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Read. Follow. Verify.Iowa Senate Bill 640 Establishes Major Events and Tourism Fund with $15 Million Appropriation
Last action · June 16, 2025: Referred to Appropriations. S.J. 1058 .
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What This Bill Would Do
Senate File 640 establishes the Iowa major events and tourism program and fund, appropriates $15 million from the sports wagering receipts fund for 2025-2026, and repeals the sports tourism marketing program and fund while transferring remaining moneys to the new fund.
Nonprofit organizations and local communities seeking to host major athletic contests, conventions, or festivals gain a dedicated state funding source for bidding, planning, and hosting costs, backed by a $15 million initial state .
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Iowa Nonprofit Organizations
Nonprofits established to promote economic development and tourism become eligible to apply for grants and financial assistance to bid for and host major events.
Economic Development Authority
The authority is tasked with establishing, administering, and setting eligibility rules for the new major events and tourism program and fund.
Key Facts
- Establishes the Iowa major events and tourism program and fund to provide financial assistance for tourism-oriented athletic contests, conventions, music festivals, and art festivals.
- Appropriates $15 million from the sports wagering receipts fund to the Iowa major events and tourism fund for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, and ending June 30, 2026.
- Requires applicants for financial assistance to demonstrate the ability to provide matching funds equaling at least 50 percent of the award.
- Repeals the sports tourism marketing program and fund and transfers remaining moneys to the new Iowa major events and tourism fund.
Show all 7 facts
- Limits administrative costs, technical assistance, and program support usage by the authority to no more than five percent of the fund's moneys at the beginning of each fiscal year.
- Mandates that unencumbered or unobligated moneys appropriated to the fund shall not revert at the close of the fiscal year but remain available until the close of the succeeding fiscal year.
- Requires encumbered or obligated financial assistance moneys to be disbursed within five calendar years from the date of encumbrance or obligation, or revert to the state treasury.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible to apply for financial assistance under the new program?
What is the source of the funding for the new major events and tourism fund?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
9 actions- Jun 16, 2025SenateCommitteeReferred to Appropriations. S.J. 1058 .
- Apr 28, 2025SenateNOBA: Senate Full Approps
- Apr 23, 2025SenateCommittee report approving bill, renumbered as SF 640 . S.J. 881 .
- Apr 23, 2025SenateCommittee report, approving bill. S.J. 881 .
- Apr 23, 2025SenateIntroducedIntroduced, placed on Appropriations calendar. S.J. 880 .
- Apr 16, 2025Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee recommends passage.
Show 3 earlier actions
- Apr 15, 2025Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee Meeting: 04/16/2025 10:30AM Lobbyist Lounge.
- Apr 15, 2025SenateSubcommittee: Koelker, Dotzler, and Rowley. S.J. 801 .
- Apr 9, 2025SenateIntroducedIntroduced, referred to Appropriations. S.J. 755 .
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Consolidation of Sports and Tourism Funds
The legislation repeals the existing sports tourism marketing program and fund while consolidating resources into the newly established Iowa major events and tourism fund.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.iowa.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy20Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz35Current news / social attention level
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