# Iowa SF 648: A bill for an act relating to and making appropriations to the judicial branch including judicial officer salaries and interpreter or translator fees, and including effective date provisions. (Formerly SSB 1233.) Effective date: 06/20/2025, 07/01/2025. Iowa SF 648, A bill for an act relating to and making appropriations to the judicial branch including judicial officer salaries and interpreter or translator fees, and including effective date provisions. (Formerly SSB 1233.) Effective date: 06/20/2025, 07/01/2025., is a 91st General Assembly (2025–2026) Senate bill sponsored by COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS; status signed, last action 2025-06-27 (Explanations of votes.); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-18). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IA-SF648-2025-2026 - As of: 2026-10-18 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Iowa SF 648 - State: Iowa - Session: 91st General Assembly (2025–2026) - Title: A bill for an act relating to and making appropriations to the judicial branch including judicial officer salaries and interpreter or translator fees, and including effective date provisions. (Formerly SSB 1233.) Effective date: 06/20/2025, 07/01/2025. - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2025-05-06 - Last action: 2025-06-27, Explanations of votes. - Sponsor: COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS - Cosponsors: 0 - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 2 (120 yes, 15 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 9 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Iowa judges receive fixed salary rates: benefit, medium. Annual salaries apply starting with the pay period beginning June 20, 2025. Supreme Court salaries are $211,059 for the chief justice and $201,609 for each other justice. Appeals court salaries are $189,010 for the chief judge and $182,709 for each associate judge. District salaries are $176,409 fo… - Funding keeps Iowa courts running: benefit, medium. Iowa provides about $202.7 million for court operations from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026. The money supports salaries, child-support payment processing, clerk-office audit reimbursements, maintenance, and equipment. The Judicial Branch must maintain public access and regular courthouse hour… - Civil trials gain neighboring county option: benefit, low. From July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026, Iowa civil trials can move to a neighboring county. All parties must agree, and the option includes jury trials. The neighboring county can be across judicial or judicial election district lines. Court staff treat the move as a change of venue. - Interpreter fees escape court collection charge: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2025, interpreter and translator fees are excluded from Iowa’s 15% court-debt collection fee. For eligible collections assigned to the Department of Revenue, the department keeps 15% and sends 85% to court clerks. Other exclusions cover restitution for financial losses, victim com… - Funding covers jurors and court interpreters: benefit, low. Iowa provides $3.6 million for its court revolving fund for July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026. The fund pays jury and witness fees, mileage, juror-summoning costs, and court interpreter and translator costs. It also reimburses the state public defender quarterly for certain appointed-attorney fee… - Funding supports graduated sanctions for juveniles: benefit, low. Iowa provides $12.253 million for juvenile graduated sanctions services for July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026. State money saved through efforts to obtain federal matching funds for juvenile court administration also supports these services. The law allows saved state funds to help draw federal T… - Judges face possible unpaid layoff days: cost, low. From July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026, the Iowa Supreme Court can order judicial officers onto unpaid leave. This applies only on days Judicial Branch employees are temporarily laid off and reduces pay for the affected two-week period. The branch can use an amount equal to those salary savings f… - Iowa courts must prioritize overdue debt: cost, low. Beginning July 1, 2025, the Iowa Judicial Branch must focus collection efforts on overdue court debt. This includes fines, penalties, court costs, fees, surcharges, and similar amounts. The rule sets collection priorities but does not change the underlying amount owed. - Juvenile services funded, but orders limited: mixed, low. Iowa provides $3.29 million for state-paid juvenile court services for July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026. School-based supervision is capped at $1.556 million, including $25,000 for training; administration is capped at $83,000. The state court administrator divides funds among districts using an… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-05-14 | House | Passed House | pass | 86 | 1 | | | 2025-05-13 | Senate | Passed Senate | pass | 34 | 14 | | ## Actions (19) - 2025-06-27: Explanations of votes. (House) - 2025-06-11: Signed by Governor. (Senate) - 2025-05-23: Reported correctly enrolled, signed by President and Speaker, and sent to Governor. (Senate) - 2025-05-21: NOBA: Final (legislature) - 2025-05-20: Explanation of vote. (House) - 2025-05-14: Message from House. (Senate) - 2025-05-14: Immediate message. (House) - 2025-05-14: Passed House, yeas 86, nays 1. (House) - 2025-05-14: Substituted for HF 1048. (House) - 2025-05-13: NOBA: Senate Floor (Senate) - 2025-05-13: Read first time, passed on file. (House) - 2025-05-13: Message from Senate. (House) - 2025-05-13: Immediate message. (Senate) - 2025-05-13: Passed Senate, yeas 34, nays 14. (Senate) - 2025-05-13: Amendment S-3156 adopted. (Senate) - 2025-05-12: Amendment S-3156 filed. (Senate) - 2025-05-07: NOBA: Senate Full Approps (Senate) - 2025-05-06: Committee report, approving bill. (Senate) - 2025-05-06: Introduced, placed on Appropriations calendar. (Senate) ## Bill text - As Introduced: [PDF](https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/LGI/91/SF648.pdf) - Enrolled: [PDF](https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/LGE/91/SF648.pdf) ## Related bills - HF 2801: A bill for an act modifying the major economic growth attraction program, and including effective date provisions. (Formerly HSB 785.) Effective date: 10/02/20… (signed) - SF 2472: A bill for an act relating to state and local government taxes, fees, financial authority, and budgets, by modifying property assessment provisions, divisions… (signed) - HF 2601: A bill for an act relating to campaign finance, including participation in ballot issue campaigns by foreign nationals and investigations of election misconduc… (signed) - SF 2399: A bill for an act relating to bail and bond amounts and conditions. (Formerly SSB 3162.) Effective date: 07/01/2026. (signed) - SF 2471: A bill for an act relating to fees for lifetime fur harvester licenses. (Formerly SF 2317, SSB 3121.) Effective date: 07/01/2026. (signed) - SF 2299: A bill for an act relating to the district-to-community college sharing or concurrent enrollment program. (Formerly SF 2176.) Vetoed 6-2-26. (vetoed) ## Sources - [As Introduced (PDF)](https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/LGI/91/SF648.pdf) - [Enrolled (PDF)](https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/LGE/91/SF648.pdf) ## Related - [HF 2801: A bill for an act modifying the major economic growth attraction program, and i…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IA-HF2801-2025-2026) - [SF 2472: A bill for an act relating to state and local government taxes, fees, financial…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IA-SF2472-2025-2026) - [HF 2601: A bill for an act relating to campaign finance, including participation in ball…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IA-HF2601-2025-2026) - [SF 2399: A bill for an act relating to bail and bond amounts and conditions. (Formerly S…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IA-SF2399-2025-2026) - [SF 2471: A bill for an act relating to fees for lifetime fur harvester licenses. (Former…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IA-SF2471-2025-2026) - [SF 2299: A bill for an act relating to the district-to-community college sharing or conc…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IA-SF2299-2025-2026) - [Iowa bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/iowa/bills) - [Iowa state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/iowa) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IA-SF648-2025-2026 (as of 2026-10-18).