HF317 • 2026

A bill for an act relating to indigent defense and the appointment of counsel by the court. (Formerly HSB 13 .)

Children

Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor: COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY
Last action: 2025-04-03
Official status: Fiscal note .
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide detailed information on the specific protections given to lawyers beyond treating them as state employees under certain circumstances, leaving some uncertainty in this area.

Law for Helping Poor People Get Legal Help

This law changes how courts appoint lawyers to help poor people in legal cases and protects those lawyers from being sued if their work was ineffective.

What This Bill Does

Changes the rules about when a lawyer who helps someone without money can be sued for doing a bad job.

Who It Names or Affects

People who need free legal help because they don't have money.
Lawyers who are given cases by the court to represent poor people in criminal, juvenile, or civil proceedings.

Terms To Know

Indigent defense: Legal services provided for free to people who cannot afford a lawyer.
Ineffective assistance of counsel: When a lawyer does not provide good enough legal help, which can affect the outcome of a case.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify how to determine if a lawyer's work was ineffective.
It is unclear what specific protections are given to lawyers beyond treating them as state employees under certain circumstances.

Bill History

2025-04-03 Iowa Legislature
Fiscal note .
2025-03-27 Iowa Legislature
Subcommittee recommends passage.
2025-03-25 Iowa Legislature
Subcommittee Meeting: 03/26/2025 4:00PM Room 315.
2025-03-18 Iowa Legislature
Subcommittee: Bousselot, Quirmbach, and Reichman. S.J. 567 .
2025-03-17 Iowa Legislature
Read first time, referred to Judiciary. S.J. 539 .
2025-03-17 Iowa Legislature
Message from House. S.J. 539 .
2025-03-17 Iowa Legislature
Explanation of vote. H.J. 676 .
2025-03-13 Iowa Legislature
Immediate message. H.J. 656 .
2025-03-13 Iowa Legislature
Explanation of vote. H.J. 657 .
2025-03-13 Iowa Legislature
Passed House , yeas 91, nays 5. H.J. 651 .
2025-03-13 Iowa Legislature
Amendment H-1058 adopted. H.J. 651 .
2025-03-11 Iowa Legislature
Amendment H-1058 filed. H.J. 608 .
2025-02-10 Iowa Legislature
Introduced, placed on calendar. H.J. 279 .

Official Summary Text

A bill for an act relating to indigent defense and the appointment of counsel by the court. (Formerly HSB 13 .)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

House

File

317

-

Reprinted

HOUSE

FILE

317

BY

COMMITTEE

ON

JUDICIARY

(SUCCESSOR

TO

HSB

13)

(As

Amended

and

Passed

by

the

House

March

13,

2025

)

A

BILL

FOR

An

Act

relating

to

indigent

defense

and

the

appointment

of

1

counsel

by

the

court.

2

BE

IT

ENACTED

BY

THE

GENERAL

ASSEMBLY

OF

THE

STATE

OF

IOWA:

3

HF

317

(2)

91

as/js/md

H.F.

317

Section

1.

Section

815.10,

subsection

6,

Code

2025,

is

1

amended

to

read

as

follows:

2

6.

An

attorney

appointed

under

this

section

is

not

3

liable

to

a

person

represented

by

the

attorney

for

damages

4

as

a

result

of

a

conviction

in

a

criminal

case

unless

the

5

court

determines

in

a

postconviction

proceeding

or

on

direct

6

appeal

that

the

person’s

conviction

resulted

from

ineffective

7

assistance

of

counsel,

and

the

ineffective

assistance

of

8

counsel

is

the

proximate

cause

of

the

damage.

In

juvenile

or

9

civil

proceedings,

an

attorney

appointed

under

this

section

10

is

not

liable

to

a

person

represented

by

the

attorney

for

11

damages

unless

it

has

been

determined

that

the

attorney

has

12

provided

ineffective

assistance

of

counsel,

and

the

ineffective

13

assistance

of

counsel

is

the

proximate

cause

of

the

damage.

14

Any

attorney

appointed

under

this

section

who

is

accused

15

of

ineffective

assistance

of

counsel

shall

be

treated

as

16

a

state

employee

under

chapter

669,

including

defense

and

17

indemnification

under

section

669.21.

18

-1-

HF

317

(2)

91

as/js/md

1/

1