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HF244 • 2026

A bill for an act relating to the offense of intentional misrepresentation of an animal as a service animal or service-animal-in-training.(See HF 615 .)

A bill for an act relating to the offense of intentional misrepresentation of an animal as a service animal or service-animal-in-training.(See HF 615 .)

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
HERMANSON, C. JOHNSON, BLOOMINGDALE, GEARHART and LATHAM
Last action
2025-03-14
Official status
Withdrawn. H.J. 660 .
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

A bill for an act relating to the offense of intentional misrepresentation of an animal as a service animal or service-animal-in-training.(See HF 615 .)

A bill for an act relating to the offense of intentional misrepresentation of an animal as a service animal or service-animal-in-training.(See HF 615 .)

What This Bill Does

  • A bill for an act relating to the offense of intentional misrepresentation of an animal as a service animal or service-animal-in-training.(See HF 615 .)

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2025-03-14 Iowa Legislature

    Withdrawn. H.J. 660 .

  2. 2025-02-26 Iowa Legislature

    Committee report approving bill, renumbered as HF 615 .

  3. 2025-02-24 Iowa Legislature

    Committee vote: Yeas, 21. Nays, 0. H.J. 420 .

  4. 2025-02-24 Iowa Legislature

    Committee report, recommending passage. H.J. 420 .

  5. 2025-02-19 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee recommends passage.

  6. 2025-02-17 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee Meeting: 02/19/2025 2:30PM RM 102.

  7. 2025-02-11 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee: Nordman, Wilburn and Wills, J. H.J. 291 .

  8. 2025-02-06 Iowa Legislature

    Introduced, referred to Judiciary. H.J. 258 .

Official Summary Text

A bill for an act relating to the offense of intentional misrepresentation of an animal as a service animal or service-animal-in-training.(See HF 615 .)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
House

File

244

-

Introduced

HOUSE

FILE

244

BY

HERMANSON

,

C.

JOHNSON

,

BLOOMINGDALE

,

GEARHART

,

and

LATHAM

A

BILL

FOR

An

Act

relating

to

the

offense

of

intentional

1

misrepresentation

of

an

animal

as

a

service

animal

or

2

service-animal-in-training.

3

BE

IT

ENACTED

BY

THE

GENERAL

ASSEMBLY

OF

THE

STATE

OF

IOWA:

4

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244

Section

1.

Section

216C.11,

subsection

3,

paragraph

b,

Code

1

2025,

is

amended

to

read

as

follows:

2

b.

A

person

commits

the

offense

of

intentional

3

misrepresentation

of

an

animal

as

a

service

animal

or

a

4

service-animal-in-training

if

all

of

the

following

elements

are

5

established:

6

(1)

For

,

for

the

purpose

of

obtaining

any

of

the

rights

7

or

privileges

set

forth

in

state

or

federal

law,

the

person

8

intentionally

misrepresents

an

animal

in

one’s

possession

9

as

one’s

service

animal

or

service-animal-in-training

10

or

a

person

with

a

disability’s

service

animal

or

11

service-animal-in-training

whom

the

person

is

assisting

by

12

controlling.

13

(2)

The

person

was

previously

given

a

written

or

14

verbal

warning

regarding

the

fact

that

it

is

illegal

to

15

intentionally

misrepresent

an

animal

as

a

service

animal

or

a

16

service-animal-in-training.

17

(3)

The

person

knows

that

the

animal

in

question

is

not

a

18

service

animal

or

a

service-animal-in-training.

19

EXPLANATION

20

The

inclusion

of

this

explanation

does

not

constitute

agreement

with

21

the

explanation’s

substance

by

the

members

of

the

general

assembly.

22

This

bill

relates

to

the

offense

of

intentional

23

misrepresentation

of

an

animal

as

a

service

animal

or

24

service-animal-in-training.

Under

current

law,

a

person

25

commits

the

offense

of

intentional

misrepresentation

of

an

26

animal

as

a

service

animal

or

a

service-animal-in-training

if

27

the

three

following

elements

are

established:

(1)

the

person

28

intentionally

misrepresents

an

animal

in

one’s

possession

29

as

one’s

service

animal

or

service-animal-in-training

30

or

a

person

with

a

disability’s

service

animal

or

31

service-animal-in-training

whom

the

person

is

assisting

by

32

controlling

to

obtain

any

of

the

rights

or

privileges

set

forth

33

in

law

for

such

animals,

(2)

the

person

was

previously

given

a

34

written

or

verbal

warning

regarding

the

fact

that

it

is

illegal

35

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to

intentionally

misrepresent

an

animal,

and

(3)

the

person

1

knows

that

the

animal

in

question

is

not

a

service

animal

or

a

2

service-animal-in-training.

The

bill

strikes

the

second

and

3

third

elements.

4

A

person

who

commits

the

offense

of

intentional

5

misrepresentation

of

an

animal

as

a

service

animal

or

6

service-animal-in-training

commits

a

simple

misdemeanor.

A

7

simple

misdemeanor

is

punishable

by

confinement

for

no

more

8

than

30

days

and

a

fine

of

at

least

$105

but

not

more

than

$855.

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