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

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