CHAPTER 3
STATUTES AND RELATED MATTERS

  
     
3.1  Form of bills.
  1.  Bills designed to amend, revise, enact, codify, or repeal a law:
  a.  Shall refer to the numbers of the sections or chapters of the Code to be amended or repealed, but it is not necessary to refer to the sections or chapters in the title.
  b.  Shall refer to the session of the general assembly and the sections and chapters of the Acts to be amended if the bill relates to a section or sections of an Act not appearing in the Code.
  c.  Shall express all references to statutes in numerals.
  2.  The title to a bill shall contain a brief statement of the purpose of the bill, however all detail matters properly connected with the subject so expressed may be omitted from the title.
[C73, §38; C97, §41; S13, §41-a, -b; C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, §47; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §3.1]
84 Acts, ch 1067, §2; 90 Acts, ch 1168, §2; 2004 Acts, ch 1101, §2; 2008 Acts, ch 1031, §4; 2014 Acts, ch 1141, §51
Publication of bills, §2.9 

     
3.2  Bill drafting instructions.
  The legislative council shall, in consultation with the director of the legislative services agency and the Code editor, promulgate rules and instructions for the drafting of legislative bills and resolutions not otherwise in conflict with the provisions of law and the rules of the senate and the house.
[C71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §3.2]
2003 Acts, ch 35, §44, 49

  
     
3.3  Headnotes and historical references.
  1.  Proper headnotes may be placed at the beginning of a section of a bill or at the beginning of a Code section or Code section subunit. However, except as provided for the uniform commercial code pursuant to section 554.1107, headnotes shall not be considered as part of the law as enacted.
  2.  At the end of a Code section there may be placed a reference to the section number of the Code, or any Iowa Act from which the matter of the Code section was taken. Historical references shall not be considered as a part of the law as enacted.
[C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, §49; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §3.3]
2004 Acts, ch 1086, §3; 2005 Acts, ch 19, §7; 2007 Acts, ch 41, §40; 2008 Acts, ch 1031, §5; 2014 Acts, ch 1141, §52
Referred to in §2B.13

     
3.4  Bills — approval — passage over veto.
  1.  If the governor approves a bill, the governor shall sign and date it; if the governor returns the bill with objections and it afterwards passes as provided in the Constitution, a certificate, signed by the presiding officer of each house in the following form, shall be endorsed on or attached to the bill:
   This bill (or this item of an appropriation bill, as the case may be), having been returned by the governor, with objections, to the house in which it originated, and, after reconsideration, having again passed both houses by yeas and nays by a vote of two-thirds of the members of each house, has become a law this ............ day of .................................
  2.  An “appropriation bill” means a bill which has as its primary purpose the making of appropriations of money from the public treasury.
[C51, §16, 17; R60, §19, 20; C73, §28, 29; C97, §32; C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, §50; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §3.4]
86 Acts, ch 1245, §2011; 2013 Acts, ch 90, §1
Iowa Constitution, Art. III, §16 

     
3.5  Failure of governor to return bill.
  When a bill has passed the general assembly, and is not returned by the governor within three days as provided in the Constitution, it shall be authenticated by the secretary of state endorsing thereon:
  This bill, having remained with the governor three days (Sunday excepted), the general assembly being in session, has become a law this ............ day of ................................, ............

....................................,

Secretary of State.
[C51, §18; R60, §21; C73, §30; C97, §33; C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, §51; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §3.5]
Iowa Constitution, Art. III, §16 

  
     
3.6  Acts — where deposited — nullification resolutions.
  1.  The original Acts of the general assembly shall be deposited with and kept by the secretary of state.
  2.  The secretary of state shall submit to the administrative code editor a copy of any resolution nullifying an administrative rule which is passed by the general assembly pursuant to Article III, section 40 of the Constitution of the State of Iowa.
[C51, §19; R60, §22; C73, §31; C97, §34; C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, §52; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §3.6]
91 Acts, ch 42, §1; 2019 Acts, ch 24, §104

