Title I, STATE SOVEREIGNTY AND MANAGEMENT (Ch. 1 - 38D)

Fines and imprisonment for contempt shall be only by virtue of an order of the proper house, entered on its journals, stating the grounds thereof. [C51, §14; R60, §10; C73, §15; C97, §19; C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, § 24; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, §2.25; C71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §2.19 ]

1. Each regular session of the general assembly shall be designated by the year in which it convenes and by a number with a new consecutive number assigned with the session beginning in each odd-numbered year. 2. A special session of the general assembly shall be designated as an…

Imprisonment for contempt shall be effected by a warrant, under the hand of the presiding officer, for the time being, of the house ordering it, countersigned by the acting secretary or clerk, in the name of the state, and directed to the sheriff or jailer of the proper county. U…

Fines for contempt shall be collected by a warrant, directed to any proper officer of any county in which the offender has property, and executed in the same manner as executions for fines issued from courts of record, and the proceeds paid into the state treasury. [C51, §14; R60…

1. Imprisonment for contempt shall not extend beyond the session at which it is ordered, and shall be in a facility designated by the presiding officer. 2. Punishment for contempt shall not constitute a bar to any other proceeding, civil or criminal, for the same act. [C51, §13, …

Whenever a committee of either house, or a joint committee of both, is conducting an investigation requiring the personal attendance of witnesses, any person may be compelled to appear before such committee as a witness by serving an order upon the person, which service shall be …

Witnesses called by a standing or joint committee shall be entitled to the same compensation for attendance under section 2.23 as before the district court but shall not have the right to demand payment of their fees in advance. [C73, §18; C97, §22; C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, § 29; C46…

1. Joint conventions of the general assembly shall meet in the house of representatives for such purposes as are provided by law. The president of the senate, or, in the president’s absence, the president pro tempore of the senate shall preside at such joint conventions. 2. The s…

The clerk of the house of representatives shall act as secretary of the convention, and the clerk and the secretary of the senate shall keep a fair and correct record of the proceedings of the convention, which shall be entered on the journal of each house. [R60, §677; C73, §21; …

The general assembly shall meet in joint session on the same day the assembly first convenes in January of 1979 and every four years thereafter as soon as both houses have been organized, and canvass the votes cast for governor and lieutenant governor and determine the election. …

1. After the time for the meeting of the joint convention has been designated each house shall appoint three tellers, and the six shall act as judges of the election. 2. Canvassing the votes for governor and lieutenant governor shall be conducted substantially according to the pr…

1. When any officer is to be elected by joint convention, the names of the members shall be arranged in alphabetical order by the secretaries, and each member shall vote in the order in which the member’s name stands when so arranged. The name of the person voted for, and the nam…

At 10:00 a.m. on the second Monday in January of each odd-numbered year, the general assembly shall convene. The president of the senate, or in the president’s absence some person claiming to be a member, shall call the senate to order. If necessary, a temporary president shall b…

When any person shall have received a majority of the votes, the president shall declare the person to be elected, and shall, in the presence of the convention, sign two certificates of such election, attested by the tellers, one of which the president shall transmit to the gover…

If the purpose for which the joint convention is assembled is not concluded, the president shall adjourn or recess the same from time to time as the members present may determine. [R60, §681; C73, §24; C97, §28; C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, § 38; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, §2.39; C71, 73, …

1. The governor shall either make an appointment or file a notice of deferred appointment by March 1 for the following appointments which are subject to confirmation by the senate: a. An appointment to fill a term beginning on May 1 of that year. b. An appointment to fill a vacan…

1. A member of the general assembly who is charged with making an appointment to a statutory board, commission, council, or committee shall make the appointment prior to the fourth Monday in January of the first regular session of each general assembly and in accordance with sect…

The general assembly shall not pass a bill that uses gender as the basis for differential treatment unless there is a compelling reason for the differential treatment and no reasonable alternatives exist by which the treatment could be mitigated or avoided. 84 Acts, ch 1042, §1

The selected secretary and clerk shall receive and file the certificates of election presented for their respective houses, and make a list therefrom of the persons who appear to have been elected members of the respective houses. [C51, §6; R60, §15; C73, §7; C97, §7; C24, 27, 31…

1. a. A member of the general assembly may elect to become a member of a state group insurance plan for employees of the state established under chapter 509A subject to the following conditions: (1) The member shall be eligible for all state group insurance plans on the basis of …

1. A continuing legislative council of twenty-four members is created. The council is composed of the president and president pro tempore of the senate, the speaker and speaker pro tempore of the house of representatives, the majority and minority floor leaders of the senate, the…

The legislative council shall select its officers and prescribe its rules and procedure. The powers and duties of the council shall include, but not be limited to, the following: 1. To establish policies for the operation of the legislative services agency. 2. To appoint the dire…

