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90th General Assembly · Iowa Funnel one-pager · Monday, November 9, 2026

SF 14: Creating a capital murder offense by establishing the penalty of death for murder in the first degree offenses involving kidnapping and sexual abuse offenses against the same victim who is a minor, providing penalties, and including effective date and applicability provisions

Became SF 357 · Its progress continues under the new number.

What it does

This bill amends the Iowa criminal code to provide for punishment by death for capital murder committed by a person age or older if the trial jury, or the judge if there is no jury, makes specific findings and whether the jury believes the defendant should be put to death in a separate penalty proceeding held after the close of the initial trial proceeding. Under the bill, a death penalty sentence could be imposed if the person is convicted of the multiple offenses of murder in the first degree, kidnapping in the first, second, or third degree, and sexual abuse in the first, second, or third degree with respect to the same victim, and the victim is a minor.

Sponsors

Not listed

Cost

See the fiscal note

Senate File 357 is estimated to have a fiscal impact to the DOC, the Office of the State Public Defender, and the Judicial Branch. Some of these costs will only be incurred once. Other costs for each individual facing the death penalty will be incurred over mu…

Senate subcommittee · named January 10, 2023

  • Sen. Julian B. Garrett (R)
  • Sen. Tony Bisignano (D) · tony.bisignano@legis.iowa.gov
  • Sen. Jason Schultz (R) · jason.schultz@legis.iowa.gov

Lobbying · 1 for, 14 against

For: American Green Farms

Against: American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa (ACLU-IA); Common Good Iowa; Episcopal Diocese of Iowa; IA Mental Health Planning Council; Interfaith Alliance of Iowa Action Fund; Iowa Academy of Trial Lawyers; Iowa Association for Justice; Iowa Catholic Conference; Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence; Iowa Mental Health Advocacy; Iowans Against the Death Penalty; League of Women Voters of Iowa; and 2 more

In plain words

  1. January 9, 2023Filed in the Senate and sent to the Judiciary committee
  2. January 10, 2023Senate subcommittee named: Garrett, Bisignano and Schultz
  3. February 15, 2023Subcommittee recommended passing it
  4. February 21, 2023Approved by the Senate committee, and given a new number: SF 357

From public records at legis.iowa.gov, compiled by Iowa Funnel (iowafunnel.com), an independent, nonpartisan site. Current as of Monday, November 9, 2026. https://iowafunnel.com/bills/90/SF14