House File 2023 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 2023 BY MEGGERS A BILL FOR An Act relating to speed limits, including the speed limit in 1 school districts and the penalty for speeding in excess of 2 twenty miles per hour over the limit. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 5618YH (3) 91 th/ns

H.F. 2023 Section 1. Section 321.285, subsection 2, paragraph a, 1 subparagraphs (1) and (2), Code 2026, are amended to read as 2 follows: 3 (1) Twenty miles per hour in any a business district or 4 school district . 5 (2) Twenty-five miles per hour in any a residence or school 6 district. 7 Sec. 2. Section 805.8A, subsection 5, paragraph a, 8 subparagraph (5), Code 2026, is amended to read as follows: 9 (5) One Two hundred thirty-five eighty-five dollars plus 10 five dollars for each mile per hour of excessive speed over 11 twenty miles per hour over the limit. 12 Sec. 3. IMPLEMENTATION. Notwithstanding section 321.252, 13 321.255, 321.285, or any other provision of law to the 14 contrary, when updating speed limit signs as a result of the 15 enactment of this Act, a county or city, as applicable, may 16 attach nonpermanent overlays or stickers approved by the 17 department of transportation to existing speed limit signs 18 in order to display the new speed limit. The nonpermanent 19 overlays or stickers may be used until the applicable 20 speed limit sign is replaced based on the county’s or 21 city’s respective replacement schedule and any applicable 22 specifications or requirements. 23 EXPLANATION 24 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 25 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 26 Under current law, the speed limit in a school district 27 is 25 miles per hour (MPH). Each school district must be 28 marked by distinctive signs as provided by the current manual 29 of uniform traffic control devices adopted by the department 30 of transportation and placed on the highway at the limits of 31 such school district. For purposes of Code chapter 321 (motor 32 vehicles and law of the road), “school district” means the 33 territory contiguous to and including a highway for a distance 34 of 200 feet in either direction from a schoolhouse in a city. 35 -1- LSB 5618YH (3) 91 th/ns 1/ 2

H.F. 2023 This bill reduces the speed limit from 25 MPH to 20 MPH in a 1 school district. 2 Pursuant to current law, county boards of supervisors 3 (Code section 321.285(4)) and city councils (Code section 4 321.290(2)) are authorized to determine and declare a reduced 5 speed limit that is reasonable and proper on secondary roads 6 or city streets, as applicable, based on an engineering and 7 traffic investigation. Such speed limit becomes effective 8 when proper and appropriate signs giving notice of the speed 9 limit are erected. The bill authorizes a county or city, 10 as applicable, when updating speed limit signs as a result 11 of the bill, to attach nonpermanent overlays or stickers 12 approved by the department of transportation to existing 13 speed limit signs in order to display the new speed limit. 14 The nonpermanent overlays or stickers may be used until the 15 applicable speed limit sign is replaced based on the county’s 16 or city’s respective replacement schedule and any applicable 17 specifications or requirements. 18 Under current law, a person who operates a motor vehicle in 19 excess of a speed limit under Code section 321.236(5, 11) 20 (public parks and alleys), Code section 321.285 (speed 21 restrictions generally), Code section 321.383(5) (implements of 22 husbandry), Code section 321O.5(1) (personal delivery devices), 23 or Code section 461A.36 (state parks and preserves), commits a 24 simple misdemeanor punishable by a scheduled fine that varies 25 depending on the excessive speed. The fine ranges from $30 for 26 a speed in excess of the limit by not more than 5 MPH to $135 27 plus $5 for each MPH of excessive speed over 20 MPH over the 28 limit. The bill increases the scheduled fine for excessive 29 speed over 20 MPH over the limit to $285 plus $5 for each MPH of 30 excessive speed over 20 MPH over the limit. 31 -2- LSB 5618YH (3) 91 th/ns 2/ 2