1. The legislative council in cooperation with the officers of the senate and house shall have the duty and responsibility for preparing for each session of the general assembly. Pursuant to such duty and responsibility, the legislative council shall assign the use of areas in th…

1. Members of the legislative council shall be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties, and shall be paid the per diem specified in section 2.10, subsection 5 , for each day in which engaged in the performance of their duties. Howe…

The legislative council shall be divided into committees, which shall include but not be limited to: 1. The legislative service committee which shall be composed of six members of the legislative council, consisting of three members from each house, to be appointed by the legisla…

The legislative fiscal committee may, subject to the approval of the legislative council: 1. Budget. Gather information relative to budget matters for the purpose of aiding the legislature to properly appropriate money for the functions of government, and to report their findings…

The chairpersons of the committees on appropriations shall serve as co-chairpersons of the legislative fiscal committee. The legislative fiscal committee shall determine its own method of procedure and shall meet as often as deemed necessary, subject to the approval of the legisl…

1. The legislative capital projects committee shall do all of the following: a. Receive the recommendations of the governor regarding the funding and priorities of proposed capital projects pursuant to section 8.3A, subsection 2 , paragraph “b” . b. Receive the reports of all cap…

1. As used in this section , “tax expenditure” means an exclusion from the operation or collection of a tax imposed in this state. Tax expenditures include tax credits, exemptions, deductions, and rebates. Tax expenditures also include sales tax refunds issued pursuant to section…

The persons appearing to be members shall proceed to elect such other officers as may be requisite and when so temporarily organized shall choose a committee of five, who shall examine and report upon the credentials of the persons claiming to be members. [C51, §7; R60, §4; C73, …

The legislative fiscal committee, with the approval of the legislative council, may direct a subcommittee, which shall be composed of the chairpersons and minority party ranking members of the appropriate subcommittees of the committees on appropriations of the senate and the hou…

1. Prior to debate on the floor of a chamber of the general assembly, a correctional impact statement shall be attached to any bill, joint resolution, or amendment which proposes a change in the law which creates a public offense, significantly changes an existing public offense …

The members reported by the committee as holding certificates of election from the proper authority shall proceed to the permanent organization of their respective houses by the election of officers and shall not be challenged as to their qualifications during the remainder of th…

Requests for research on governmental matters may be made to the legislative services agency by either house of the general assembly, committees of either house of the general assembly, special interim committees of the general assembly, the legislative council, or upon petition …

Special interim study committees shall have the following powers and duties: 1. Elect officers and adopt necessary rules for the conduct of business. 2. Conduct research on any matter connected with the study assigned by the legislative council. 3. Hold hearings. 4. Make regular …

Special interim study committees shall first meet at the call of the ranking legislative council member assigned to the study committee, and shall thereafter meet at such time as study committee members shall so designate. Any legislator may attend any study committee meeting or …

The president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives shall hold their offices until the first day of the meeting of the next general assembly. All other officers elected by either house shall hold their offices for the same terms, unless sooner removed, exc…

Any member may administer oaths necessary in the course of business of the house of which that person is a member, and, while acting on a committee, in the course of business of such committee. [C51, §10; R60, §7; C73, §10; C97, §10; C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, § 11; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62…

1. a. The senate and house of representatives shall each publish a daily journal of the transactions of their respective bodies. The secretary of the senate and the chief clerk of the house shall each determine the format and manner of the journal’s publication, the procurement p…

1. A legislative services agency is created as a nonpartisan, central legislative staff agency under the direction and control of the legislative council. The agency shall cooperate with and serve all members of the general assembly, the legislative council, and committees of the…

1. The administrative head of the legislative services agency shall be the director appointed by the legislative council as provided in section 2.42 . The salary of the director shall be set by the legislative council. 2. The director shall do all of the following: a. Employ pers…

1. a. The director and agents and employees of the legislative services agency, with respect to the agency’s provision of services relating to fiscal analysis of legislation, state expenditure, revenue, and budget review, state government oversight and performance evaluation, and…

The legislative services agency shall provide the following specific services: 1. Preparation of legal and legislative analysis of any governmental matter upon the proper request of members and committees of the general assembly. Such analysis shall not contain any public policy …

1. The legislative services agency shall publish the official legal publications of the state as provided in chapter 2B . The legislative services agency shall have legal custody of the publications and shall provide for the warehousing, sale, and distribution of the publications…

1. The legislative services agency shall make available electronic or printed versions of the official legal publications listed in section 2A.5 , to the three branches of state government, to elected county officers, to county and city assessors, to Iowa’s congressional delegati…

1. The general assembly shall independently and intensively review and oversee the performance of state agencies in the operation of state programs to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of the state programs and to consider alternatives which may improve the benefits of su…