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Read. Follow. Verify.Iowa Governor approves Senate File 397 increasing penalties for assaults on public workers and corrections staff
Last action · April 18, 2025: Signed by Governor . S.J. 845 .
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What This Bill Does
Iowa law now increases penalties for assaults committed against peace officers, health care providers, firefighters, state inspectors, and other specified public occupations, while raising penalties for inmate assaults involving bodily fluids or secretions against corrections employees, taking effect July 1, 2025.
The measure changes criminal classifications and mandatory minimum jail sentences for individuals convicted of attacking public workers or corrections staff, directly altering legal liabilities and sentencing outcomes in criminal proceedings.
- Senate File 397 originated as Senate Study Bill 1058 in the Ninety-first General Assembly of Iowa. context
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Peace officers and public workers
The legal penalties and protections associated with assaults committed against peace officers, health care providers, firefighters, and state agency personnel are updated.
Individuals confined in jails or correctional institutions
Inmates committing assaults involving bodily fluids or secretions against department of corrections employees face class felony classifications under amended section 708.3B.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Senate File 397 take effect?
Which public workers are covered under the assault provisions?
What is required for certain fluid contact assault convictions under subsection 4?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
36 actions- Apr 18, 2025SenateEnrolledSigned by Governor . S.J. 845 .
- Apr 17, 2025SenateReported correctly enrolled, signed by President and Speaker, and sent to Governor. S.J. 829 .
- Apr 3, 2025HouseExplanation of vote. H.J. 897 .
- Mar 31, 2025HouseMessage from House. S.J. 662 .
- Mar 27, 2025HouseWithdrawn. H.J. 866 .
- Mar 27, 2025HouseSF 397 substituted. H.J. 861 .
Show 30 earlier actions
- Mar 27, 2025HouseAmendment H-1208 out of order. H.J. 861 .
- Mar 27, 2025HouseFloorAmendment H-1210 adopted. H.J. 861 .
- Mar 27, 2025HouseImmediate message. H.J. 866 .
- Mar 27, 2025HouseFloorPassed House , yeas 91, nays 2. H.J. 862 .
- Mar 27, 2025HouseAmendment H-1211 withdrawn. H.J. 861 .
- Mar 27, 2025HouseSubstituted for HF 177 . H.J. 861 .
- Mar 26, 2025HouseAmendment H-1210 filed. H.J. 854 .
- Mar 26, 2025HouseAmendment H-1208 filed. H.J. 854 .
- Mar 26, 2025HouseAmendment H-1211 filed. H.J. 854 .
- Mar 11, 2025HouseIntroducedRead first time, passed on file. H.J. 595 .
- Mar 10, 2025HouseMessage from Senate. H.J. 589 .
- Mar 10, 2025SenateImmediate message. S.J. 454 .
- Mar 10, 2025SenateFloorPassed Senate , yeas 47, nays 0. S.J. 453 .
- Feb 28, 2025Iowa LegislatureFiscal note .
- Feb 27, 2025Iowa LegislatureFiscal note.
- Feb 20, 2025SenateCommittee report, approving bill. S.J. 332 .
- Feb 20, 2025SenateIntroducedIntroduced, placed on calendar. S.J. 323 .
- Feb 19, 2025Iowa LegislatureCommittee report approving bill, renumbered as SF 397 .
- Feb 12, 2025Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee recommends amendment and passage.
- Feb 10, 2025Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee Meeting: 02/12/2025 1:00PM Room 217 Conference Room.
- Jan 30, 2025HouseIntroducedIntroduced, placed on calendar. H.J. 153 .
- Jan 30, 2025Iowa LegislatureCommittee report approving bill, renumbered as HF 177 .
- Jan 29, 2025HouseCommittee vote: Yeas, 21. Nays, 2. H.J. 146 .
- Jan 29, 2025HouseCommittee report, recommending amendment and passage. H.J. 146 .
- Jan 28, 2025Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee: Rowley, Bisignano, and Dawson.
- Jan 28, 2025Iowa LegislatureIntroducedIntroduced, referred to Judiciary.
- Jan 22, 2025Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee recommends amendment and passage.
- Jan 16, 2025HouseSubcommittee Meeting: 01/22/2025 7:00AM House Lounge.
- Jan 15, 2025HouseSubcommittee: Wills, J., Brown-Powers and Wengryn. H.J. 83 .
- Jan 15, 2025HouseIntroducedIntroduced, referred to Public Safety. H.J. 79 .
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.
Expanded Occupational Protections
The legislation updates criminal penalties across an extensive list of state agencies, health care providers, and civilian public support staff.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.iowa.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy35Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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