Government : Seventh Week of the 2025 Legislative Session

This week, we were busy at work, passing bills through subcommittees, committees, and the Senate floor before our funnel week deadline. On Wednesday, in the Senate Technology Committee, we passed SF 449 which places consumer protection regulations on digital financial asset transactions kiosks. This bill was a cooperative effort between myself, law enforcement, and prosecutors to help reduce the use of bitcoin ATM's in scamming Iowa out of their money. The regulations cover daily transaction limits as well as maximum charges and required disclosures by the operators. In an increasingly digital world, the threat of theft or scams taking place throughout the transaction process has become more prevalent in recent years. To address financial scams through these kiosks that primarily target the elderly, these regulations will ensure the kiosks themselves become a less attractive tool for criminals to engage in these scams. Routine digital transactions being a common practice in today's world, ensuring a protected and safe environment is paramount for citizens and the banking community.

Another bill that was passed this week was SSB 1120, to help high-acuity youth struggling with behavioral health, substance abuse, or is otherwise in crisis in the state of Iowa. As a continuation of the Health and Human Services department's efforts, this bill is comprised of new avenues for residential assessment, evaluation, and treatment for youth. It utilizes existing state facilities to relieve pressures on community service providers to ensure the right level of care is being provided to Iowa youth. It also eliminates red tape to help ensure a smooth transition process for Iowa's youth into adulthood by setting them up with the services and resources they need to be successful. Another component of the bill brings needed reform to our Juvenile Court Services by standardizing policies and procedures across the state to support the safety of youth, staff, and Iowa's communities.

Senate Study Bill 1057 also passed the Judiciary Committee this week. This was a proposal brought to us by Attorney General Brenna Bird to further protect Iowa kids. The bill is a proposed constitutional amendment to protect children and adults with disabilities from being forced to face their abusers in a courtroom. Iowa is currently the only state that does not have this protection. This would protect witnesses who are afraid to testify in a courtroom. After the trauma endured by these victims, there is no reason they should have face those that terrorized them when going through a trial. We have passed several bills aimed at protecting children in Iowa, and this is an important bill in our discussion moving forward.

Even with all the subcommittees and committees, we had some floor debate to continue moving bills through the legislative process. On Tuesday, the Iowa Senate passed SF 275, which would allow the Department of Education to develop and administer a Purple Star School initiative. This initiative would help Iowa ensure its military-connected students are supported at school. Programs like this one allow us to recognize schools that have demonstrated a commitment to supporting military-connected students and their families. The Purple Star Initiative helps create a support system for students who may be moving frequently due to their parents being in the military. With nearly all 50 states having either a Purple Star School designation or proposed legislation to create a statewide initiative, passing this bill would help make sure military-connected students and their families are taken care of here at home.

SF 418

One of the big topics making headlines this week was Senate File 418, which removes the phrase 'gender identity' from Iowa's Civil Rights code and ensures the civil rights code protects those traits which are either unchangeable, or constitutionally-protected. By passing this bill and signing it into law, Iowa would join the majority of states that do not have 'gender identity' in their civil rights code, protect women and girls in private spaces reserved for them, and ensure Iowa taxpayers are not forced to pay for gender transition surgeries.
Iowa's Civil Rights code is meant to protect Iowans from discrimination, and it will continue to do so under the passage of this bill. All Iowans will continue to receive constitutional protections and legal protections on the basis of their individual humanity and as citizens of the United States to rights like speech, assembly, and religion. The civil rights code protects Iowans and prevents discrimination based on race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, age, physical disability, or religion. Twenty-eight other states in the country do not have gender identity as part of their civil rights code, and they have not experienced rampant discrimination issues inside their borders.

Senate File 418 is another bill that will provide clarity across state and local entities, strengthen the definitions used in Iowa's code, and ensure our state's civil rights code is truly protecting the things about Iowans that cannot be changed. It is a necessary step to protect Iowa women and girls and ensuring they feel comfortable in those private spaces reserved for them for generations. Most importantly, this bill still provides protections for every single Iowan as they go about their daily lives.