEAs, while 10% will remain in school districts, and all general education and media services will go directly to school districts.
The teacher salary increase will also be implemented over a period of two years. This year, starting salaries for teachers will increase to $47,500, and teachers who have worked for 12 years will receive a minimum salary of $60,000. In the 2025-2026 school year, the minimum starting salary for teachers will increase to $50,000, and the minimum for experienced teachers will increase to $62,000.
Directors and committees
Dozens of state boards and commissions have been eliminated or consolidated in a new Iowa law. Senate File 2385 eliminates 68 of the 256 boards and commissions currently in existence, in addition to merging nine boards into three new bodies. The measure also changes the powers and composition of several state boards and commissions, including converting the Iowa Civil Rights Commission into an advisory panel.
The law also sets new standards for boards and commissions, such as requiring panels to offer virtual, remote and hybrid options for public participation. Going forward, it also requires a committee to review a quarter of existing boards and committees each year to determine whether panels should be changed or eliminated.
Another law signed this session revokes the 1987 rule that required state boards and commissions to have an equal number of men and women as members.
Consumable hemp products
Starting Monday, Iowa will implement new limits for hemp-based consumer products containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
House File 2605 would impose a 4 milligram THC limit per serving for consumable hemp products like drinks or gummies, and a 10 mg THC limit per container. The bill would also require manufacturers to place warning labels on such products, set a purchase age of 21, and add new regulations and penalties regarding the sale, manufacture and possession of hemp-derived consumables.
Although the law takes effect July 1, eight companies suing the state over the law say they are in “regulatory limbo” because rules on the law won’t be finalized until July 17 at the earliest. The plaintiffs, sellers of hemp products, are asking for an immediate stay of enforcement of the law, and are asking the court to issue a cease and desist order and an injunction prohibiting enforcement.
Another lawsuit, filed by Climbing Kites and Field Day Brewing Co., Iowa makers of beverages containing CBD, also seeks to prevent the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services from enforcing the new THC limits. A judge rejected a preliminary injunction on Friday.
Traffic cameras
Local governments must now obtain approval from the Iowa Department of Transportation before implementing automatic traffic enforcement (ATE) systems such as traffic cameras.
Under House File 2681, Iowa counties and cities must provide an explanation to the DOT as to why a traffic camera is needed at a specific location, including information about the number and severity of crashes, driving speeds, and other potential public safety issues at the location.
The law also establishes new guidelines for the use of ATE systems by communities. Speeding fines can only be issued for violations caught on traffic cameras if drivers are traveling more than 10 miles per hour above the speed limit, and warning signs must be placed 500 and 1,000 feet in front of a camera. In addition, the law prohibits places with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants from using mobile traffic camera technologies to issue fines.
Local governments are required to use funds collected from traffic cameras to pay for transportation infrastructure improvements and local police and fire department operating costs.
False labeling of meat and egg products
Lab-grown or plant-based meat substitutes must include words like fake, imitation or vegetarian if they are sold as traditional meat products.
Food processors can face fines of up to $10,000 if products are mislabeled, according to Senate File 2391.
The law imposes similar requirements on ‘manufactured egg products’. The law also directs the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services to request waivers from the federal government for egg substitutes if they are available for purchase through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women , Infants, and Children (WIC). ) – prevent Iowans from purchasing these products through food benefit programs.
Foreign ownership of agricultural land
Foreign landowners in Iowa now face new reporting requirements and face increased penalties for violations of the reporting requirements, according to Senate File 2204.
The law requires foreign landowners to provide details to the state of land larger than 250 acres in other states. It also increases fines for foreign landowners of up to $10,000 for failing to report assets every two years, and up to 25% of a property’s value per violation for failing to report leases or purchases of agricultural land by foreign entities. The Iowa Secretary of State is required to submit a report on foreign land holdings to state leaders each year.
The law also gives Iowa’s attorney general, currently Republican Brenna Bird, more oversight power. The attorney general can subpoena foreign landowners for financial records, land purchase agreements and other documents to investigate possible violations of state restrictions on ownership of foreign agricultural land.
Local regulations for rainwater and topsoil
Local governments in Iowa cannot impose stormwater runoff and topsoil regulations that are stricter than federal and state guidelines unless they pay the additional development costs caused by the policy.
Senate File 455 requires that local regulations on topsoil retention, compaction, placement, or depth be equal to or less restrictive than requirements set forth by the Department of Natural Resources and the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System. Stormwater runoff regulations must be equal to or less than those based on flow rates calculated using five-year return rates.
If municipalities choose to adopt higher standards, local governments are required to pay property owners and developers for the difference in costs caused by implementing the regulations.
AI-generated pornography
House File 2240 and Senate File 2243 establish criminal charges for using artificial intelligence technologies to create images and videos that depict a person engaged in a sexual act, a simulacrum of a sexual act, and full or partial nudity. The laws target media that shows the “visual representation” of an individual, identifiable by face, distinguishing features, or likeness, engaged in sexual activity.
Creating AI-generated pornography or other obscene material depicting an adult could be charged as a serious crime, and depicting a minor as a misdemeanor.
The post These are some of the new laws taking effect in Iowa on July 1 appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch.
