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HF525 • 2026

A bill for an act relating to vehicle registration plates, including registration plate frames and Gadsden flag special registration plates, providing fees, and making appropriations.(Formerly HSB 144 ; See HF 974 .)

A bill for an act relating to vehicle registration plates, including registration plate frames and Gadsden flag special registration plates, providing fees, and making appropriations.(Formerly HSB 144 ; See HF 974 .)

Budget
Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
Last action
2025-05-14
Official status
Withdrawn. H.J. 1219 .
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 vehicle registration plates, including registration plate frames and Gadsden flag special registration plates, providing fees, and making appropriations.(Formerly HSB 144 ; See HF 974 .)

A bill for an act relating to vehicle registration plates, including registration plate frames and Gadsden flag special registration plates, providing fees, and making appropriations.(Formerly HSB 144 ; See HF 974 .)

What This Bill Does

  • A bill for an act relating to vehicle registration plates, including registration plate frames and Gadsden flag special registration plates, providing fees, and making appropriations.(Formerly HSB 144 ; See HF 974 .)

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. 2025-05-14 Iowa Legislature

    Withdrawn. H.J. 1219 .

  2. 2025-03-21 Iowa Legislature

    Committee report approving bill, renumbered as HF 974 .

  3. 2025-03-20 Iowa Legislature

    Committee vote: Yeas, 16. Nays, 8. Excused, 1. H.J. 769 .

  4. 2025-03-20 Iowa Legislature

    Committee report, recommending passage. H.J. 769 .

  5. 2025-03-12 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee recommends passage.

  6. 2025-03-11 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee Meeting: 03/12/2025 12:30PM RM 304.

  7. 2025-02-26 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee: Young, Behn and Wilson. H.J. 441 .

  8. 2025-02-20 Iowa Legislature

    Introduced, referred to Ways and Means. H.J. 379 .

Official Summary Text

A bill for an act relating to vehicle registration plates, including registration plate frames and Gadsden flag special registration plates, providing fees, and making appropriations.(Formerly HSB 144 ; See HF 974 .)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
House

File

525

-

Introduced

HOUSE

FILE

525

BY

COMMITTEE

ON

TRANSPORTATION

(SUCCESSOR

TO

HSB

144)

A

BILL

FOR

An

Act

relating

to

vehicle

registration

plates,

including

1

registration

plate

frames

and

Gadsden

flag

special

2

registration

plates,

providing

fees,

and

making

3

appropriations.

4

BE

IT

ENACTED

BY

THE

GENERAL

ASSEMBLY

OF

THE

STATE

OF

IOWA:

5

TLSB

2559HV

(1)

91

th/ns

H.F.

525

Section

1.

Section

321.34,

Code

2025,

is

amended

by

adding

1

the

following

new

subsection:

2

NEW

SUBSECTION

.

11E.

Gadsden

flag

plates.

3

a.

Upon

application

and

payment

of

the

proper

fees,

the

4

director

may

issue

Gadsden

flag

plates

to

the

owner

of

a

5

motor

vehicle

subject

to

registration

under

section

321.109,

6

subsection

1,

autocycle,

motor

truck,

motor

home,

multipurpose

7

vehicle,

motorcycle,

trailer,

or

travel

trailer.

8

b.

Gadsden

flag

plates

shall

be

designed

by

the

department.

9

The

background

shall

be

yellow

at

the

top

and

bottom,

with

the

10

color

fading

into

white

in

the

center.

The

plate’s

numbers

11

and

letters

shall

be

black.

The

left

side

of

the

plate

shall

12

depict

a

black

and

white

rattlesnake

coiled

on

green

grass.

13

The

image

depicting

the

coiled

rattlesnake

shall

be

at

least

14

three

inches

tall

and

two

inches

wide.

The

phrase

“Don’t

Tread

15

on

Me”

shall

appear

at

the

bottom

of

the

plate.

16

c.

The

special

Gadsden

flag

fee

for

letter-number

designated

17

Gadsden

flag

plates

is

fifty

dollars.

An

applicant

may

obtain

18

personalized

Gadsden

flag

plates

upon

payment

of

the

fee

for

19

personalized

plates

as

provided

in

subsection

5,

which

is

in

20

addition

to

the

special

Gadsden

flag

fee.

Personalized

plates

21

authorized

by

this

subsection

shall

be

limited

to

no

more

22

than

five

numerals,

letters,

or

combinations

of

numerals

and

23

letters.

24

d.

