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STATE OF IOWA
KIM REYNOLDS
GOVERNOR
June 11,2025
The Honorable Paul Pate
Secretary of State of Iowa
State Capitol
Des Moines, Iowa 50319
Dear Mr. Secretary,
I hereby transmit;
Senate File 648, an Act relating to and making appropriations to the judicial branch
including judicial officer salaries and interpreter or translator fees, and including effective
date provisions.
The above Senate File is hereby approved on this date.
Sincerely,
KuA&e^olds
Governor 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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Senate File 648
AN ACT
RELATING TO AND MAKING APPROPRIATIONS TO THE JUDICIAL BRANCH
INCLUDING JUDICIAL OFFICER SALARIES AND INTERPRETER OR
TRANSLATOR FEES, AND INCLUDING EFFECTIVE DATE PROVISIONS.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA;
DIVISION I
FY 2025-2026 APPROPRIATIONS
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,
2025, and ending June 30, 2026, 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
Senate File 648, p. 2
year beginning July 1, 2025; 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,
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.
Senate File 648, p. 3
(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.
(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, 2028.
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, 2028.
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
Senate File 648, p. 4
budgeting systems.
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
shall 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 shall 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
Senate File 648, p. 5
assembly and department of management by January 1, 2026,
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, 2024,
and ending June 30, 2025, and the plans for expenditures from
the fund during the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, and
ending June 30, 2026.
Sec. 2. CIVIL TRIALS — LOCATION. Notwithstanding any
provision to the contrary, for the fiscal year beginning July
1, 2025, and ending June 30, 2026, 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, 2025, and
ending June 30, 2026, 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
this division of this Act for the fiscal year beginning July
1, 2025, and ending June 30, 2026, 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
Senate File 648, p. 6
beginning July 1, 2025, and ending June 30, 2026.
Sec. 6. SALARIES — STATE COURT JUSTICES, JUDGES, AND
MAGISTRATES.
1. The salary rates specified in subsection 2 are for the
fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, effective for the pay
period beginning June 20, 2025, and for subsequent fiscal
years until otherwise provided by the general assembly. The
salaries provided for in this section shall be paid from moneys
appropriated to the judicial branch pursuant to this division
of this Act or any other Act of the general assembly.
2. The following annual salary rates shall be paid to the
persons holding the judicial positions indicated during the
fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, effective with the pay
period beginning June 20, 2025, and for subsequent pay periods:
a. Chief justice of the supreme court:
$ 211,059
b. Each justice of the supreme court:
$ 201,609
c. Chief judge of the court of appeals:
$ 189,010
d. Each associate judge of the court of appeals:
$ 182,709
e. Each chief judge of a judicial district:
$ 176,409
f. Each district judge except the chief judge of a judicial
district:
$ 170,108
g. Each district associate judge:
$ 151,208
h. Each associate juvenile judge:
$ 151,208
i. Each associate probate judge:
$ 151,208
j. Each judicial magistrate:
$ 46,621
k. Each senior judge:
$ 10,080
3. Persons receiving salary rates established under this
section shall not receive any additional salary adjustments
Senate File 648, p. 7
provided by this division of this Act or any other Act of the
general assembly.
Sec. 7. EFFECTIVE DATE. The section of this division of
this Act enacting salaries for state court justices, judges,
and magistrates takes effect June 20, 2025.
DIVISION II
INTERPRETER OR TRANSLATOR FEES
Sec. 8. Section 602.1302, subsection 3, Code 2025, is
amended to read as follows:
3. A revolving fund is created in the state treasury for
the payment of jury and witness fees, mileage, costs related to
summoning jurors by the judicial branch, costs and fees related
to the management and payment of interpreters and translators
in judicial branch legal proceedings and court-ordered
programs, and attorney fees paid by the state public defender
for counsel appointed pursuant to section 600A.6A. The
judicial branch shall deposit any reimbursements to the state
for the payment of jury and witness fees^^ a«4 mileage fees,
and interpreter or translator fees in the revolving fund. In
each calendar quarter the judicial branch shall reimburse
the state public defender for attorney fees paid pursuant to
section 600A.6B. Notwithstanding section 8.33, unencumbered
and unobligated receipts in the revolving fund at the end of
a fiscal year do not revert to the general fund of the state.
The judicial branch shall on or before February 1 file a
financial accounting of the moneys in the revolving fund with
the legislative services agency. The accounting shall include
an estimate of disbursements from the revolving fund for the
remainder of the fiscal year and for the next fiscal year.
Sec. 9. Section 602.8107, subsection 3, paragraph b. Code
2025, is amended to read as follows:
b. The department of revenue shall receive fifteen percent
of each court debt payment collected on cases assigned to the
department of revenue for collection to reflect the cost of
processing and the remaining eighty-five percent of such court
debt collected shall be paid to the clerk of the district court
for distribution under section 602.8108. The department of
revenue collection fee shall not include the amount of court
debt collected for restitution involving pecuniary damages, the
Senate File 648, p. 8
victim compensation fund, the crime services surcharge, the
domestic and sexual abuse crimes surcharge, the agricultural
theft surcharge, er- the sex offender civil penalty, or
interpreter or translator fees.
Sec. 10. Section 602.8107, subsection 4, paragraph a. Code
2025, is amended to read as follows:
a. This subsection does not apply to amounts collected
for restitution involving pecuniary damages, the victim
compensation fund, the crime services surcharge, the domestic
and sexual abuse crimes surcharge, the agricultural theft
surcharge, the sex offender civil penalty, interpreter or
translaipr fees, or under section 421.65.
AMY SINqjIAlR
President of the Senate
PAT GRASSLEY
Speaker of the House
I hereby certify that this bill originated in the Senate and
is known as Senate File 648, Ninety-first General Assembly.
Approved It*!2025
W. CHARLES SMITHSOl
Secretary of Uwi^enate
KI^y^lEYlOLDS
Governor