Schools are no longer able to mandate vaccines, unemployment benefits last 10 fewer weeks, and Iowans can be charged with elder abuse starting Friday, July 1, as many of laws from the Iowa Legislature’s 2022 session take effect.
These may be the final changes to Iowa law coming in 2022, as the governor has said she does not plan to hold a special legislative session following court rulings on abortion. But there are more than 150 new laws which Gov. Kim Reynolds signed from this session that took effect July 1.
Here’s your guide to changes going into law across Iowa:
Legal changes
Appeals court nominees
A judicial nominating commission will send five finalists to the governor instead of three when filling a vacancy on the Iowa Court of Appeals. The law also allows judge candidates to apply to serve in a judicial district they do not live in, if they live in a contiguous county.
Elder abuse
Iowans older than 60 have more legal protections. The new law created criminal penalties for “elder abuse” in state law, as well as a new criminal charge for financial exploitation of people in this category. People charged with assaulting or stealing from Iowans over 60 years old also now face higher minimum penalties.
Garbage searches
Law enforcement officials can search an individual’s garbage without having to obtain a search warrant under Iowa law. The measure states there is “no reasonable expectation to privacy” for trash that is placed outside a person’s residence in a public area. The new law overturns an Iowa Supreme Court decision in 2021, which banned police from searching a person’s uncollected trash without a warrant.
Reproductive fraud
Using human reproductive material that the patient did not consent to in writing is now illegal in Iowa. Nonconsensual insemination will considered be sexual abuse in the fourth degree, an aggravated misdemeanor. It also changes current law to allow any woman over 18 to consent to their own hysterectomy. Current law states a doctor can require spousal consent.
Workforce changes
Child care workers
Know a 16- or 17-year-old looking for a job? Starting Friday, the age limit for workers supervising school-age children without adult supervision dropped from 18 to 16. The law also increased the number of toddlers a child care staff member can care for: seven 2-year-olds per staff member, and up to 10 children who are 3 years old.
Unemployment benefits
Starting Friday, Iowans will only have 16 weeks of maximum unemployment benefits, lowered from the previous 26-week limit. The law also adds new rules for eligibility, including a one-week waiting period, and the requirement that workers to accept lower-paying jobs sooner or risk losing their benefits.
New school laws
Asthma medication
Students with respiratory ailments can now keep and use an inhaler or other medication in school, with written parental permission and a doctor’s statement. Schools are now allowed also to stock the medications and appropriate personnel may administer it to students reasonably believed to be in respiratory distress.
Child care payments
Families who use state aid to pay for child care can make additional, private payments to their child care providers. The current system reimburses providers with 50% to 75% the market rate for care. But now, child care centers can charge the difference between the state assistance and the private pay rate.
Teacher licensing
Teachers no longer must take a standardized test to obtain a teaching license in Iowa. Under previous law, Iowa teachers pass a series of standardized tests, which are also used to certify teachers in states like Nebraska and Kansas.
Vaccine mandates
Child care centers, public K-12 schools and Regents universities can no longer require students to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in order to attend school. The law, which stands until 2029, builds on Iowa’s existing guidelines that government buildings – including public schools – cannot require vaccine status disclosure.
Business regulations
Aircraft taxation
Under new law, aircraft owners in Iowa don’t have to pay sales tax on parts and labor. Aircraft owners could save up to $700,000 a year, according to legislative fiscal analysts.
Food delivery
Food delivery apps like Grubhub, DoorDash and Uber Eats are required to enter a formal agreement with restaurants they deliver food from. Before advertising a restaurant’s menu, apps must reach an agreement with the restaurant owner for the food to be available on the delivery platform. The new law also sets new standards for delivery vehicles, which include requirements that food is kept at a safe temperature and in a clean space in the car, and that drivers could not work for a rideshare app and pick up passengers while delivering food.
New protections, services
Abortion alternatives
This new law establishes a statewide program to advocate against abortion by providing pregnancy support services. The program, which has $500,000 in funding, will support organizations that help mothers and families navigate pregnancy, including adoption education services, funds for food, housing and counseling, as well as child care assistance.
Mobile home costs
Landlords must provide an extra month notice for rent increase or lease cancellation to mobile home owners starting Friday. While Democrats criticized the law for not going far enough, it’s a step toward the protections mobile home owners have long sought against unfair or predatory practices by park owners.
Which laws take effect later?
Bottle recycling
Iowa grocery and convenience stores will not have to accept customers’ empty beverage containers, when sweeping changes to the state’s “bottle bill” take effect in January. Retailers will not have to accept bottles if they are licensed to prepare ready-to-eat food. They can also not accept containers if they are located within 10 miles of a redemption center or mobile redemption center in more populace counties, or 15 miles in smaller counties.
Republican lawmakers said the new law means many grocery stores will likely stop taking bottles, passing the labor onto redemption centers. Centers will collect 3 cents per container, up from 1 cent.
E15
Gas stations will largely be required to sell gas with 15% ethanol, known as E15, starting in 2023. Retailers can apply for waivers if they do not own equipment compatible with the blend, or if they are a small enough company. The law also requires any new gas equipment installed to be compatible with 85% ethanol gas, and 20% biodiesel gas.
Tax cuts
Tax reductions will phase in gradually under the law Reynolds signed in March. In 2023, Iowa will no longer tax retirement income, which includes 401(k)s, pensions and IRAs. Farmers will also be eligible for new exemptions. The larger change is to Iowa’s income tax. All income will be taxed at a 3.9% rate by 2026, with the state gradually eliminating higher tax brackets starting in 2023. Corporate taxes will also decrease over time, cutting the top rate from 9.8% to 5.5%.
Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@iowacapitaldispatch.com. Follow Iowa Capital Dispatch on Facebook and Twitter.
Download our apps today for all of our latest coverage.
Get the latest news and weather delivered straight to your inbox.
