The proposal now needs only Gov. Kim Reynolds’ signature to become law.
Iowa House lawmakers unanimously passed the bill, Senate File 2417, on Wednesday. Previously, it also cleared the Iowa Senate without any votes in opposition.
The proposed legislation also would require companies operating AI chatbots to allow parents to control the minor’s privacy and account settings.
Iowa Rep. Austin Harris, R-Moulton, said the bill is aimed at addressing self-harm resulting from minors’ interactions with chatbots.
“There have been several instances where AI chatbots have been encouraging people who are seeking mental health advice and encouraging them to commit self-harm. That's very disturbing,” Harris said Wednesday during debate in the House. “I think this won’t be the last that we do on this subject moving forward, but at least it’s a start for now.”
Rep. Aime Wichtendahl, D-Hiawatha, backed the bill, but noted she would like to see lawmakers take further steps in future sessions to regulate AI chatbots.
The proposal also would require AI companies to adopt protocols for user prompts of suicidal ideation or self-harm and prohibit the chatbot from knowingly or intentionally leading a user to believe that it is designed to provide professional psychological or behavioral health services.
BOY SCOUTS SURVIVOR BILL GOES TO HOUSE
The Iowa Senate unanimously approved an extension of the window for Iowans who were victims of sexual abuse while in the Boy Scouts to receive their full compensation from a national lawsuit.
Last year, the Iowa Legislature amended the state’s statute of limitations law to allow the victims to receive full compensation from the settlement. But they amended the law only through the end of this year, and legal issues around the settlement continue to play out in the courts — once again threatening to leave Iowa victims without the ability to receive full compensation.
Senate File 2489 would extend the state law’s alteration until the conclusion of bankruptcy proceedings in the case. That proposal passed the Senate on a 47-0 vote Wednesday.
The bill is now eligible for consideration in the House, where a key lawmaker said majority Republicans are likely to recommend changing the bill’s end date.
HYDROGEN MINING BILL MOVING AGAIN
The Iowa Senate continued advancing legislation designed to establish a legal and regulatory framework for underground hydrogen extraction, moving the proposal through a second committee.
The bill would establish how companies can access subsurface resources beneath private land while centralizing regulatory authority with the state and setting rules for taxation, landowner protections and compensation. The measure is among proposals aimed at “pooling” regulations governing oil, gas and hydrogen extraction.
The bill, Senate File 2449, on Wednesday was considered and approved by both a Senate budget subcommittee and the full committee — despite extensive pushback from Iowa landowners and U.S. Hydrogen Alliance, a hydrogen trade association. The trade organization’s representative argued the legislation is tailored to one specific energy company, Koloma.
Sen. Mike Bousselot, R-Ankeny, argued for a second consecutive day — Bousselot also managed hearings this week in the Senate Ways and Means Committee on tax policy — that the legislation is needed to create some sort of regulatory framework in state law, where currently there is none.
Democrats on the budget committee said they oppose the bill’s proposal to place revenue from a proposed severance tax into the state’s Taxpayer Relief Fund rather than its general fund.
Having passed through multiple Senate committees, the proposal is now eligible for consideration by the full Iowa Senate.
GAMING COMMISSION LEADER CONFIRMED
Tina Eick was unanimously confirmed by the Iowa Senate as administrator of the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission.
Eick has been the commission’s leader since February 2024, when she was appointed by the commission after serving as interim leader for three months. Eick has worked with the commission since 2017.
She succeeds administrator Brian Ohorilko, who left in December 2023 to take an executive position with Prairie Meadows Casino in Altoona.
Eick was confirmed by a 47-0 vote of the Senate on Wednesday.
5 COUNTIES IN DISASTER PROCLAMATION
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation for five Iowa counties — Buchanan, Clay, Henry, Palo Alto and Plymouth — in response to severe weather earlier this week.
Reynolds’ proclamation will allow these counties to respond and recover by utilizing funds from the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program. The program provides grants up to $7,000 for households with incomes up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level for home or car repairs, replacement of personal property or food and temporary housing expenses
The Disaster Assistance Request Form and instructions can be found on the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management website.
More information on disaster-related programs and resources available to Iowans also can be found on the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management website, homelandsecurity.iowa.gov.
©2026 The Gazette, Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
