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Read. Follow. Verify.Iowa Senate Bill 516 Directs Department of Education to Study Student Technology Impact
Last action · March 26, 2026: Placed on calendar under unfinished business. H.J. 760 .
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What This Bill Would Do
The Iowa Department of Education must convene a working group in collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services to examine how school-provided technology affects student and academic performance by December 31, 2025.
Schools and families will receive state recommendations on mitigating the potential negative effects of classroom digital devices on attention spans and learning abilities.
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.
Department of Education
Must convene, provide administrative support for the working group, and participate in collaboration with health officials.
Department of Health and Human Services
Must collaborate with the Department of Education in convening the working group.
Educators
Must be included as members of the working group studying technology impacts.
Parents of school-age children
Must be included as members of the working group.
Key Facts
- The Department of Education must convene and provide administrative support for a working group in collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services.
- The working group is tasked with examining research on how school-provided technology impacts the cognitive function and academic performance of students.
- School-provided technology is defined to include laptop computers, online learning management systems, and classroom slide show presentations.
- Working group membership must include educators, mental health professionals, and parents of school-age children.
Show all 6 facts
- Working group members or their respective entities are responsible for covering any incurred expenses.
- The working group must submit a report detailing its findings, recommendations, and best practices to the general assembly by December 31, 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions
What devices are covered under school-provided technology?
Who will be part of the working group?
When is the report due to the general assembly?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently passed chamber. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Law.
Procedural history
26 actions- Mar 26, 2026HousePlaced on calendar under unfinished business. H.J. 760 .
- Mar 19, 2026HousePlaced on calendar. H.J. 705 .
- Mar 19, 2026HouseCommittee vote: Yeas, 22. Nays, 1. H.J. 705 .
- Mar 19, 2026HouseCommittee report, recommending passage. H.J. 705 .
- Mar 16, 2026Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee recommends passage.
- Mar 12, 2026Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee Meeting: 03/16/2026 12:30PM RM 102.
Show 20 earlier actions
- Mar 12, 2026HouseSubcommittee: Fett, Hayes and Matson. H.J. 667 .
- Mar 5, 2026HouseIntroducedRead first time, referred to Education. H.J. 573 .
- Mar 5, 2026HouseMessage from Senate. H.J. 573 .
- Mar 5, 2026SenateImmediate message. S.J. 486 .
- Mar 5, 2026SenateFloorPassed Senate , yeas 42, nays 0. S.J. 484 .
- Feb 12, 2026SenateCommittee report, approving bill. S.J. 283 .
- Feb 12, 2026SenateIntroducedIntroduced, placed on calendar. S.J. 276 .
- Feb 12, 2026SenateCommittee report approving bill, renumbered as SF 2335 . S.J. 283 .
- Feb 4, 2026Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee recommends passage.
- Feb 2, 2026Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee Meeting: 02/04/2026 1:30PM Room 217 Conference Room.
- Jan 15, 2026SenateSubcommittee: Taylor, Pike, and Winckler. S.J. 107 .
- Jan 15, 2026Iowa Legislature* * * * * END OF 2025 ACTIONS * * * * *
- Jun 16, 2025SenateCommitteeReferred to Education. S.J. 1057 .
- Mar 5, 2025SenateCommittee report approving bill, renumbered as SF 516 . S.J. 422 .
- Mar 5, 2025SenateCommittee report, approving bill. S.J. 422 .
- Mar 5, 2025SenateIntroducedIntroduced, placed on calendar. S.J. 417 .
- Feb 19, 2025Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee recommends passage.
- Feb 17, 2025SenateSubcommittee Meeting: 02/19/2025 2:00PM Senate Lounge.
- Feb 11, 2025Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee: Taylor, Campbell, and Winckler.
- Feb 10, 2025SenateIntroducedIntroduced, referred to Education. S.J. 215 .
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.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.iowa.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance40How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy10Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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