Bills › 91st General Assembly
Relating to qualifications for certain rights and privileges prescribed by the state, including state employment, professional licensure, voter registration, and bail, and making penalties applicable
Sponsored by the House Judiciary Committee
Topics:Elections & votingState governmentProfessional licensingImmigration
Same legislation: HSB 663
Where it is now
- Done: IntroducedFebruary 4, 2026
- Done: SubcommitteeFebruary 4, 2026
- Done: House committeeFebruary 17, 2026
- Stopped: Passes the HouseDied when the General Assembly ended
- Next: Senate committeeFunnel: by March 20, 2026
- Next: Passes the Senate
- 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 State agencies and universities must use federal systems to confirm that new employees are legally allowed to work in the United States. Professional licensing boards would also use these systems to check the immigration status of people applying for or holding licenses. Additionally, the bill prevents people who are unlawfully present in the country from voting and changes rules regarding whether certain people can be released on bail while waiting for trial.1
Read the official explanation
This bill relates to qualifications for certain rights and privileges prescribed by this state, including state employment, professional licensure, voter registration, and bail. DIVISION I —— IMMIGRATION STATUS —— STATE EMPLOYMENT AND LICENSURE. citizenship and immigration services to confirm the employment eligibility of newly hired employees. citizenship and immigration services (SAVE program), the United States citizenship and immigration status of individuals who have applied for a professional license in this state. citizenship and immigration status of an individual who has applied for a professional license from the board and to decline to issue or renew a license if the licensing board is unable to verify that the person is lawfully present in the United States. The bill requires the denial of an application for a professional license due to the results of the SAVE program clearinghouse check to be appealed to the director of the department of inspections, appeals, and licensing, and the decision of the director shall constitute a final agency action. The bill also requires a licensing board established after January 1, 1978, to adopt rules for the revocation or suspension of a license that the licensing board deems to be a professional license if the licensee is unlawfully present in the United States, as determined by using the SAVE program clearinghouse. DIVISION II —— VOTER REGISTRATION —— UNAUTHORIZED ALIENS. The bill disqualifies persons who are unauthorized aliens, defined in the bill as persons who are unlawfully present in the United States under the federal Immigration and Nationality Act, from registering to vote and from voting. The bill requires a person submitting a voter registration form to swear an oath to protect and defend the constitutions of the United States and of Iowa, that the person is qualified to register to vote, and that the person has not submitted false information in the voter registration form. A person falsely swearing this oath is guilty of election misconduct in the first degree, a class “D” felony. A class “D” felony is punishable by confinement for no more than five years and a fine of at least $1,025 but not more than $10,245. The bill provides that an information or indictment for election misconduct in the first degree shall be found within five years after the commission of the offense. Under current law, an information or indictment for election misconduct in the first degree must be found within three years after its commission. DIVISION III —— PRETRIAL DETENTION. The bill provides that a charge for a forcible felony creates a rebuttable presumption that the person is dangerous and that there is not a sufficient surety or condition of release that will reasonably assure the personal safety of another person or persons. If a court determines that there is probable cause to believe that the defendant committed a forcible felony, then the defendant shall be detained without bail. The prosecuting attorney, or the court on its own motion, must move for pretrial detention. The defendant may rebut the presumption by demonstrating, by a preponderance of the evidence, that adequate conditions of release will reasonably assure the personal safety of another person or persons. The bill also provides that it shall be presumed that there are not sufficient sureties or conditions of release that will secure the appearance at trial of an unauthorized alien for an indictable offense. If a court determines that there is probable cause to believe that the defendant committed an indictable offense and the court further determines by a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant is an unauthorized alien, the prosecuting attorney, or the court on its own motion, shall move for pretrial detention. The defendant may rebut the presumption by demonstrating, by a preponderance of the evidence, that adequate conditions of release will secure the appearance of the defendant at trial.
Why it matters. State agencies, regents institutions, and professional licensing boards would be required to use federal systems to verify the citizenship or immigration status of new employees and license applicants. Individuals who are unlawfully present in the United States would be disqualified from voting and could face pretrial detention if charged with certain offenses. The Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing would see estimated expenditures increase by approximately $153,000 and 0.33 FTE position in fiscal year 2026 and by approximately $112,000 and 1.00 FTE position in fiscal year 2027.2
House subcommittee
Named February 4, 2026 (as HSB 663). On February 10, 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
6 written public comments to its subcommittee: February 10, 2026 (6) · on the Legislature’s site
Fiscal note
AI summary This bill relates to qualifications for state employment, professional licensure, voter registration, and bail. Division I is estimated to increase expenditures by approximately $153,000 and 0.33 FTE position in fiscal year 2026 and by approximately $112,000 and 1.00 FTE position in fiscal year 2027 for the Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing. The fiscal impacts of Division II and Division III are unknown.4
Read the fiscal note
Description
House File 2608 relates to qualifications for certain rights and privileges prescribed by the State, including State employment, professional licensure, voter registration, and bail, and makes penalties applicable.
The Bill is comprised of three divisions. Division I has a fiscal impact to the State. Division II has an unknown fiscal impact but contains a correctional and minority impact statement. Division III has a fiscal impact that is unknown.
Division I — Immigration Status — State Employment and Licensure
Description
Division I of the Bill requires each head of a department or independent agency of the State, and each Board of Regents (BOR) institution, to use the E-Verify system of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to confirm the employment eligibility of newly hired employees.
