HF321 • 2026

A bill for an act relating to magistrate qualifications.

Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor: FISHER
Last action: 2025-02-17
Official status: Tabled until future meeting.
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 magistrate qualifications.

What This Bill Does

A bill for an act relating to magistrate qualifications.

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

2025-02-17 Iowa Legislature
Tabled until future meeting.
2025-02-13 Iowa Legislature
Subcommittee Meeting: 02/17/2025 12:30PM House Lounge 2.
2025-02-12 Iowa Legislature
Subcommittee: Wills, J., Olson and Stone. H.J. 308 .
2025-02-11 Iowa Legislature
Introduced, referred to Judiciary. H.J. 284 .

Official Summary Text

A bill for an act relating to magistrate qualifications.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

House

File

321

-

Introduced

HOUSE

FILE

321

BY

FISHER

A

BILL

FOR

An

Act

relating

to

magistrate

qualifications.

1

BE

IT

ENACTED

BY

THE

GENERAL

ASSEMBLY

OF

THE

STATE

OF

IOWA:

2

TLSB

2336YH

(1)

91

cm/ns

H.F.

321

Section

1.

Section

602.6404,

subsection

3,

Code

2025,

1

is

amended

by

striking

the

subsection

and

inserting

in

lieu

2

thereof

the

following:

3

3.

A

person

is

not

required

to

be

an

attorney

licensed

to

4

practice

law

in

this

state

as

a

condition

of

being

appointed

to

5

the

office

of

magistrate,

but

a

county

magistrate

appointing

6

commission

shall

first

consider

applicants

who

are

admitted

7

to

practice

law

in

this

state

when

selecting

persons

for

the

8

office

of

magistrate.

9

EXPLANATION

10

The

inclusion

of

this

explanation

does

not

constitute

agreement

with

11

the

explanation’s

substance

by

the

members

of

the

general

assembly.

12

This

bill

relates

to

magistrate

qualifications.

Under

13

current

law,

a

magistrate

is

required

to

be

an

attorney

14

licensed

to

practice

in

the

state

unless

the

magistrate

15

was

holding

office

on

April

1,

2009.

The

bill

removes

the

16

requirement

that

a

magistrate

be

a

licensed

attorney

and

17

provides

that

licensed

attorneys

instead

receive

first

18

consideration.

The

bill

substantively

matches

the

provision

19

in

effect

prior

to

2009.

20

-1-

LSB

2336YH

(1)

91

cm/ns

1/

1