Bills › 91st General Assembly
Relating to obstructing first responders, and providing penalties
Sponsored by Rep. Brett Barker (R), Rep. David L. Blom (R), Rep. Jane Bloomingdale (R), Rep. Brooke Boden (R), Rep. Dr. Steven P. Bradley (R), Rep. Taylor R. Collins (R), Rep. Tom Determann (R), Rep. Samantha Fett (R), Rep. Dean Fisher (R), Rep. Jason Gearhart (R), Rep. Dan Gehlbach (R), Rep. Thomas Gerhold (R), Rep. Bob Henderson (R), Rep. Christian A. Hermanson (R), Rep. Steven C. Holt (R), Rep. Chad Ingels (R), Rep. Thomas M. Jeneary (R), Rep. Wendy Larson (R), Rep. Shannon Latham (R), Rep. Shannon Lundgren (R), Rep. Ann Meyer (R), Rep. Thomas Jay Moore (R), Rep. Carter F. Nordman (R), Rep. Travis M. Sitzmann (R), Rep. Jennifer J. Smith (R), Rep. Henry Stone (R), Rep. Mike Vondran (R), Rep. Blaine C. Watkins (R), Rep. Craig Steven Williams (R), Rep. Hans C. Wilz (R), Rep. Devon Wood (R), Rep. David E. Young (R)
Topics:Crime & correctionsPublic safety & emergencies
Same legislation: HF 2751
Where it is now
- Done: IntroducedMarch 2, 2026
- Done: SubcommitteeMarch 4, 2026
- Done: House committeeMarch 25, 2026
- Skipped: Passes the HouseContinued as HF 2751
- Next: Senate committee
- Next: Passes the Senate
- Next: To the Governor
- Next: Signed into law
Became HF 2751 → Its progress continues under the new number. Go to HF 2751 What’s a funnel?
What’s in it
AI summary People who ignore a warning from a first responder and get within 25 feet to interfere with their work, threaten them, or harass them could face criminal charges. This law applies to anyone who knowingly approaches an emergency worker while they are doing their job. Violating this rule is a serious misdemeanor that can lead to jail time and fines.1
Read the official explanation
This bill relates to obstructing first responders. The bill prohibits a person, after receiving a verbal warning not to approach from an individual the person knows or reasonably should know is a first responder who is engaged in the lawful performance of a legal duty, from knowingly and willfully violating the warning and approaching or remaining within 25 feet of the first responder with the intent to impede or interfere with the first responder’s ability to perform the first responder’s duty; threaten the first responder with physical harm; or harass the first responder. A person violating the bill commits a serious misdemeanor. A serious misdemeanor is punishable by confinement for no more than one year and a fine of at least $430 but not more than $2,560.
Changed since by amendments H-8276, H-8275; see Amendments.
House subcommittee
Named March 4, 2026. On March 10, 2026 it recommended amendment and 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: March 10, 2026 (1) · on the Legislature’s site
Fiscal note
AI summary This bill creates a new criminal offense for obstructing a first responder, modifies penalties for assaults against certain occupations, and establishes confidentiality protections for peer support communications. The fiscal impact cannot be determined because the number of new convictions is unknown. The average state cost per serious misdemeanor is estimated to be between $350 and $6,200 for the Judicial Branch, the Indigent Defense Fund, and the Department of Corrections.3
Read the fiscal note
Description
House File 2751 creates a new criminal offense, modifies criminal penalties related to assaults against certain occupations, and establishes confidentiality protections for peer support communications involving public safety personnel. The Bill creates the offense of obstructing a first responder after warning. A first responder includes a law enforcement officer, a probation or parole officer, a fire fighter, or an emergency medical care provider. The Bill prohibits a person from knowingly and willfully approaching or remaining within 25 feet of a first responder after receiving a verbal warning not to approach when the person intends to impede or interfere with the first responder’s duties, threaten the first responder with physical harm, or harass the first responder. The penalty for this offense is a serious misdemeanor. The Bill allows victims exposed to bodily fluids during an assault to request a court order requiring an offender to be tested for communicable diseases, with results provided to the victim. The Bill also establishes privileges for confidential peer support communications by public safety personnel.
Background
A serious misdemeanor is punishable by confinement of no more than one year and a fine of at least $430 but not to exceed $2,560.
Iowa Code section 622.10 provides certain evidentiary privileges that limit the disclosure of confidential communications. The Bill creates a new statutory privilege for peer support communications involving public safety personnel.
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.
- The number of cases that may involve communicable disease testing is unknown.
Correctional Impact
House File 2751 creates a new offense. The correctional impact cannot be determined because the number of new convictions under the Bill is unknown. 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 a serious misdemeanor.
Figure 1 — Sentencing Estimates and 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
Serious Misdemeanor 2.3% 7.3 $23.07 44.8% 21.0 $8.00 $16.35 $50.00 N/A $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
House File 2751 creates a new offense and, as a result, existing data cannot be used 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 for House File 2751 cannot be determined because the number of new convictions is unknown. The average State cost per serious misdemeanor is between $350 and $6,200. This 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)
- Active Emergency Scenes, Bystander Distance · April 7, 2026 · $6,200
- Active Emergency Scences, Bystander Distance · March 31, 2026 · $6,200
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91st General Assembly