Bills › 91st General Assembly
Providing for a task force to address legal services for indigent parties
Sponsored by the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Brian K. Lohse (R)
Topics:Courts & civil lawCrime & corrections
Same legislation: HF 2174
Where it is now
- Done: IntroducedJanuary 27, 2026
- Done: SubcommitteeFebruary 3, 2026
- Done: House committeeFebruary 12, 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 Iowa's judicial branch will create a special group to study how people with low incomes receive legal help in criminal and child welfare cases. This group will look for ways to find more lawyers, fix conflicts of interest, and secure better funding for these services. They must meet at least once a year and send a report to state leaders through 2030.1
Read the official explanation
This bill directs the judicial branch to establish a task force to investigate the statewide delivery of legal services to indigent parties in criminal, juvenile, and child abuse and neglect proceedings and to develop recommendations to improve service delivery, address public defender conflicts of interest, ensure competent representation, identify sustainable funding, and increase the number of qualified attorneys available to serve indigent Iowans. The required members of the task force are specified in the bill. The bill provides that for the period beginning July 1, 2026, and ending November 15, 2030, the task force must convene at least once per year. The bill requires the judicial branch to submit a report to the governor and the general assembly by November 15 each year through 2030.
Family tree
91st General Assembly