Iowa House Bill HF937

Iowa 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/12/25
• Engrossed: 3/26/25
• Refer: 3/27/25

Caption

A bill for an act relating to certain administrative procedures involving law enforcement officers, including the revocation or suspension of law enforcement officer certification and communications in professional confidence, and including effective date provisions. (Formerly HSB 264.)

Summary

HF 937 revises Iowa law governing administrative proceedings involving law enforcement officer certification, especially the suspension or revocation of certification by the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy Council. The bill narrows and clarifies the grounds on which revocation actions may be brought, requires that the officer’s underlying employment action be final before certain certification actions proceed, and provides that cases pending on grounds not expressly authorized by statute must be dismissed. It also requires the rules of evidence to apply in contested revocation or suspension cases, and it removes a prior paragraph in the code related to council authority. The bill also changes procedures for officers whose certification has been suspended, providing that they do not need to reapply for reinstatement when the suspension ends if the suspension was imposed by council order or settlement agreement. In addition, it requires the academy to promptly provide the officer or the officer’s attorney with the complete investigative report and related records upon written request. Separately, HF 937 expands and clarifies Iowa’s peer-support confidentiality protections for communications made to peer support counselors or individuals present for crisis intervention, and it broadens the list of covered public-safety personnel to include additional emergency and correctional roles.

Impact

HF 937 would amend Iowa Code chapters governing law enforcement certification discipline and confidential peer-support communications. It limits the council’s revocation authority to grounds expressly stated in statute, changes the definition of when a disciplinary matter is considered final, imposes evidentiary rules in contested cases, and creates a disclosure right for officers to obtain investigative materials. It also expands testimonial privilege protections for peer-support communications and extends those protections to a wider set of first responders and public safety employees.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have been received favorably overall. It passed the House amendment vote unanimously and passed the bill itself by a wide margin, with only one dissenting vote. That voting pattern suggests broad support for the bill’s procedural protections for officers and its confidentiality provisions for peer-support communications.

Contention

There is little visible contention in the available record, but the bill’s main policy choices are clear: it restricts the grounds and timing for certification revocation actions, which may be viewed as limiting administrative discretion, while also strengthening due-process protections for officers. Any disagreement would likely center on whether the bill appropriately balances officer rights against the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy Council’s ability to discipline officers and protect public safety. The near-unanimous House votes indicate that any opposition was minimal.