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HF 957

Mandate relief for school districts provided, certain fund transfers for fiscal years 2025 through 2029 authorized, and school board authorized to opt out of compliance with certain recently enacted state laws or rules.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Ben Bakeberg and 5 co-sponsors

Authorizes school-district mandate relief for 2025-2029, enabling fund transfers and letting boards opt out of compliance with certain newly enacted state laws or rules.

Author added Heintzeman
#educationandeducationdepartment #education-schooldistricts #stateboards
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HF 957

Summary — H.F. 957 (Introduced March 13, 2025)

Status: Committee report to adopt as amended and re‑refer to Education Finance; later renumbered as HF 982; withdrawn 2025‑04‑17. Companion bill: SF 3361.

Note on source material: the materials provided for H.F. 957 include a bill title focused on education mandate relief and school board opt‑outs, but the textual excerpts included in the packet appear to be from unrelated divisions dealing with license actions and provisions for an “Iowa economic emergency fund” (Disaster emergency authority and FY 2024–2025 appropriations). This summary therefore (A) describes the bill as titled and (B) summarizes the explicit statutory language provided in the excerpted divisions. Where the record is incomplete or inconsistent, that is noted.

Main purpose and intent

  • As titled, the bill’s principal purpose is to provide “mandate relief” to school districts for FY 2025–2029: authorize certain fund transfers and allow school boards to opt out of compliance with certain recently enacted state laws or administrative rules. (The provided text does not include the specific mandate relief language or the opt‑out mechanics.)
  • The excerpted text also would (in the portions shown) change how an economic emergency fund may be used for disaster response and make two one‑time appropriations from that fund for FY 2024–2025.

Key provisions (based on provided materials)

  1. Education / Mandate relief (title summary)

    • Authorizes certain fund transfers for fiscal years 2025–2029 to provide mandate relief to school districts.
    • Permits a school board to opt out of compliance with certain recently enacted state laws or rules (the excerpt does not specify which laws/rules, conditions for opting out, notification requirements, or limitations).

  2. Disaster emergency use of the Iowa Economic Emergency Fund (Division VII — excerpt)

    • Each fiscal year, up to 10% of the fund’s maximum balance may be appropriated to the Department of Management (DOM) for disaster response, disaster recovery activities, or disaster aid to citizens after a governor’s proclamation of disaster emergency and with Executive Council approval.
    • DOM, with governor approval, may transfer these moneys interdepartmentally to another state entity for the same purposes notwithstanding certain Code section limitations (including parts of §8.39), and may do so without the usual General Assembly notification requirements referenced in that Code section.
    • If DOM later determines the funds are no longer needed for designated purposes, remaining amounts revert to the economic emergency fund.

  3. Specific appropriations (Division VIII — excerpt)

    • FY 2024–2025: $2,000,000 appropriated from the Iowa economic emergency fund to the Economic Development Authority for deposit into the Nuisance Property Remediation Assistance Fund.
    • FY 2024–2025: $11,600,000 appropriated from the Iowa economic emergency fund to the Iowa Finance Authority for deposit into the Disaster Recovery Housing Assistance Program Fund.
    • This division takes effect upon enactment.

Who is affected

  • School districts and local school boards (if and to the extent mandate relief and opt‑out provisions are enacted).
  • State agencies: Department of Management, Economic Development Authority, Iowa Finance Authority (per the explicit appropriations and transfer authority).
  • Citizens and communities affected by disasters (via disaster response/recovery funding and housing assistance).
  • State fiscal posture: use of the economic emergency fund and the specified appropriations will reduce the fund balance and change executive flexibility in responding to disasters.

Fiscal and procedural/timing aspects

  • Appropriations shown in the excerpt total $13.6 million for FY 2024–2025 from the Iowa economic emergency fund.
  • The bill (excerpt) authorizes use of up to 10% of the fund’s maximum balance each fiscal year for disaster purposes, subject to governor and Executive Council approval.
  • The Division VIII appropriations take effect upon enactment.
  • Legislative history in the record: introduced 2025‑03‑13; subcommittee and committee activity in March 2025 (committee vote 25–0); committee report recommending amendment and passage; renumbered as HF 982 (committee report approving bill, renumbered HF 982 on 2025‑04‑01); withdrawn 2025‑04‑17.

Caveats / recommended next steps

  • The provided packet mixes an education‑titled bill with other statutory text (Iowa emergency fund language and appropriations). The summary above reflects both the title’s stated intent and the specific statutory excerpts available.
  • For authoritative detail about the final scope of mandate relief, the specific laws or rules school boards could opt out of, and exact fund transfer mechanics for FY 2025–2029, consult the final engrossed/renumbered bill (HF 982) or the legislative bill text and fiscal note posted by the legislature.

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

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