     
3.7  Effective dates of Acts and resolutions.
  1.  All Acts and resolutions of a public nature passed at regular sessions of the general assembly shall take effect on the first day of July following their passage, unless some other specified time is provided in an Act or resolution.
  2.  All Acts and resolutions of a public nature which are passed prior to July 1 at a regular session of the general assembly and which are approved by the governor on or after July 1, shall take effect forty-five days after approval. However, this subsection shall not apply to Acts provided for in section 3.12 or Acts and resolutions which specify when they take effect.
  3.  All Acts and resolutions passed at a special session of the general assembly shall take effect ninety days after adjournment of the special session unless a different effective day is stated in an Act or resolution.
  4.  An Act which is effective upon enactment is effective upon the date of signature by the governor; or if the governor fails to sign it and returns it with objections, upon the date of passage by the general assembly after reconsideration as provided in Article III, section 16 of the Constitution of the State of Iowa; or if the governor fails to sign or return an Act submitted during session, but prior to the last three days of a session, on the fourth day after it is presented to the governor for the governor’s approval. An Act which has an effective date which is dependent upon the time of enactment shall have the time of enactment determined by the standards of this subsection.
  5.  A concurrent or joint resolution which is effective upon enactment is effective upon the date of final passage by both chambers of the general assembly, except that such a concurrent or joint resolution requiring the approval of the governor under section 262A.4 or otherwise requiring the approval of the governor is effective upon the date of such approval. A resolution which is effective upon enactment is effective upon the date of passage. A concurrent or joint resolution or resolution which has an effective date which is dependent upon the time of enactment shall have the time of enactment determined by the standards of this subsection.
  6.  Unless retroactive effectiveness is specifically provided for in an Act or resolution, an Act or resolution which is enacted after an effective date provided in the Act or resolution shall take effect upon the date of enactment.
  7.  Proposed legalizing Acts shall be published prior to passage as provided in chapter 585.
  8.  An Act or resolution under this section is also subject to the applicable provisions of Article III, sections 16 and 17 of the Constitution of the State of Iowa.
[C51, §22; R60, §25; C73, §34; C97, §37; C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, §53; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §3.7]
87 Acts, ch 1, §1; 2006 Acts, ch 1010, §2
Referred to in §2B.17A, 422.12E
Iowa Constitution, Art. III, §26 
For the effective dates of Acts and resolutions prior to the enactment of 
87 Acts, ch 1, §1
, effective February 19, 1987, see Code 1987, Code 1966, and prior Codes 
Acts of private nature, §3.11 
3.8 through 3.10Repealed by 87 Acts, ch 1, §2. 

     
3.11  Private Acts — when effective.
  Acts of a private nature which do not prescribe the time when they take effect, shall do so on the thirtieth day next after they have been approved by the governor, or endorsed as provided in this chapter.
[C51, §20; R60, §23; C73, §32; C97, §35; C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, §57; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §3.11]

     
3.12  Appropriations — effective for fiscal year.
  All annual appropriations shall be for the fiscal year beginning with July 1 and ending with June 30 of the succeeding year and when such appropriations are made payable quarterly, the quarters shall end with September 30, December 31, March 31, and June 30; but nothing in this section shall be construed as increasing the amount of any annual appropriation.
[S13, §116-a; C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, §58; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §3.12]
Referred to in §3.7, 3.13, 162.2, 455B.133B, 455B.133C, 461.2

     
3.13  Pro rata disbursement of appropriations.
  Annual appropriations shall be disbursed in accordance with the provisions of the Acts granting the same pro rata from the time such Acts shall take effect up to the first day of the succeeding quarter as provided in section 3.12.
[S13, §116-b; C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, §59; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §3.13]

     
3.14  Certain appropriations prohibited.
  An appropriation shall not be made to any institution not wholly under the control of the state of Iowa.
[S13, §116-c1; C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, §60; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §3.14]
2006 Acts, ch 1010, §3
Iowa Constitution, Art. III, §31 
3.15 and 3.16Repealed by 87 Acts, ch 1, §2. 
3.17 through 3.19Reserved.

     
3.20  Directions to future general assemblies.
  The following principles shall be used by the general assembly in determining whether a procedure should be established and the type of procedure which should be established, for the state licensure of an occupation or profession:
  1.  The state shall engage in licensing procedures for those professions and occupations where it believes it can assure an objective and measurable level of competence concerning the public health, safety, and well-being which other sources cannot effectively provide.
  2.  The licensing board shall pursue a meaningful examination and enforcement procedure which upholds the level of competency of the licensee to insure that the public interest is protected.
[C75, 77, 79, 81, §3.20]
2007 Acts, ch 10, §1