Bills › 91st General Assembly
Relating to closed captioning in places of public accommodation, and providing for civil penalties
Sponsored by Sen. Art Staed (D)
Topics:Civil rightsState government
Where it is now
- Done: IntroducedFebruary 9, 2026
- Done: SubcommitteeFebruary 12, 2026
- Stopped: Senate committeeDied when the General Assembly ended
- Next: Passes the Senate
- Next: House committeeFunnel: by March 20, 2026
- 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 Businesses that show TV or online videos to the public must turn on closed captioning on their screens during business hours. If a customer asks to turn the captions off, the business must turn them back on once that person leaves. People or businesses that do not follow these rules can be fined $25 for each violation.1
Read the official explanation
This bill requires all public accommodations that provide television programming and online broadcasts for viewing by members of the public to enable closed captioning on devices viewable by the public during business hours unless a member of the public asks that closed captioning be disabled on a specific device, in which case closed captioning shall be enabled again when the member of the public who made the request discontinues viewing or leaves the public accommodation. A person who fails to comply with the bill is subject to a civil penalty of $25 for each violation. Civil penalties collected under the bill are deposited in the general fund of the state.
Senate subcommittee
Named February 12, 2026. It hasn’t reported yet.
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
Iowa Code it changes
Creates§216.7A