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HF 2

Fraud reporting required when a state employee has reason to suspect fraud, and grants management requirements strengthened.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Keith Allen and 30 co-sponsors

The bill broadens County Medical Examiners to include ARNPs and PAs in addition to physicians.

Author added Sexton
#governmentaloperations-state #publicandstateemployees
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Bill Summary · HF 2

Summary — HF 2: Fraud reporting required when a state employee has reason to suspect fraud, and grants management requirements strengthened

Note: The bill text included here as introduced (H.F. 2, §331.801(2)) amends county medical examiner qualification language to add advanced registered nurse practitioners and physician assistants as eligible appointees. The legislative history below shows the bill progressed through committees and was enacted (Chapter 3) on June 14, 2025.

Main purpose

The bill expands the list of health professionals who may serve as a county medical examiner by explicitly adding advanced registered nurse practitioners (ARNPs) and physician assistants (PAs) to the pool of eligible appointees. It also clarifies appointment procedures when local medical societies do not submit candidate lists, and sets process for temporary replacements.

Key provisions and changes

  • Amends Iowa Code §331.801, subsection 2 to broaden eligible county medical examiners to include:
    • Advanced registered nurse practitioners (ARNPs), and
    • Physician assistants (PAs), in addition to currently authorized physicians (MD/DO, osteopathic physicians and surgeons).
  • Maintains the requirement that appointees be licensed in the state.
  • Retains the customary appointment process: the county board appoints a medical examiner from lists of two or more names submitted by the county medical society, allied medical societies, or the county osteopathic society.
  • Adds language permitting the county board to appoint any licensed physician, osteopathic physician, ARNP, or PA if local medical societies fail to submit candidate lists.
  • Provides that if a county medical examiner is temporarily unable to serve in a particular case or period, the examiner must promptly notify the board chairperson, who will designate another qualified physician, ARNP, or PA to serve temporarily.

Who is affected

  • Counties and county boards of supervisors (appointing authorities)
  • County medical examiners and candidates (physicians, ARNPs, PAs, osteopathic physicians)
  • Local medical and osteopathic societies (role in submitting candidate lists)
  • Families and communities relying on medicolegal death investigations (potentially affected by who conducts examinations)

Potential impacts

  • Expands the eligible workforce, which may help counties address shortages of licensed physicians willing or available to serve as medical examiners, particularly in rural areas.
  • May require counties or the state to consider training, oversight, or credentialing standards to ensure ARNPs and PAs assigned as medical examiners have appropriate forensic/death-investigation competence.
  • No fiscal estimates or funding provisions are included in the provided text; implementation costs (training, administrative updates) would depend on local decisions.

Legislative and procedural timeline

  • Introduced: January 14, 2025 (referred to Health and Human Services; subcommittee hearings January 21–23)
  • Committee actions: Subcommittee recommended passage; full committee voted 20–0 (Feb. 6, 2025); later reports and renumbering to HF 305
  • Passed both chambers: June 9, 2025
  • Presented to Governor: June 12, 2025
  • Governor approval / Filed with Secretary of State: June 14, 2025 (Chapter 3, 06/14/25) — enacted into law
  • Primary sponsor: A. Meyer
  • Related companion bills: SF 1123 and SF 6

Notes

  • The provided bill text focuses on the county medical examiner qualifications; the bill title references fraud reporting and grants management requirements, but no text for those topics was included in the excerpt provided for this summary.
  • Effective date: the bill was signed and filed on June 14, 2025 (Chapter 3). The summary does not identify any special effective-date language within the excerpt; the effective date follows statutory rules unless otherwise specified in the final enrolled act.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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