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Bills › 91st General Assembly

HF 861Died when the session ended · March 7, 2025

Relating to beneficial use in the context of water allocation

Sponsored by the House Natural Resources Committee, Rep. Eddie Andrews (R), Rep. Cindy Golding (R), Rep. Helena Hayes (R), Rep. Bob Henderson (R), Rep. Mark I. Thompson (R)

Topics:Environment & natural resources

Same legislation: HF 480

Write your legislators about it

Also covers HF 480.

Official bill pageLobbyist declarationsOne-pager to print

Where it is now

  1. Done: IntroducedFebruary 19, 2025
  2. Done: SubcommitteeFebruary 24, 2025
  3. Done: House committeeMarch 4, 2025
  4. Stopped: Passes the HouseDied when the General Assembly ended
  5. Next: Senate committeeFunnel: by March 20, 2026
  6. Next: Passes the Senate
  7. Next: To the Governor
  8. 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 Instead of using a set definition, the Department of Natural Resources would decide if water use is beneficial on a case-by-case basis. This change affects how the state grants permits to people or businesses that want to move, store, or take water. The department would make these decisions without focusing on the specific category of how the water is being used.1

Read the official explanation

The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. This bill relates to beneficial use of water allocation. Under current law, for the purposes of Code chapter 455B, subchapter III, part 4, “beneficial use” is defined as the application of water to a useful purpose that inures to the benefit of the water user and subject to the user’s dominion and control but does not include the waste or pollution of water. The bill strikes the definition and provides that beneficial use is determined by the department of natural resources on a case-by-case basis when determining whether to grant a permit for the diversion, storage, or withdrawal of water, and must not be based on the category of use.

Full bill text2

1 written public comment to its subcommittee: February 27, 2025 (1) · on the Legislature’s site

Iowa Code it changes

Amends§455B.261§455B.265

How the Code works3

Lobbying

3 for · 0 against · 6 undecided · Who →

Family tree

91st General Assembly

HF 480RenumberedHF 861Cleared committeefrom HF 480

Similar bills

  • HF 2210 Relating to beneficial use in the context of water allocation
    91st General Assembly · In committee
    Nearly identical

Matched by wording or an identical title.