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Kim Reynolds OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR Chris Cournoyer
GOVERNOR LT GOVERNOR
June 02, 2026
The Honorable Paul Pate
Secretaiy of State of Iowa
State Capitol
Des Moines, Iowa 50319
Dear Mr. Secretary,
I hereby transmit:
House File 2769, an Act relating to and making appropriations to the judicial branch.
The above House File is hereby approved on this date.
Sincerely,
Kim Reynold s
Govemor of Iowa
cc: Secretary of the Senate
Clerk of the House
STATE CAPITOL DES MOINES, IOWA 50319 515.281.5211 WWW.GOVERNOR.IOWA.GOV
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ENERAl. ASSEMBEY
House Pile 2769
AN ACT
RELATING TO AND MAKING APPROPRIATIONS TO THE JUDICIAL BRANCH-
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
Section 1. JUDICIAL BRANCH.
1. There is appropriated from the general fund of the state
to the judicial branch for the fiscal year beginning July 1,
2026r and ending June 30r 2027, the following amounts, or so
much thereof as is necessary, to be used for the purposes
designated:
a. For salaries of supreme court justices, appellate court
judges, district court judges, district associate judges,
associate juvenile judges, associate probate judges, judicial
magistrates and staff, state court administrator, clerk of
the supreme court, district court administrators, clerks of
the district court, juvenile court officers, board of law
examiners, board of examiners of shorthand reporters, and
commission on judicial qualifications; receipt and disbursement
of child support payments; reimbursement of the auditor
of state for expenses incurred in completing audits of the
offices of the clerks of the district court during the fiscal
year beginning July 1, 2026; and maintenance, equipment, and
miscellaneous purposes:
$202,691,378
b. For deposit in the revolving fund created pursuant to
section 602.1302, subsection 3, for jury and witness fees.
House Pile 2769, p. 2
mileage, costs related to summoning jurors, costs and fees for
interpreters and translators, and reimbursement of attorney
fees paid by the state public defender:
$ 3,600,000
c. For payment of expenses for court-ordered services
provided to juveniles who are under the supervision of juvenile
court services, which expenses are a charge upon the state
pursuant to section 232.141, subsection 4:
$ 3,290,000
(1) Of the moneys appropriated in this lettered paragraph,
no more than $1,556,000 is allocated to provide school-based
supervision of children under chapter 232, of which no more
than $25,000 may be used for purposes of training.
(2) Notwithstanding section 232,141 or any other provision
of law to the contrary, the moneys appropriated in this
lettered paragraph shall be distributed to the judicial
districts as determined by the state court administrator. The
state court administrator shall make the determination of the
distribution amounts within thirty days of the date on which
the annual census data is released.
(3) Notwithstanding chapter 232 or any other provision of
law to the contrary, a district or juvenile court shall not
order any service which is a charge upon the state pursuant
to section 232.141 if there are insufficient court-ordered
services moneys available in the district court distribution
amounts to pay for the service. The chief juvenile court
officer shall encourage use of the moneys appropriated in this
lettered paragraph such that there are sufficient moneys to pay
for all court-ordered services during the entire fiscal year.
The chief juvenile court officer shall attempt to anticipate
potential surpluses and shortfalls in the distribution amounts
and shall cooperatively request the state court administrator
to transfer moneys between the judicial districts' distribution
amounts as prudent.
(4) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary,
a district or juvenile court shall not order a county to pay
for any service provided to a juvenile pursuant to an order
entered under chapter 232 which is a charge upon the state
under section 232.141, subsection 4.
House File 2769, p. 3
(5) Of the moneys appropriated in this lettered paragraph,
no more than $83,000 may be used by the judicial branch
for administration of the requirements under this lettered
paragraph.
(6) Of the moneys appropriated in this lettered paragraph,
an amount not to exceed the actual cost of the annual
membership fee is allocated to the judicial branch to support
the interstate commission for juveniles in accordance with
the interstate compact for juveniles as provided in section
232.173.
(7) Notwithstanding section 8.33, moneys appropriated in
this lettered paragraph that remain unencumbered or unobligated
at the close of the fiscal year shall not revert but shall
remain available for expenditure for the purposes designated
until the close of the fiscal year that begins July 1, 2029.
d. For juvenile delinquent graduated sanctions services
pursuant to section 232.192:
$ 12,253,000
(1) Any state moneys saved as a result of efforts by
juvenile court services to earn a federal fund match pursuant
to Tit. IV-E of the federal Family First Prevention Services
Act of 2018, Pub. L. No. 115-123, for juvenile court services
administration is appropriated to the judicial branch for
purposes of this lettered paragraph.
(2) Notwithstanding section 8.33, moneys appropriated in
this lettered paragraph that remain unencumbered or unobligated
at the close of the fiscal year shall not revert but shall
remain available for expenditure for the purposes designated
until the close of the fiscal year that begins July 1, 2029.
e. For salaries of business court judges and the
establishment and operation of a specialty business court
pursuant to 2026 Iowa Acts, Senate File 639, if enacted:
$ 500,000
2. The judicial branch, except for purposes of internal
processing, shall use the current state budget system, the
state payroll system, and the Iowa finance and accounting
system in administration of programs and payments for services,
and shall not duplicate the state payroll, accounting, and
budgeting systems.
