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Read. Follow. Verify.Iowa Senate File 424 Reallocates Special Nonresident Deer Hunting Licenses to Conservation Groups and Governor
Last action · March 31, 2026: Subcommittee recommends passage.
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What This Bill Would Do
Iowa Senate File 424 modifies the distribution of 50 special , allotting 40 to state conservation organizations and 10 to the governor. The measure allows the governor to decline any portion of the allocation by September 1 for transfer to conservation groups, and establishes a formal definition for qualifying conservation organizations.
Changes how specialized hunting access is distributed among state leadership and conservation entities, establishing explicit deadlines for license acceptance and legal definitions for participating groups.
- Senate File 424 serves as a successor measure to SF 293 regarding nonresident deer hunting license allocations in Iowa. 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.
Iowa conservation organizations
Eligible to receive an increased allocation of 40 special nonresident deer hunting licenses determined by the department.
the governor
Receives an explicit allocation of 10 special nonresident deer hunting licenses with the option to accept all, part, or none.
nonresident deer hunters
Eligible to receive special nonresident deer hunting licenses and have the hunter education certificate requirement waived under specific conditions.
Key Facts
- Forty of the fifty special nonresident deer hunting licenses are allocated to Iowa conservation organizations determined by the department.
- Ten of the fifty special nonresident deer hunting licenses are allocated to the governor.
- The governor may choose to accept all, part, or none of the license allocation.
- Unaccepted licenses allocated to the governor by September 1 are added to the Iowa conservation organizations allocation.
Show all 7 facts
- Media resulting from hunting visitation under these licenses is prohibited from being used for political campaign purposes.
- The hunter education certificate requirement is waived for nonresidents issued a license under this subsection.
- A conservation organization is defined as an organization incorporated and managed pursuant to chapter 504 with a mission emphasizing natural resource conservation or science-based management.
Frequently Asked Questions
How are the 50 special nonresident deer hunting licenses divided under the bill?
What happens if the governor does not accept all of the assigned hunting licenses?
What qualifies an organization as a conservation organization under this measure?
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
27 actions- Mar 31, 2026Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee recommends passage.
- Mar 30, 2026Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee Meeting: 03/31/2026 12:30PM RM 102.
- Mar 23, 2026HouseSubcommittee: Wulf, Johnson, C. and Kurth. H.J. 725 .
- Mar 17, 2026HouseIntroducedRead first time, referred to Ways and Means. H.J. 682 .
- Mar 17, 2026HouseMessage from Senate. H.J. 675 .
- Mar 17, 2026SenateImmediate message. S.J. 584 .
Show 21 earlier actions
- Mar 17, 2026SenateFloorPassed Senate , yeas 43, nays 0. S.J. 581 .
- Feb 19, 2026Iowa LegislaturePlaced on calendar.
- Feb 19, 2026SenateCommittee report, approving bill. S.J. 337 .
- Feb 17, 2026Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee recommends passage.
- Feb 16, 2026Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee recommends passage.
- Feb 11, 2026HouseSubcommittee Meeting: 02/16/2026 12:00PM House Lounge.
- Feb 10, 2026HouseSubcommittee: Gearhart, Mommsen and Scholten. H.J. 249 .
- Jan 14, 2026SenateSubcommittee Meeting: 01/20/2026 11:30AM Senate Lounge.
- Jan 14, 2026SenateSubcommittee: Shipley, Bennett, and Evans. S.J. 89 .
- Jan 14, 2026Iowa Legislature* * * * * END OF 2025 ACTIONS * * * * *
- Dec 31, 2025Iowa Legislature* * * * * END OF 2025 ACTIONS * * * * *
- Jun 16, 2025SenateCommitteeReferred to Natural Resources and Environment. S.J. 1057 .
- Mar 3, 2025HouseSubcommittee: Collins, Gearhart and Scholten. H.J. 488 .
- Mar 3, 2025HouseIntroducedIntroduced, referred to Natural Resources. H.J. 486 .
- Feb 25, 2025SenateCommittee report approving bill, renumbered as SF 424 . S.J. 359 .
- Feb 25, 2025SenateCommittee report, approving bill. S.J. 359 .
- Feb 25, 2025SenateIntroducedIntroduced, placed on calendar. S.J. 351 .
- Feb 19, 2025Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee recommends passage.
- Feb 18, 2025Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee Meeting: 02/19/2025 1:00PM Room 217 Conference Room.
- Feb 17, 2025SenateSubcommittee: Shipley, Pike, and Trone Garriott. S.J. 282 .
- Feb 12, 2025SenateIntroducedIntroduced, referred to Natural Resources and Environment. S.J. 254 .
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.
Transition from SF 293
The bill is a successor to SF 293, formalizing a split between conservation organizations and the governor rather than leaving the entire block allocation open to department discretion.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.iowa.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance25How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy10Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz15Current news / social attention level
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