Bills › 91st General Assembly
Relating to monetary donations that may be received and gifted by local officials and local employees to offset medical or health care expenses, and making penalties applicable
Sponsored by the Senate Local Government (successor To Sf 261) Committee, Sen. Amy Sinclair (R)
Where it is now
- Done: IntroducedFebruary 11, 2025
- Done: SubcommitteeFebruary 18, 2025
- Done: Senate committeeMarch 10, 2025
- Done: Passes the SenateFebruary 24, 202647–0
- Stopped: House committeeDied when the General Assembly ended
- Next: Passes the House
- 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 Local officials and employees can now receive donations through online fundraising platforms to help pay for medical or health care costs. These donations are limited to $100 from each person every year. This change allows people working for local governments to accept help for diagnosed health conditions without breaking gift rules.1
Read the official explanation
Generally under current law, a public official, public employee, or candidate, or that person’s immediate family member is prohibited from accepting or receiving any gift or series of gifts from a restricted donor.22(4). This bill authorizes local officials and local employees to receive moneys in the form of donations made by other local officials or local employees to offset medical or health care expenses as a result of a diagnosed condition. Such donations are authorized if they are made and received through the use of an online crowdfunding or fundraising platform. An authorized donation from a donor to a recipient under the bill cannot exceed $100 per calendar year. When used in Code chapter 68B (government ethics and lobbying), including in the bill, “local employee” means a person employed by a political subdivision but does not include an independent contractor; and “local official” means an officeholder of a political subdivision.22, as amended by the bill, commits a serious misdemeanor and may be reprimanded, suspended, or dismissed from the person’s position or otherwise sanctioned. 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.
Why it matters. Local officials and employees of political subdivisions may receive donations through online crowdfunding platforms to help pay for medical or health care expenses related to a diagnosed condition. These donations are limited to a maximum of $100 per person per calendar year.2
House subcommittee
Named February 26, 2026. On March 2, 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: January 15, 2026 (1) · on the Legislature’s site
Fiscal note
Cost: up to $6,200 Compare with other bills
AI summary This bill allows local officials and employees to receive medical donations through crowdfunding platforms as long as the donation does not exceed $100 per calendar year. The fiscal impact of this bill cannot be determined, but it is anticipated to be minimal for the state's judicial branch, indigent defense fund, and the Department of Corrections.4
Read the fiscal note
Description
Senate File 2145 adds an exception for local officials or local employees to receive moneys in the form of donations from other local officials or local employees to offset medical or health care expenses that resulted from a diagnosed condition if the donation is made and received using an online crowdfunding or fundraising platform. An authorized donation from a donor cannot exceed $100 per calendar year.
Any person who knowingly and intentionally violates Iowa Code section 68B.22 is guilty of a serious misdemeanor and may be reprimanded, suspended, or dismissed from the person’s position or otherwise sanctioned.
Background
A serious misdemeanor is punishable by confinement of no more than one year and a fine of at least $430 but not more than $2,560. In FY 2025, there were no individuals convicted of violations of Iowa Code section 68B.22.
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
Senate File 2145 adds an exception to an existing offense under Iowa Code section 68B.22. The correctional impact of the Bill cannot be determined, but is anticipated to be minimal. 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 shows estimates for sentencings to State prison, parole, probation, or Community-Based Corrections (CBC) residential facilities; length of stay (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
Minority Impact
Senate File 2145 adds an exception for a violation of Iowa Code section 68B.22. The minority impact of the Bill cannot be determined because the number of new convictions cannot be estimated. 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
Senate File 2145 adds an exception to an existing offense under Iowa Code section 68B.22. The fiscal impact cannot be determined, but is anticipated to be minimal. The average State cost for a 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
- Division of Data, Planning, and Improvement (DPI), Department of Management (DOM)
- Department of Corrections
- Gift Law Exception, Crowdfunded Medical Donations · February 23, 2026 · $6,200
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91st General Assembly