Here are some of the new laws taking effect July 1 in Iowa

Iowa State Capitol on February 13, 2024. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

Dozens of laws passed during the 2024 legislative session take effect Monday, including measures that cut state boards and commissions, limit the potency of consumable hemp products and establish new education policies for public elementary and secondary schools.

During the 2024 legislative session, the Republican-controlled Legislature passed more than 180 bills on issues ranging from tax cuts to basic education and health care policies. July 1, the start of the fiscal year, is the date most laws are signed by the governor. Kim Reynolds This year they should come into force – although other start dates may be specified in legislation.

A law passed during the 2024 session to make “illegal reentry” a state crime in Iowa was supposed to take effect Monday but will not begin enforcement. 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 appealed the decision, aiming to allow the law to be enforced.

If it goes into effect, it would allow state law enforcement authorities the ability to charge undocumented immigrants with an aggravated felony if they have previously been deported, refused admission, or removed from the U.S., and would allow judges to order the deportation of parties found guilty.

Here is a summary of some of the laws passed during the 2024 legislative session that will take effect on Monday:

Area Education Agencies, teacher compensation

House Archive 2612 will make changes to Iowa area education agencies and increase teacher salaries. One of the most high-profile measures passed during the 2024 session, the bill was sanctioned by Reynolds in March.

For the upcoming 2024-2025 school year, Iowa AEAs – the regional agencies that provide special education and other support services to Iowa schools – will retain full special education funding from school districts. However, only 40% of funding for general education and media services will go to AEAs next year, with 60% retained by school districts for discretionary use. The money can be spent on AEAs, other providers, or used for other general fund purposes.

In its 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.

Teacher salary increases will also be implemented over two years. This year, starting salaries for teachers are increasing to $47,500, and teachers who have worked for 12 years will have 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 salary for experienced teachers will increase to $62,000.

Boards and commissions

Dozens of state boards and commissions have been cut or consolidated into a new Iowa law. Senate File 2385 eliminates 68 of the 256 currently existing councils and commissions, in addition to merging nine councils into three new bodies. The measure also changes the powers and composition of several state boards and commissions, including transforming the Iowa Civil Rights Commission into an advisory panel.

The law also establishes new standards for boards and commissions, such as requiring panels to offer virtual, remote and hybrid options for public participation. In the future, it also requires a committee to annually review a quarter of existing boards and commissions to determine whether the panels should be changed or eliminated.

Another law signed this session repeals the 1987 rule requiring state boards and commissions to have equal numbers of men and women serving as members.

Consumable Hemp Products

Starting Monday, Iowa will have new limits on hemp-derived consumable products which contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

House Archive 2605 creates a limit of 4 milligrams of THC per serving for consumable hemp products, such as beverages or gummies, and a limit of 10 mg of THC per package. The bill also requires manufacturers to include warning labels on these products, sets an age limit of 21 for purchases, and adds new rules and penalties related to the sale, manufacture and possession of hemp-derived supplies.

Although the law goes into effect on July 1, eight companies suing the state over the law say they are being placed in “regulatory limbo” as rules on the law are not expected to be finalized before July 17 , at least. The plaintiffs, sellers of hemp products, ask for the immediate suspension of the application of the law, in addition to asking the court to issue a restraining order and an injunction preventing enforcement.

Another lawsuit, filed by Climbing Kites and Field Day Brewing Co., producers of CBD-containing beverages in Iowa, also seeks to block the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services from enforcing the new THC limits. A judge denied a preliminary injunction on Friday.

Traffic cameras

Local governments are now required to obtain permission from the Iowa Department of Transportation before implementing automatic traffic enforcement (ATE) systems such as traffic cameras.

Under House Archive 2681Iowa counties and cities must submit explanations to the DOT about why a traffic camera is needed in a specific location, including information about the number and severity of accidents, driving speeds, and other potential public safety issues at the location.

The law also establishes new guidelines on the use of ATE systems by communities. Speeding tickets can only be issued for infractions detected by traffic cameras if drivers are more than 10 miles per hour over the speed limit, and warning signs must be posted 500 and 1,000 feet before a camera. Additionally, the law prohibits localities with fewer than 20,000 residents from using mobile traffic camera technology to issue tickets.

Local governments are required to use funds collected by traffic councils for improvements to transportation infrastructure, as well as the operating costs of local police and fire departments.

False labeling of meat and egg products

Lab-grown or plant-based meat alternatives must include words like fake, imitation, or vegetarian if they are sold as traditional meat products.

Mislabeling of products can result in fines of up to $10,000 for food processors through Senate File 2391.

The law establishes similar requirements for “manufactured egg products.” The law also directs the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services to seek exemptions from the federal government for egg replacers 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). ) – preventing Iowans from purchasing these products using food benefit programs.

Foreign ownership of agricultural land

Foreign landowners in Iowa now have new reporting requirements and face higher penalties for violations of reporting requirements under Senate Archive 2204.

The law requires foreign landowners to provide details to the state about land owned by other states larger than 250 acres. It also increases fines for foreign landowners of up to $10,000 for failing to report their properties every two years, and up to 25% of a property’s value per violation for failing to disclose leases or purchases of farmland by foreign entities. The Iowa Secretary of State is required to submit a report on foreign land ownership to state leaders annually.

Iowa’s attorney general, currently Republican Brenna Bird, also receives more oversight authority through the law. The state attorney general can subpoena foreign landowners for financial records, land purchase agreements and other documents for investigations into possible violations of state restrictions on foreign ownership of agricultural land.

Local Stormwater and Topsoil Regulations

Iowa local governments cannot impose stormwater and topsoil regulations that are more restrictive than federal and state guidelines unless they pay for any increased costs development caused by policies.

Senate Archive 455 requires that local regulations regarding preservation, compaction, placement, or depth of topsoil be equal to or less restrictive than requirements established 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 frequencies.

If localities decide to adopt higher standards, local governments are required to pay property owners and developers the cost difference caused by implementing the regulation.

AI-generated porn

House Archive 2240 It is Senate Archive 2243 establish criminal charges for the use of artificial intelligence technologies to create images and videos depicting a person engaged in a sexual act, a simulacrum of a sexual act, and full or partial nudity. The laws focus on media that show a “visual representation” of an individual, recognizable through their face, distinctive features or likeness, engaged in sexual activities.

Creating AI-generated pornography or other obscene material depicting an adult can be charged as an aggravated misdemeanor and impersonating a minor as a felony.

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