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Read. Follow. Verify.Iowa Senate Bill 2307 creates felony rental vandalism and restricts public assistance for convicted tenants
Last action · February 16, 2026: Subcommittee: Schultz, Blake, and Bousselot. S.J. 295 .Sponsor: Cherielynn Westrich
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What This Bill Would Do
Senate File 2307 establishes the new criminal offense of felony rental vandalism for tenants who cause more than $1,000 in property damage or pest-infestation damage, and disqualifies convicted individuals from and federal until they pay restitution or complete their prison sentence.
Tenants convicted of damaging rental units above $1,000 face charges carrying up to five years in prison alongside the suspension of state and federal housing and supplementary financial assistance benefits until court requirements are satisfied.
- State supplementary assistance in Iowa provides financial aid to individuals who are aged, blind, or disabled to help cover basic living expenses. context
- Section 8 housing assistance refers to federally funded programs administered locally to help low-income households afford private market housing. context
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.
Tenants and occupants
Tenants face class "D" felony charges for property damage or pest infestations exceeding $1,000 and lose access to state supplementary and federal housing assistance until completing restitution or incarceration.
Landlords
Landlords are eligible to receive full court-ordered restitution from convicted tenants before those tenants regain eligibility for state and federal housing assistance.
Department of Health and Human Services
The department receives notifications from court clerks regarding tenant convictions and administers state supplementary assistance eligibility changes.
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
What actions constitute felony rental vandalism under this bill?
What public assistance programs are affected by a conviction?
Are there any exceptions where public assistance will still be provided to a convicted person's household?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
2 actions- Feb 16, 2026SenateSubcommittee: Schultz, Blake, and Bousselot. S.J. 295 .
- Feb 12, 2026SenateIntroducedIntroduced, referred to Judiciary. S.J. 271 .
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.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Linking Criminal Convictions to Public Assistance Disqualification
The bill directly connects a specific property damage conviction in the rental market to the suspension of both state supplementary assistance and federal Section 8 housing benefits.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.iowa.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy50Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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