Bills › 91st General Assembly
Establishing a criminal offense for written or electronic threats to kill, cause bodily injury, or conduct a mass shooting or an act of terrorism, and providing penalties
Sponsored by the House Public Safety Committee
Topics:Crime & correctionsPublic safety & emergencies
Same legislation: HSB 651
Where it is now
- Done: IntroducedFebruary 3, 2026
- Done: SubcommitteeFebruary 3, 2026
- Done: House committeeFebruary 11, 2026
- Stopped: Passes the HouseDied when the General Assembly ended
- Next: Senate committeeFunnel: by March 20, 2026
- Next: Passes the Senate
- Next: To the Governor
- Next: Signed into law
Died when the session ended The 2026 session adjourned on May 3, 2026, the General Assembly’s last regular session. Bills that didn’t pass both chambers died. What’s a funnel?
What’s in it
AI summary It is now a felony to send or post written or electronic threats to kill someone, cause bodily harm, or carry out a mass shooting or act of terrorism. People who commit this crime could face up to 10 years in prison and significant fines.1
Read the official explanation
This bill establishes a criminal offense for written or electronic threats to kill, cause bodily injury, or conduct a mass shooting or an act of terrorism. The bill provides that it is unlawful for a person to send, post, or transmit, or procure the sending, posting, or transmission of, a writing or other record, including an electronic record, in any manner in which it may be viewed by another person, when in such writing or record the person makes a threat to kill or cause bodily harm to another person, or conduct a mass shooting or an act of terrorism. A person who commits a violation of the bill commits a class “C” felony. A class “C” felony is punishable by confinement for no more than 10 years and a fine of at least $1,370 but not more than $13,660.
House subcommittee
Named February 3, 2026 (as HSB 651). On February 9, 2026 it recommended passage.
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
1 written public comment to its subcommittee: February 9, 2026 (1) · on the Legislature’s site
Fiscal note
Cost: up to $25,200 Compare with other bills
AI summary This bill creates a new Class C felony for sending or posting written or electronic threats to kill, cause bodily injury, conduct a mass shooting, or commit an act of terrorism. The fiscal impact cannot be determined because the number of convictions cannot be estimated. If the bill passes, the General Fund would face costs for the Judicial Branch, the Indigent Defense Fund, and the Department of Corrections.3
Read the fiscal note
Description
House File 2535 establishes a criminal offense for written or electronic threats to kill, cause bodily injury, or conduct a mass shooting or an act of terrorism.
Under the Bill, it is unlawful for a person to send, post, or transmit, or procure the sending, posting, or transmission of, a writing or other record, including an electronic record, in any manner in which it may be viewed by another person, when in such writing or record the person makes a threat to kill or cause bodily harm to another person or conduct a mass shooting or an act of terrorism. A person who commits a violation under the Bill is guilty of a Class C felony.
Background
A Class C felony is punishable by confinement for up to 10 years and a fine of at least $1,370 but not more than $13,660.
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
House File 2535 creates a new criminal offense, and the correctional impact cannot be estimated due to a lack of existing conviction data. Figure 1 shows sentencing estimates 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 a Class C felony. 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.
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
C Felony Persons 89.1% 39.1 $23.07 30.1% 42.8 $8.00 $16.35 $50.00 27.2 $8.00
Minority Impact
House File 2535 creates a new criminal offense. As a result, the Department of Management (DOM) Division of Data, Planning, and Improvement (DPI) cannot use existing data to estimate the minority impact of 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 convictions cannot be estimated. The average State cost per Class C felony is between $15,000 and $25,200. 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, Department of Management
- State Public Defender
- Threats to Harm, Criminal Offense · March 4, 2026 · $25,200
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91st General Assembly