The

fees

collected

by

the

director

under

this

subsection

25

shall

be

paid

monthly

to

the

treasurer

of

state

and

deposited

26

in

the

road

use

tax

fund.

The

treasurer

of

state

shall

27

transfer

monthly

from

the

statutory

allocations

fund

created

28

under

section

321.145,

subsection

2,

to

the

general

fund

of

29

the

state

an

amount

equal

to

the

special

fees

collected

in

30

the

previous

month

for

Gadsden

flag

plates,

minus

one

dollar

31

per

issuance

or

renewal

of

the

plates

that

month.

Such

32

moneys

are

appropriated

to

the

department

of

public

safety

33

to

distribute

in

the

form

of

grants

to

provide

education

and

34

training

on

the

right

to

keep

and

bear

arms

protected

under

35

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1/

5

H.F.

525

the

Constitution

of

the

United

States

and

the

Constitution

of

1

the

State

of

Iowa,

and

training

on

firearm

safety.

In

the

2

awarding

of

grants,

the

department

of

public

safety

shall

give

3

first

consideration

to

any

official

state

association

of

the

4

national

rifle

association

and

similar

nonprofit

organizations.

5

Notwithstanding

section

8.33,

moneys

appropriated

under

this

6

subsection

shall

not

revert

to

the

general

fund

of

the

state.

7

e.

Upon

receipt

of

the

special

registration

plates,

the

8

applicant

shall

surrender

the

current

registration

plates

to

9

the

county

treasurer.

The

county

treasurer

shall

validate

10

the

special

registration

plates

in

the

same

manner

as

regular

11

registration

plates

are

validated

under

this

section.

The

12

annual

special

Gadsden

flag

fee

for

letter-number

designated

13

plates

is

fifty

dollars

which

shall

be

paid

in

addition

to

14

the

regular

annual

registration

fee.

The

annual

fee

for

15

personalized

Gadsden

flag

plates

is

five

dollars

which

shall

be

16

paid

in

addition

to

the

annual

special

Gadsden

flag

fee

and

the

17

regular

annual

registration

fee.

The

annual

special

Gadsden

18

flag

fee

shall

be

credited

as

provided

under

paragraph

“d”

.

19

f.

The

department

shall

not

condition

the

issuance

of

20

Gadsden

flag

plates

on

the

receipt

of

any

number

of

orders

for

21

Gadsden

flag

plates.

22

Sec.

2.

Section

321.37,

subsection

3,

Code

2025,

is

amended

23

to

read

as

follows:

24

3.

It

is

unlawful

for

the

The

owner

of

a

vehicle

to

shall

25

not

place

any

a

frame

around

or

over

the

a

registration

plate

26

which

does

not

permit

full

view

of

all

numerals

and

letters

27

printed

on

the

registration

plate

,

other

than

the

name

of

the

28

county

.

29

Sec.

3.

Section

321.166,

subsections

2

and

9,

Code

2025,

are

30

amended

to

read

as

follows:

31

2.

Every

registration

plate

or

pair

of

plates

shall

display

32

a

registration

plate

number

which

shall

consist

of

alphabetical

33

or

numerical

characters

or

a

combination

thereof

and

the

name

34

of

this

state,

which

may

be

abbreviated.

Every

registration

35

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2559HV

(1)

91

th/ns

2/

5

H.F.

525

plate

issued

by

the

county

treasurer

shall

display

the

name

1

of

the

county,

including

any

plate

issued

pursuant

to

section

2

321.34

,

except

Pearl

Harbor

and

purple

heart

registration

3

plates

issued

prior

to

January

1,

1997;

and

collegiate,

fire

4

fighter,

and

medal

of

honor

,

and

Gadsden

flag

registration

5

plates.

Special

truck

registration

plates

shall

display

the

6

word

“special”.

The

department

may

adopt

rules

to

implement

7

this

subsection

.

8

9.

Special

registration

plates

issued

pursuant

to

section

9

321.34

,

other

than

gold

star,

medal

of

honor,

collegiate,

fire

10

fighter,

natural

resources,

blackout,

and

flying

our

colors

,

11

and

Gadsden

flag

registration

plates,

shall

be

consistent

with

12

the

design

and

color

of

regular

registration

plates

but

shall

13

provide

a

space

on

a

portion

of

the

plate

for

the

purpose

of

14

allowing

the

placement

of

a

distinguishing

processed

emblem

or

15

an

organization

decal.

