The 2025 Legislative Session adjourned on May 15, and over the next 30 days, the Governor took final action on bills, concluding her work on June 11. Now the majority of new laws take effect today, July 1, 2025. View or download the bills with their effective dates here.
Despite calls for a special session from the Iowa House to override the gubernatorial veto of HF 639, one of two vetoes this session, the Iowa Senate did not reciprocate. Other highlights of the interim so far include another Iowa legislative special election and an executive order signing.
Iowa Senate Special Election
State Senator Rocky Dewitt passed on June 25 after his battle with pancreatic cancer. Senator Dewitt was elected to the Iowa Senate in 2022 to represent Iowa Senate District 1 after serving as a Woodbury County supervisor for six years prior. This year, Senator Dewitt was one of twelve senators to withhold votes on any state budget bills until the Senate took up the issue of eminent domain. Senator Dewitt ultimately voted with the GOP against the bill, which was vetoed by Governor Reynolds, but played a key role in getting the issue to the Senate floor. Governor Kim Reynolds announced a special election date for August 26, 2025, in Iowa Senate District 1, which covers much of Sioux City in Woodbury County. This will be the fourth special election of the 91st General Assembly.
Iowa Legislative Special Session
In the final days of the 30-day veto period, Governor Kim Reynolds vetoed HF 639 related to eminent domain in the state. This highly contentious issue was taken up by the Iowa Senate after 12 senators (the “Dauntless Dozen”) refused to vote on budget bills until the Senate voted on HF 639. The bill passed the Senate by a margin of 27-22 after several hours of caucus and floor debate.
In the letter accompanying the veto, the Governor stated:
While I share the bill’s goal of protecting landowners, good policy should draw clear, careful lines. This bill doesn’t. It combines valid concerns with vague legal standards and sweeping mandates that reach far beyond their intended targets…I’m committed to working with the legislature to strengthen landowner protections, modernize permitting, and respect private property.
Following the veto, Speaker of the House Pat Grassley sent a petition to all members of the Iowa House to reconvene the legislature for a special session to override the veto. The Iowa Constitution allows Iowa lawmakers to convene a special session with the written support of two-thirds of both the House and the Senate. The House petition received 70 signatures, but the Iowa Senate did not circulate a similar petition, so at this time the legislature will not reconvene for a special session in 2025 to address eminent domain.
Executive Order 13
On Friday, June 27, Governor Kim Reynolds signed Executive Order 13, which reiterates Iowa’s support for Israel and the Jewish community and condemns any and all actions that endanger the Jewish community or violate state or federal law. Additionally, the order directs the Iowa Board of Regents to fulfill its obligations to protect Jewish students under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. In a statement accompanying the executive order, Governor Reynolds expressed:
“Since the October 7th attacks, we’ve seen an increase in antisemitism across the U.S., including on college campuses…While many of Iowa’s colleges and universities have condemned such activity, we want to be clear that antisemitism has no place in Iowa.”
Majority of New Iowa Laws Effective July 1, 2025
Of the 172 enrolled bills and proposed constitutional amendment, 169 were signed by Governor Reynolds. The Governor vetoed two bills (HF 383 and HF 639), and SJR 9, the proposed constitutional amendment, was transmitted directly to the Secretary of State. The majority of those new laws are effective July 1, 2025.
Below, find a list of bills that were passed this year by the legislature—the list also provides effective dates for each bill. There may be multiple effective dates for a bill—which means provisions within a bill have various effective dates. When there are multiple effective dates listed, please consult the bill’s specific provisions to determine effective dates.
