The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Iowa Senate Bill Establishes Sexual Assault Forensic Examination Center Grant Program and Trust Fund
Last action · May 2, 2026: Withdrawn. S.J. 975 .
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Proposed
Senate File 2502 establishes a grant program and a dedicated within the Iowa Department of Justice to support nonprofit-run sexual assault forensic examination centers. Contingent upon funding, the state attorney general is required to contract with an eligible nonprofit organization to operate these centers and provide specialized care, training, and reporting.
The measure creates a new state-level funding mechanism and administrative framework for independent, non-hospital-based sexual assault care facilities, affecting how state and private funds are distributed for survivor services and professional training.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Sexual assault survivors
Survivors gain access to specialized medical forensic services, treatment facilities, and a cooperative team approach tailored to underserved populations.
Nonprofit organizations
Independent nonprofits meeting specific criteria become eligible to contract with the state to operate examination centers and receive grant funding.
Hospitals and health systems
Inpatient medical facilities and hospitals are explicitly excluded from owning, controlling, or being affiliated with the eligible nonprofit organization receiving the contract.
Law enforcement and prosecuting attorneys
Law enforcement officers and prosecutors are offered or facilitated trainings regarding sexual assault services and prevention, and participate in a cooperative team approach.
Key Facts
- A sexual assault forensic examination center grant program is established in the Iowa Department of Justice.
- Contingent upon funding, the attorney general must contract with an eligible nonprofit organization to operate and maintain sexual assault forensic examination centers.
- To be eligible, a nonprofit must be incorporated in Iowa pursuant to chapter 504 and must not be owned, controlled, or affiliated with any hospital, health system, or inpatient medical facility.
- Eligible nonprofits must employ or retain sexual assault nurse examiners and maintain or establish treatment facilities primarily dedicated to services for sexual assault survivors.
Show all 9 facts
- The contracting organization must provide medical forensic services to adults, persons with disabilities, rural Iowans, and other underserved populations.
- The organization must offer or facilitate trainings for law enforcement, prosecutors, health care professionals, and the public.
- The contracting nonprofit must submit an annual report to the attorney general and the general assembly no later than January 15 of each calendar year.
- A sexual assault forensic examination center grant program trust fund is created in the state treasury under the control of the Department of Justice.
- All moneys deposited in the trust fund are appropriated to the Department of Justice to fund the grant program and centers, with interest and earnings credited to the fund.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible to operate the sexual assault forensic examination centers under this bill?
Where does the funding for the grant program come from?
What reporting requirements are placed on the contracting nonprofit organization?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Withdrawn.
Procedural history
9 actions- May 2, 2026SenateWithdrawn. S.J. 975 .
- May 2, 2026SenateHF 2794 substituted. S.J. 974 .
- May 2, 2026SenateAttached to HF 2794 . S.J. 972 .
- May 1, 2026Iowa LegislatureCommittee report approving bill, renumbered as SF 2502 .
- May 1, 2026SenateNOBA: Senate Full Approps
- May 1, 2026SenateCommittee report, approving bill. S.J. 958 .
Show 3 earlier actions
- May 1, 2026SenateIntroducedIntroduced, placed on Appropriations calendar. S.J. 957 .
- Apr 30, 2026Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee: Kraayenbrink, Blake, Bousselot, Costello, Dawson, Donahue, Dotzler, Green, Gruenhagen, Guth, Klimesh, Knox, Koelker, Petersen, Reichman, Rowley, Shipley, Staed, Warme, Whitver, and Zumbach.
- Apr 30, 2026Iowa LegislatureIntroducedIntroduced, referred to Appropriations.
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.
Creation of Independent Forensic Centers
The legislation explicitly mandates that eligible operating nonprofits be independent of hospitals, health systems, or inpatient medical facilities.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.iowa.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
- Controversy15Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools