Senate File 648 - Enrolled 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 , and 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, or 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 translator fees, or under section 421.65 . ______________________________ AMY SINCLAIR 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. ______________________________ W. CHARLES SMITHSON Secretary of the Senate Approved _______________, 2025 ______________________________ KIM REYNOLDS Governor