Division I creates within the Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL) a Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program clearinghouse to process requests to verify the United States citizenship and immigration status of applicants for licensure and renewal of licensure and requires professional licensing boards to verify citizenship and immigration status.
The DIAL is directed to adopt administrative rules to implement provisions of this Division.
Background
The SAVE online service is maintained by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and administered by the USCIS. The DIAL is currently required to access information maintained by the USCIS of the DHS when determining eligibility for professional license applicants as mandated by Executive Order 15 (EO15), signed on October 8, 2025. The SAVE system is an online service for registered federal, State, territorial, tribal, and local government agencies to verify the immigration and citizenship status of applicants seeking benefits or licenses, administered by the USCIS of the DHS. A user agency is charged a monthly service charge of $25 for each month in which the user agency submits at least one SAVE case. As of April 1, 2025, nonfederal user agencies are not charged a fee for each case run through SAVE.
The DIAL is currently undergoing a project to modernize, standardize, and simplify its licensing operations. The Administrative Licensing and Inspections Governance Network (ALIGN) system will consolidate existing systems into one unified licensing, permitting, inspection, and case management system.
Assumptions
- According to the DIAL, costs associated with Division I have already been incurred as a result of EO15. These costs begin in the current fiscal year and include the following:
- 1.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) position for an Executive Officer 2 to serve as the project sponsor for the SAVE clearinghouse at an annual cost of approximately $92,000 beginning in FY 2027. It is estimated that approximately one third of this cost, or $31,000, will begin in FY 2026.
- $40,000 in FY 2026 to modify current licensing database systems.
- $60,000 in FY 2026 to make changes to the ALIGN system.
- $20,000 in annual expenses for continued support from the Department of Management, Division of Information Technology (DOM DoIT).
- Additional costs to other State agencies for the implementation of the E-Verify and SAVE systems are unknown but are not estimated to be significant.
Fiscal Impact
State agencies and the BOR are required by EO15 to use E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of newly hired employees. The Executive Order also requires State agencies to use the SAVE clearinghouse. Figure 1 shows the estimated FY 2026 costs and the estimated annual costs beginning in FY 2027 to the DIAL. According to the DIAL, these costs have already been incurred as a result of EO15.
Figure 1 — Division I, Estimated FY 2026 and FY 2027 Costs Category FY 2026 FY 2027 Modifications to Current Licensing Database Systems $ 40,000 $ 0 Modifications to the ALIGN System 60,000 0 DOM DoIT Support 20,000 20,000 SAVE Program Sponsor (1.0 Executive Officer 2 FTE position) 31,000 92,000 Total $ 153,000 $ 112,000 Division II — Voter Registration — Unauthorized Aliens
Description
Division II of the Bill disqualifies persons who are unauthorized aliens from registering to vote and voting. Division II requires a person submitting a voter registration form to swear an oath to protect and defend the constitutions of the United States and of Iowa, that the person is qualified to register to vote, and that the person has not submitted false information in the voter registration forms. A person falsely swearing this oath is guilty of election misconduct in the first degree, which is a Class D felony. Division II expands the scope of election misconduct in the first degree and provides that indictment or information for election misconduct in the first degree must be found within five years after the commission of the offense.
Background
Under current law, the indictment or information for election misconduct in the first degree must be found within three years after the commission of the offense.
A Class D felony is punishable by confinement for up to five years and a fine of at least $1,025 but not more than $10,245.
In FY 2025, there were two convictions of election misconduct in the first degree.
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
The correctional impact of Division II cannot be determined because the number of new convictions cannot be estimated. Figure 2 shows estimates for sentencing to State prison, parole, probation, or Community-Based Corrections (CBC) residential facilities; LOS in months under those supervisions; and supervision marginal costs per day for a Class D felony. Figure 2 — Sentencing Estimates and Length of Stay (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
D Felony Non-Persons 84.2% 12.5 $23.07 69.4% 41.4 $8.00 $16.35 $50.00 15.5 $8.00 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.
Minority Impact
The minority impact cannot be determined since it is not known how many new convictions would result from the changes under Division II. 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
The fiscal impact of Division II cannot be determined because the number of new convictions cannot be estimated. The average State cost for a Class D felony is between $13,000 and $18,100. The estimated impact to the General Fund 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.
Division III — Pretrial Detention
Description
Division III of the Bill provides that a charge for a forcible felony creates a rebuttable presumption that the person is dangerous and that there is not sufficient surety or condition of release that will reasonably assure the personal safety of another person or persons. If a court determines that there is probable cause to believe that the defendant committed a forcible felony, then the defendant must be held without bail. Division III provides that it will be presumed that there are not sufficient sureties or conditions of release that will secure the appearance at trial of an unauthorized alien for an indictable offense.
Fiscal Impact
The fiscal impact of Division III is unknown.
Fiscal Impact Summary
Division I of HF 2608 is estimated to increase expenditures by approximately $153,000 and 0.33 FTE position in FY 2026 and by approximately $112,000 and 1.00 FTE position in FY 2027. According to the DIAL, these costs are already incurred as a result of EO15. The fiscal impacts of Division II and Division III are unknown.
Sources
- Department of Corrections
- Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing
- Division of Data, Planning, and Improvement (DPI), Department of Management (DOM)
- Legislative Services Agency analysis
Iowa Code it changes
Creates§10A.113§262.9E§272C.15A§802.2H
Amends§10A.101§10A.506§272C.1§272C.10§272C.4§39A.2§48A.11§48A.2§48A.6§7E.3§802.3§811.1
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91st General Assembly