Bill
SF 648
The bill finances Iowa’s judicial branch for FY2025–2026, funding salaries, court operations, juvenile services, and related administration with enhanced reporting and multi-year n
Status and timeline
- Bill: Senate File 648
- Introduced: May 6, 2025 (first reading Jan 27, 2025 noted)
- Actions: Amendment S‑3156 adopted (May 13); Passed Senate (May 13) and House (May 14); enrolled (May 23); signed by Governor (June 11, 2025).
- Note: A companion bill is HF 606.
Purpose
- Authorizes FY 2025–2026 appropriations to the Iowa judicial branch for judicial officer salaries, court operations, juvenile court services, and related purposes, and includes reporting, administrative, and fee‑treatment provisions.
Key appropriations and allotments (FY 2025–2026)
- $202,691,378 — Salaries and operation costs for justices, judges, judicial staff, clerks, juvenile court officers, boards, child support receipt/disbursement, audits, maintenance, equipment, etc.
- $3,600,000 — Deposit to the judicial revolving fund (jury & witness fees, mileage, juror summons costs, interpreter/translator costs and fees, reimbursement of attorney fees paid by state public defender).
- $3,290,000 — Court‑ordered services for juveniles under juvenile court services (state charge under Iowa Code §232.141(4)).
- Up to $1,556,000 of this is for school‑based supervision (training capped at $25,000).
- Up to $83,000 may be used for judicial branch administration of these requirements.
- An amount not to exceed the interstate commission for juveniles membership fee is allocated.
- Unencumbered funds for this purpose do not revert and remain available through the close of FY 2027–2028.
- Distribution to judicial districts is made by the State Court Administrator within 30 days after annual census data release. Districts must not order state‑charge services if district distribution funds are insufficient; counties cannot be ordered to pay state‑charge juvenile services.
- $12,253,000 — Juvenile delinquent graduated sanctions services (with analogous nonreversion through FY 2027–2028 and allowance to use state savings from Title IV‑E match efforts).
Administrative, reporting, and policy provisions
- Judicial branch must use state budget, payroll, and accounting systems (no duplication).
- Monthly financial statements to Legislative Services Agency and Department of Management comparing budgeted vs. actual dollars and FTEs.
- Semiannual reports on fines, surcharges, and court costs collected via the Iowa Court Information System.
- Requirement to report to the General Assembly and Department of Management by Jan 1, 2026 on receipts and expenditures from the Court Technology and Modernization Fund (text truncated in source but reporting requirement included).
- Legislative notice required before changing appropriations beyond statutorily allowed transfers.
- Express intent that clerks of district court operate in all 99 counties and be open during regular courthouse hours.
- Emphasis on increasing collection efforts for delinquent fines, fees, surcharges, etc.
Fee‑treatment change
- The bill amends language in Iowa Code §602.8107(4)(a) to specify that that subsection does not apply to amounts collected for several items, explicitly including interpreter or translator fees (i.e., interpreter/translator fees are treated as exceptions under that provision).
Who is affected
- Judicial branch personnel (justices, judges, clerks, juvenile court officers), judicial districts, juvenile court services, juveniles subject to court‑ordered services, jurors and witnesses (via revolving fund), state public defender (reimbursement mechanism), counties (protected from being ordered to pay certain state‑charged juvenile services), and entities involved in court technology funding and reporting.
Practical impacts to watch
- Centralizes distribution authority for state‑charged juvenile services to the State Court Administrator and places limits on ordering services when district funds are exhausted.
- Locks certain juvenile appropriations from reversion through FY 2028, allowing multi‑year spending flexibility.
- Formalizes reporting and financial transparency expectations for the judicial branch.
Note on title discrepancy
- The provided materials reference this bill as an appropriations act for the judicial branch. There is no explicit language in the supplied text concerning a “FATHER Project” grant; if you intended to review a different provision or amendment specific to a FATHER Project, please provide that text or indicate where it appears so I can summarize it.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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