Learn · A game

From idea to law

Steer a bill through the Iowa Legislature, one choice at a time. The rules are the real ones¹.

What happened: The amended bill passes the committee and is placed on the House calendar.

Decision 7

Counting votes

Leaders put your bill on the day’s debate list. You count 48 yes votes. Five members are absent today, so 95 are in the chamber.

Your bill so far (6 choices)

You have an idea: A rule: new school buses must have stop-arm cameras. A policy bill. It will face both funnel deadlines.
Getting it written: Ask the Legislative Services Agency to draft it. Nonpartisan staff at the Legislative Services Agency draft it and give it an LSB drafting number.
Who sponsors it?: Yours, with a few cosponsors. It’s introduced as a House File and sent to a committee.
Which committee?: Ways and Means. The Speaker sends it to Education instead: a school rule goes to the committee for its subject. Ways and Means is each chamber’s tax committee.
The subcommittee: Ask parents and a bus driver to come and speak, and others to send written comments. Each speaks for two minutes. The subcommittee recommends passing it.
The full committee and the first funnel: Accept a committee amendment to win a vote: cameras only on buses bought from 2028. The amended bill passes the committee and is placed on the House calendar.