A bill for an act relating to and making appropriations from the rebuild Iowa infrastructure fund, technology reinvestment fund, and renewable fuel infrastructure fund, providing for related matters including financial assistance eligibility for regional sports authority districts and department of health and human services information technology systems, and including effective date provisions.(Formerly HSB 782.)
HF 2792 is an appropriations and policy bill that allocates money from three state funds: the Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund, the Technology Reinvestment Fund, and the Renewable Fuel Infrastructure Fund. It provides funding for a wide range of capital, maintenance, and technology projects across state government, including agriculture and water quality initiatives, state buildings and parks, corrections and public safety facilities, university projects, transportation infrastructure, veterans facilities, and tourism-related grants. It also makes several timing and reversion changes to prior appropriations, extending the availability of certain unspent funds and adjusting deadlines for specific capital projects.
The bill also changes how regional sports authority districts are created and funded. It expands eligibility so that Iowa nonprofit economic development and tourism organizations, not just convention and visitors bureaus, may apply for district certification and financial assistance. It removes the current cap of 10 districts, shifts certification to a competitive process, and changes governance and reporting requirements for districts that receive assistance. In addition, the bill sets the FY 2026-2027 general fund transfer to the renewable fuel infrastructure fund at zero and amends the standing appropriation schedule for the technology reinvestment fund.
A major policy component is the restriction on the Department of Health and Human Services’ ability to enter into large information technology contracts during FY 2026-2027. The bill bars HHS from taking on major IT obligations over $5 million or multiyear commitments for system replacement or modernization, with a narrow exception for changes needed solely to comply with federal law. It also creates an information technology modernization study committee to review HHS systems, data architecture, and modernization strategy, and requires a report to the legislature and governor with recommendations, costs, and implementation options.
The bill’s impact on state law is broad because it amends multiple code sections governing appropriations, fund transfers, reversion rules, and regional sports authority districts. It directs substantial state spending to specific projects and programs, changes the flow of money into the technology reinvestment fund, and alters the legal framework for HHS technology procurement and oversight. It also affects local and nonprofit entities involved in sports tourism, as well as agencies and institutions receiving capital or technology funding.
Overall, the bill appears to have been framed as a large infrastructure-and-technology package with targeted investments and oversight provisions, but it was ultimately withdrawn. No vote history or committee transcript is provided, so there is no recorded floor or committee sentiment in the materials supplied. Based on the text alone, the bill combines widely distributed spending items with more controversial structural changes, especially the HHS IT restrictions and the expansion of regional sports authority district eligibility.
HF 2792 would have made extensive appropriations from the Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund and Technology Reinvestment Fund for state capital projects, maintenance, and technology modernization, while also setting the FY 2026-2027 transfer to the renewable fuel infrastructure fund at zero. It would have amended several Code provisions governing fund transfers, appropriation reversion periods, and the state capitol maintenance fund, and it would have changed the certification and assistance rules for regional sports authority districts under section 15E.321. The bill also would have imposed a temporary procurement limitation on HHS major IT projects and created a study committee to recommend longer-term modernization changes.
No committee transcripts or votes are included, and the bill was ultimately withdrawn, so there is no direct recorded sentiment from debate or roll call. From the bill text, the measure appears to reflect a generally pro-investment posture toward infrastructure, public facilities, and technology upgrades, while also signaling caution and oversight regarding HHS information technology spending. The combination suggests support for targeted spending paired with concern about large-scale system procurement and implementation risk.
The most likely points of contention are the HHS information technology restrictions, which limit large or multiyear contracts and could affect ongoing modernization efforts, and the restructuring of regional sports authority districts, which removes the 10-district cap and opens eligibility to nonprofits rather than only convention and visitors bureaus. The zeroing out of the renewable fuel infrastructure fund transfer may also be controversial for stakeholders in the biofuels sector. More generally, the bill’s many earmarked appropriations could draw scrutiny over project selection, geographic distribution, and the balance between capital spending and other state priorities.