House File 2769, p. 4
3. The judicial branch shall submit monthly financial
statements to the legislative services agency and the
department of management containing all appropriated accounts
in the same manner as provided in the monthly financial status
reports and personal services usage reports of the department
of administrative services. The monthly financial statements
must include a comparison of the dollars and percentage
spent of budgeted versus actual revenues and expenditures on
a cumulative basis for full-time equivalent positions and
dollars.
4. The judicial branch shall focus efforts upon the
collection of delinquent fines, penalties, court costs, fees,
surcharges, or similar amounts.
5. It is the intent of the general assembly that the offices
of the clerks of the district court operate in all 99 counties
and be accessible to the public as much as is reasonably
possible in order to address the relative needs of the citizens
of each county. An office of the clerk of the district court
shall be open regular courthouse hours.
6. In addition to the requirements for transfers under
section 8.39, the judicial branch shall not change the
appropriations from the amounts appropriated to the judicial
branch in this Act unless notice of the revisions is given to
the legislative services agency prior to the effective date.
The notice must include information on the judicial branch's
rationale for making the changes and details concerning the
workload and performance measures upon which the changes are
based.
7. The judicial branch shall submit a semiannual update to
the legislative services agency and department of management
specifying the amounts of fines, surcharges, and court costs
collected using the Iowa court information system since the
last report. The judicial branch shall continue to facilitate
the sharing of vital sentencing and other information with
other state departments and governmental agencies involved in
the criminal justice system through the Iowa court information
system.
8. The judicial branch shall provide a report to the general
assembly and department of management by January 1, 2027,
House Pile 2769, p. 5
concerning the amounts received and expended from the court
technology and modernization fund created in section 602.8108,
subsection 7, during the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025,
and ending June 30, 2026, and the plans for expenditures from
the fund during the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, and
ending June 30, 2027.
Sec. 2. CIVIL TRIALS — LOCATION. Notwithstanding any
provision to the contrary, for the fiscal year beginning July
1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027, if all parties in a case
agree, a civil trial including a jury trial may take place in a
county contiguous to the county with proper jurisdiction, even
if the contiguous county is located in an adjacent judicial
district or judicial election district. If the trial is moved
pursuant to this section, court personnel shall treat the case
as if a change of venue occurred.
Sec. 3. TRAVEL REIMBURSEMENT. Notwithstanding section
602.1509, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, and
ending June 30, 2027, a judicial officer may waive travel
reimbursement for any travel outside the judicial officer's
county of residence to conduct official judicial business.
Sec. 4. JUDICIAL OFFICER — UNPAID LEAVE. Notwithstanding
the annual salary rates for judicial officers established by
2025 Iowa Acts, chapter 158, section 6, for the fiscal year
beginning July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027, the supreme
court may by order place all judicial officers on unpaid leave
status on any day employees of the judicial branch are placed
on temporary layoff status. The biweekly pay of the judicial
officers shall be reduced accordingly for the pay period in
which the unpaid leave date occurred in the same manner as
for noncontract employees of the judicial branch. Through
the course of the fiscal year, the judicial branch may use an
amount equal to the aggregate amount of salary reductions due
to the judicial officer unpaid leave days for any purpose other
than for judicial salaries.
Sec. 5. IOWA COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK. It is the intent
of the general assembly that the judicial branch utilize
the Iowa communications network or other secure electronic
communications in lieu of traveling for the fiscal year
beginning July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027.
House File 2769, p. 6
Sec. 6. Section 602,1202, Code 2026, is amended to read as
follows:
602.1202 Judicial council.
1. A judicial council is established, consisting of the
chief judges of the judicial districts, the chief judge of
the court of appeals, and the chief justice who shall be the
chairperson. The council shall convene not less than twice
each year at times and places as ordered by the chief justice.
The council shall advise the supreme court with respect to the
supervision and administration of the judicial branch.
2. A meeting of the judicial council in which the judicial
retirement system is discussed shall not be held as a closed
session under section 21.5.
Sec. 7. Section 602.9102, Code 2026, is amended to read as
follows:
602.9102 Administered by court administrator.
1. The court administrator shall be vested v/ith authority is
authorized to administer the system and related reports and may
promulgate rules therefor not inconsistent with the provisions
©# this article.
2. The state court administrator shall advise the
judicial council on all determinations made by the state court
administrator concerning the judicial retirement system.
MlPAT GRASSLEj^ AMY SINOBAIR
Speaker of the House President of the Senate
I hereby certify that this bill originated in the House and
is known as House File 2769, Ninety-first General Assembly.
NELSON
Chief cfcerk of^Bie House
(WApproved , 2026
KIM REYNOLDS
Governor