Special

registration

plates

shall

also

16

comply

with

the

requirements

for

regular

registration

plates

17

as

provided

in

this

section

to

the

extent

the

requirements

are

18

consistent

with

the

section

authorizing

a

particular

special

19

vehicle

registration

plate.

20

EXPLANATION

21

The

inclusion

of

this

explanation

does

not

constitute

agreement

with

22

the

explanation’s

substance

by

the

members

of

the

general

assembly.

23

This

bill

relates

to

vehicle

registration

plates.

24

The

bill

authorizes

the

department

of

transportation

(DOT)

25

to

design

and

issue

Gadsden

flag

special

registration

plates.

26

The

bill

requires

the

plate’s

background

to

be

yellow

at

the

27

top

and

bottom,

with

the

color

fading

into

white

in

the

center.

28

The

plate’s

numbers

and

letters

must

be

black.

The

left

side

29

of

the

plate

must

contain

the

image

of

a

rattlesnake

in

black

30

and

white

coiled

on

green

grass.

The

phrase

“Don’t

Tread

on

31

Me”

must

appear

at

the

bottom

of

the

plate.

32

The

bill

provides

that

the

special

Gadsden

flag

fee

for

33

letter-number

designated

Gadsden

flag

plates

is

$50.

An

34

applicant

may

obtain

personalized

Gadsden

flag

plates

upon

35

-3-

LSB

2559HV

(1)

91

th/ns

3/

5

H.F.

525

payment

of

the

$25

fee

for

personalized

plates

set

forth

under

1

current

law,

which

is

in

addition

to

the

special

Gadsden

flag

2

fee.

Personalized

Gadsden

flag

plates

are

limited

to

five

3

numerals

and

letters.

The

annual

special

Gadsden

flag

fee

for

4

letter-number

designated

plates

is

$50,

which

is

in

addition

5

to

the

regular

annual

registration

fee.

The

annual

fee

for

6

personalized

Gadsden

flag

plates

is

$5,

which

is

in

addition

7

to

the

annual

special

Gadsden

flag

fee

and

the

regular

annual

8

registration

fee.

9

The

fees

collected

by

the

DOT

must

be

paid

monthly

to

the

10

treasurer

of

state

and

deposited

in

the

road

use

tax

fund

11

(RUTF).

The

treasurer

of

state

must

transfer

monthly

from

the

12

statutory

allocations

fund

to

the

general

fund

of

the

state

13

an

amount

equal

to

the

special

fees

collected

in

the

previous

14

month

for

the

Gadsden

flag

plates,

minus

$1

per

issuance

or

15

renewal

of

the

plates

that

month.

Such

moneys

are

appropriated

16

to

department

of

public

safety

(DPS)

to

distribute

in

the

form

17

of

grants

to

provide

education

and

training

on

the

right

to

18

keep

and

bear

arms,

and

training

on

firearm

safety.

In

the

19

awarding

of

grants,

DPS

must

give

first

consideration

to

any

20

official

state

association

of

the

national

rifle

association

21

and

similar

nonprofit

organizations.

22

The

bill

prohibits

the

DOT

from

conditioning

the

issuance

of

23

Gadsden

flag

plates

on

the

receipt

of

any

number

of

orders

for

24

Gadsden

flag

plates.

25

Gadsden

flag

plates

are

exempt

from

the

general

requirements

26

to

display

the

name

of

the

county

that

issues

the

plates

and

to

27

be

consistent

with

the

design

and

color

of

regular

registration

28

plates.

29

Under

current

law,

nonprofit

organizations

are

authorized

30

to

apply

to

the

DOT

for

approval

to

issue

a

decal

of

the

31

organization’s

own

design

to

be

displayed

on

special

32

registration

plates

with

space

reserved

for

an

organizational

33

decal.

The

nonprofit

organization

may

charge

a

fee

and

retain

34

any

payment

received

for

the

organizational

decal.

Code

35

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H.F.

525

section

321.34(13)

sets

forth

the

application

process

and

1

certain

limitations

for

nonprofit

organizations

and

decal

2

designs.

3

Under

current

law,

an

owner

of

a

vehicle

who

places

any

frame

4

around

or

over

a

registration

plate

which

does

not

permit

full

5

view

of

all

numerals

and

letters

printed

on

the

registration

6

plate,

including

the

name

of

the

county

printed

on

the

bottom

7

of

the

plate,

commits

a

simple

misdemeanor

punishable

by

a

8

scheduled

fine

of

$30.

Under

the

bill,

a

registration

plate

9

frame

is

no

longer

required

to

permit

full

view

of

the

name

of

10

the

county.

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