POLISCOPE
Back to bills

The civic record

Read. Follow. Verify.

Iowa Bill Requires Auto Insurance Settlements to Include Value of Child Restraint Systems

Original title: A bill for an act relating to the inclusion of the value of child restraint systems in the loss calculation for specified insurance settlements of automobile partial or total losses, and including applicability provisions.

Last action · February 5, 2025: Subcommittee: Driscoll, Trone Garriott, and Webster. S.J. 203 .Sponsor: Trone Garriott

Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.

Public stanceCommunity reactions are separate from the official record and reporting.

What This Bill Would Do

Automobile insurers settling partial or total loss claims must include the value of any s located in the vehicle at the time of the loss, effective July 1, 2025.

Why it matters

Vehicle owners filing insurance claims for damaged or totaled cars will receive reimbursement for child car seats present during the incident, altering total payout calculations.

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.

Directly affected

automobile insurance policyholders

Policyholders filing partial or total loss claims will have the value of child restraint systems included in their settlement calculations.

Directly affected

insurance providers

Insurers must adjust their loss settlement calculations to account for child restraint systems present in vehicles during a partial or total loss.

Key Facts

  • Insurers providing automobile partial or total loss settlements must include the value of any child restraint system inside the vehicle during the loss.
  • The requirement applies to automobile losses occurring on or after July 1, 2025.
  • Automobile is defined by reference to section 321.1 as a motor vehicle designed primarily for carrying nine passengers or less, excluding motorcycles and motorized bicycles.
  • Child restraint system is defined by reference to section 321.446 as a specially designed seating system meeting federal motor vehicle safety standards in 49 C.F.R. §571.213.

Frequently Asked Questions

What items must be added to an automobile insurance loss settlement under this bill?
The bill requires the inclusion of the value of any located in the automobile at the time of a partial or total loss.
When does this requirement take effect?
It applies to automobile losses occurring on or after July 1, 2025.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Where This Stands

Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.

Procedural history

2 actions
  1. Feb 5, 2025Senate
    Subcommittee: Driscoll, Trone Garriott, and Webster. S.J. 203 .
  2. Feb 5, 2025SenateIntroduced
    Introduced, referred to Commerce. S.J. 201 .

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

Sources

Open source document

www.legis.iowa.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance40
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy10
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment5
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz20
    Current news / social attention level

Publisher tools

Share or embed this record

POLISCOPE publisher tools

Share or embed this record