Bills › 91st General Assembly

HF 2337Signed by Governor · April 16, 2026

Relating to fraudulent practices involving academic credentials or professional or occupational licenses, and making penalties applicable

Sponsored by the House Education Committee, Rep. Dean Fisher (R)

Topics:Crime & corrections K–12 education Professional licensing

Same legislation: HF 2091

Write your legislators about itWhat changed before it passed

Official bill page Lobbyist declarations One-pager to print

Where it is now

Done: IntroducedJanuary 15, 2026
Done: SubcommitteeJanuary 21, 2026
Done: House committeeFebruary 4, 2026
Done: Passes the HouseMarch 12, 202690–1
Done: Senate committeeMarch 19, 2026
Done: Passes the SenateMarch 30, 202646–0
Done: To the GovernorApril 16, 2026
Done: Signed into lawApril 16, 2026

Signed into law What’s a funnel?

What’s in it

AI summary People who lie about having a college degree or other school credentials to get a job or other benefits would be committing a crime. This law makes that action a felony. If found guilty, a person could face up to five years in prison and have to pay a fine.¹

Read the official explanation

This bill relates to fraudulent practices involving academic credentials. The bill provides that a person who falsely represents oneself as possessing an academic degree or academic credentials for the purpose of obtaining employment or other personal gain is guilty of a fraudulent practice in the second degree. A fraudulent practice in the second degree is a class “D” felony. A class “D” felony is punishable by confinement for no more than five years and a fine of at least $1,025 but not more than $10,245.

Why it matters. People who lie about having academic degrees or professional licenses to get jobs or other personal benefits would face a class D felony charge. This change could affect the Judicial Branch, the Indigent Defense Fund, and the Department of Corrections if convictions occur.²

Changed since by amendments S-5137, H-8178, H-8074; see Amendments.

Full bill text · What changed before it passed³

Senate subcommittee

Named March 17, 2026. Meeting: Thursday, March 19 · 10:00 AM · Room 315.

Three legislators hear a bill first and recommend what the committee should do; it’s the best time to weigh in. How to take part

Fiscal note

Cost: up to $12,200 Compare with other bills

AI summary This bill makes it a crime to falsely claim to have academic degrees or professional licenses to obtain employment or personal gain. The fiscal impact of the bill cannot be determined because the number of new convictions cannot be estimated. If convictions occur, the average state cost per aggravated misdemeanor is between $8,300 and $12,200, affecting the Judicial Branch, the Indigent Defense Fund, and the Department of Corrections.⁴

Read the fiscal note

Description

House File 2337 relates to fraud. The Bill provides that a person who falsely represents oneself as possessing an academic degree or academic credentials for the purpose of obtaining employment or other personal gain is guilty of a fraudulent practice in the fifth degree. Additionally, the Bill provides that a person who knowingly and with intent falsely represents oneself as possessing a professional or occupational license regulated under Iowa Code chapter 272C is guilty of a fraudulent practice in the third degree.

A fraudulent practice in the fifth degree is a simple misdemeanor. A fraudulent practice in the third degree is an aggravated misdemeanor.

Background

An aggravated misdemeanor is punishable by confinement for up to two years and a fine of at least $855 but not more than $8,540.

Assumptions

The following will not change over the projection period: charge, conviction, and sentencing patterns and trends; prisoner length of stay (LOS); revocation rates; plea bargaining; and other criminal justice system policies and practices.
County jail data is unavailable. For purposes of this analysis, the marginal cost for county jails is assumed to be $50 per day.
Conviction data reflects the total number of convictions in adult court, which may include multiple convictions per individual. Not all convictions lead to incarceration, and there may be a delay between conviction and prison admission, which can contribute to differences in totals.
A six-month delay is assumed from the effective date of the Bill to the date the first offender will enter the correctional system.
Offender-based convictions are a count of individuals convicted of the same offense. Each offender is counted only once per Iowa Code section, regardless of the number of individual convictions.
Admissions are a count of individuals newly admitted to the Department of Corrections (DOC) for supervision during a selected time period, based on the most serious offense committed.

Correctional Impact

The correctional impact of the Bill cannot be determined because the number of new convictions cannot be estimated. Figure 1 shows estimates for sentencing to State prison, parole, probation, or Community-Based Corrections (CBC) residential facilities; LOS in months under those supervisions; and supervision marginal costs per day for an aggravated misdemeanor.

Figure 1 — Sentencing Estimates and Length of Stay (LOS) in Months

Conviction Offense Class

Percent

Ordered to

State

Prison

FY 2025 Avg

LOS in

Prison (All Releases)

Marginal

Cost Per

Day

Prison

Percent

Ordered to

Probation

FY 2025

Field Avg

LOS on

Probation

Avg Cost

Per Day

Probation

Marginal

Cost Per

Day CBC

Marginal

Cost Per

Day Jail

FY 2025

Field Avg

LOS on

Parole

Marginal

Cost Per

Day Parole

Aggravated Misdemeanor Non-Persons 31.1% 9.3 $23.07 37.1% 28.4 $8.00 $16.35 $50.00 11.2 $8.00 Refer to the Legislative Services Agency (LSA) memo addressed to the General Assembly, Cost Estimates Used for Correctional Impact Statements, dated January 12, 2026, for information related to the correctional system.

Minority Impact

The minority impact cannot be determined since it is not known how many new convictions would result from the changes under the Bill. Refer to the LSA memo addressed to the General Assembly, Minority Impact Statements, dated January 12, 2026, for information related to minorities in the criminal justice system.

Fiscal Impact

The fiscal impact of the Bill cannot be determined because the number of new convictions cannot be estimated. The average State cost per aggravated misdemeanor is between $8,300 and $12,200. The estimated impact to the General Fund includes operating costs incurred by the Judicial Branch, the Indigent Defense Fund, and the DOC. The costs would be incurred across multiple fiscal years for prison and parole supervision.

Sources

Department of Corrections
Division of Data, Planning, and Improvement (DPI), Department of Management (DOM)

How the estimate changed

$18,100 March 2, 2026
→
$12,200 March 31, 2026
→
$12,200 May 13, 2026 · final

⁵

Final Fiscal Note — Fraud, False Educational Credentials · May 13, 2026 · $12,200
Fraud, False Educational Credentials · March 31, 2026 · $12,200
Fraud, False Educational Credentials · March 18, 2026
Fraud, False Educational Credentials · March 2, 2026 · $18,100

Reading a fiscal note⁶

Iowa Code it changes

Amends§714.10 §714.8

How the Code works⁷

Lobbying

3 for · 0 against · 8 undecided · Who →

Family tree

91st General Assembly

HF 2091Renumbered HF 2337Became lawfrom HF 2091

Notes

The summary is written by an AI model from the official explanation. It can miss details; the explanation and the bill are what count. ↩
Written by an AI model from the official explanation and fiscal note only, for bills that passed a chamber, drew heavy lobbying or carry a large cost. It doesn’t weigh whether the bill is a good idea. ↩
The explanation is printed with the bill as introduced and written by the Legislative Services Agency, the Legislature’s nonpartisan staff. ↩
Written by an AI model from the newest fiscal note. It can miss details; the note itself is what counts. ↩
Each figure is the largest dollar amount in that version’s summary. ↩
Fiscal notes are nonpartisan cost estimates from the Legislative Services Agency’s Fiscal Services Division. The newest is listed first. ↩
Code sections are read from the bill as introduced. Each links to every bill touching that chapter of the Iowa Code. ↩