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Read. Follow. Verify.Senate File 250 Creates Rural Attorney Recruitment Assistance Program and Fund
Last action · February 17, 2025: Subcommittee: Garrett, Campbell, and Winckler. S.J. 281 .Sponsor: Annette Sweeney
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What This Bill Would Do
Senate File 250 establishes the rural attorney recruitment assistance program, creating a state fund and providing incentive payments to attorneys who practice full-time in eligible rural counties or municipalities for at least five years.
Qualifying rural counties and municipalities gain financial assistance to recruit lawyers, while participating attorneys receive incentive payments totaling 90 percent of University of Iowa College of Law resident tuition and fees in exchange for practicing locally and contracting with the state public defender.
- State legislatures frequently introduce recruitment and loan repayment programs to combat professional shortages in rural healthcare and legal sectors. 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.
attorneys
Attorneys who enter the program receive incentive payments over five years in exchange for practicing full-time in a rural area, contracting with the state public defender, and performing volunteer legal work.
rural counties and municipalities
Local governments must apply, undergo assessments, agree to fund 35 percent of incentive payments, and may establish residency requirements to recruit and retain attorneys.
college student aid commission
The commission is responsible for establishing the program, conducting assessments, approving agreements, administering the fund, and making incentive payments.
Key Facts
- The college student aid commission must establish a rural attorney recruitment assistance program to help rural counties and municipalities recruit attorneys.
- Eligible counties or municipalities must have a population of less than 26,000 and be located more than 20 miles from a city with a population of at least 50,000 based on the 2020 federal decennial census.
- Participating attorneys receive incentive payments in five equal annual installments, each equal to 90 percent of University of Iowa College of Law resident tuition and fees as determined on July 1, 2026.
- The local county or municipality served by the attorney must provide 35 percent of the total incentive payments in five equal annual installments.
Show all 7 facts
- Participating attorneys must become contract attorneys with the office of the state public defender, designate minimum annual hours, and participate in volunteer lawyer projects for low-income Iowans.
- A rural attorney recruitment assistance program fund is created in the state treasury under the control of the college student aid commission.
- The program is limited to providing assistance for no more than five attorneys, and this numerical limitation is repealed on July 1, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which counties and municipalities are eligible for the program?
How are the incentive payments funded?
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
2 actions- Feb 17, 2025SenateSubcommittee: Garrett, Campbell, and Winckler. S.J. 281 .
- Feb 10, 2025SenateIntroducedIntroduced, referred to Education. S.J. 217 .
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.
Targeted Rural Incentive Structure
The bill creates a combined state and local funding model requiring local financial skin-in-the-game (35 percent) alongside state backing.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.iowa.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance60How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy15Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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