Bills › 91st General Assembly
Relating to habitual offenders, and providing penalties
Sponsored by the House Judiciary Committee
Topics:Crime & corrections
Same legislation: HSB 666
Where it is now
- Done: IntroducedFebruary 4, 2026
- Done: SubcommitteeFebruary 4, 2026
- Done: House committeeFebruary 12, 2026
- Done: Passes the HouseMarch 4, 202668–23
- Done: Senate committeeMarch 24, 2026
- Done: Passes the SenateMay 2, 202639–6
- Done: To the GovernorMay 13, 2026
- Done: Signed into lawJune 2, 2026
Signed into law What’s a funnel?
What’s in it
AI summary Under this new law, a person becomes a habitual offender if they earn three or more points from certain serious crimes. These points are given for specific felonies and misdemeanors, such as theft, drug possession, or assault. Once labeled a habitual offender, a person cannot get parole or work release until they have served a specific minimum amount of time in prison.1
Read the official explanation
This bill relates to habitual offenders. The bill strikes the current law regarding habitual offenders and provides that a habitual offender is a person who has been convicted, in a court of this state of an offense, or has been convicted of an offense committed in another jurisdiction that would constitute an equivalent offense, or any combination of level one or level two offenses resulting in the accumulation of three or more points.2B(3)(c), theft, and possession of a controlled substance. Each conviction of a level one offense is worth one point. 4. Each conviction of a level two offense is worth one-half point. The bill provides that notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, a person sentenced as a habitual offender shall not be eligible for parole or work release until the person has served a minimum term of commitment of years unless the current level one offense the person is convicted of carries a higher minimum sentence, which shall be considered the minimum sentence under the bill.
Changed since by amendments H-8470, S-5252, H-8116; see Amendments.
Senate subcommittee
Named March 10, 2026. On March 12, 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
3 written public comments to its subcommittee: March 12, 2026 (1), February 5, 2026 (2) · on the Legislature’s site
Fiscal note
Cost: up to $43,000 Compare with other bills
AI summary This bill requires people convicted of a third qualifying felony to serve a minimum seven-year prison sentence and increases the maximum sentence for habitual offenders from 15 to 20 years. The estimated cost increase to the state's General Fund is approximately $12.3 million over the entire length of stay for each annual cohort of admitted individuals. These costs would be spread across multiple fiscal years for the Judicial Branch, the Indigent Defense Fund, and the Department of Corrections.3
From the note: The cost increase per individual is approximately $43,000 for prison admissions based on the increased LOS. In FY 2025, there was a total of 121 new prison admissions with an average LOS of 675 days. Under the Bill, the new LOS would be approximately 2,555 days. 2 million over the entire LOS. 8 with an average LOS of 1,314 days.
- Final Fiscal Note — Sentencing Enhancements, Repeat Offenders · May 20, 2026 · $43,000
- Sentencing Enhancements, Repeat Offenders · March 16, 2026
- Sentencing Enhancements, Repeat Offenders · March 3, 2026
Iowa Code it changes
Lobbying
5 for · 17 against · 7 undecided · Who →
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91st General Assembly