Iowa 2025-2026 Regular Session Status: Enacted

HF 863 — A bill for an act relating to the use of blue lights on vessels operating on waters under the jurisdiction of the natural resource commission.

Last action — Signed by Governor.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. ✓
    Passed House
  4. ✓
    Passed Senate
  5. ✓
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced March 07, 2025. Enacted.

Signed by Governor Kim Reynolds (Republican) on April 16, 2026.

Prognosis

Likely to advance 70% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

High

How often bills like it became law.

  • Enacted

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 1 sponsor

    1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 1 recorded vote so far.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

24 added · 48 removed

Plain-language change summary

The latest version of House File 863 changes the rules regarding the use of blue lights on vessels in certain waters. Previously, all solid blue lights were prohibited, except for authorized emergency vessels. Now, this prohibition on displaying solid blue lights has been lifted, allowing more vessels to use them, while still banning flashing blue lights. This update is important because it could enhance visibility for recreational and other non-emergency vessels on the water.

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STATE OF IOWA KIMRENOLDS GOVERNR pil6226 TeHnrbealPe ertryfteoIoa tteptl Dsons,owa39 Dar.Sctr, Ieeyrni:
House File 863 - Enrolled House File 863 AN ACT RELATING TO THE USE OF BLUE LIGHTS ON VESSELS OPERATING ON WATERS UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF THE NATURAL RESOURCE COMMISSION.
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
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Section 462A.12, subsection 4, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
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oue Fle 63 N AT REATNG O HE SE F LUE GHTS N ESES OERTIG ON WAERS NER HE URSDCTON F HE ATRAL EOURE COMISIO.
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No eson hll peate n he ters f hs tae uner he uisdcton f he omision ny esel iplyig or elecing alueliht r lahig bue iht nlss uch vesel s n utorzed mrgncy ese.
No person shall operate on the waters of this state under the jurisdiction of the commission any vessel displaying or reflecting a blue light or flashing blue light unless such vessel is an authorized emergency vessel.
PAT ASSEY AMY ICLIR Spakr bf e Huse Prsient f he eate I erby erify ht tis il oigiatd in e ouse d is nwn s oue Fle 6, Nnet-frst eerl Asebly.
______________________________ ______________________________ PAT GRASSLEY AMY SINCLAIR Speaker of the House President of the Senate I hereby certify that this bill originated in the House and is known as House File 863, Ninety-first General Assembly.
MEION ESON Cie! lek f*te oue AproedAp r! V 026 KI» ENODS Goeror
______________________________ MEGHAN NELSON Chief Clerk of the House Approved _______________, 2026 ______________________________ KIM REYNOLDS Governor
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Action History

  1. Signed by Governor.

  2. Reported correctly enrolled, signed by Speaker and President, and sent to Governor.

  3. Message from Senate.

  4. Immediate message.

  5. Passed Senate, yeas 46, nays 0.

  6. Placed on calendar under unfinished business.

  7. Placed on calendar.

  8. Committee report, recommending passage.

  9. Subcommittee recommends passage.

  10. Subcommittee Meeting: 03/09/2026 12:30PM Room 217 Conference Room.

  11. Subcommittee: Rozenboom, Hardman, and Pike.

  12. Read first time, referred to Natural Resources and Environment.

  13. Message from House.

  14. Immediate message.

  15. Passed House, yeas 89, nays 1.

  16. Placed on calendar.

  17. Committee vote: Yeas, 18. Nays, 2. Excused, 1.

  18. Committee report, recommending passage.

  19. Subcommittee recommends passage.

  20. Subcommittee Meeting: 01/29/2026 8:30AM House Lounge 2.

  21. Subcommittee: Wulf, Collins and Nielsen.

  22. Referred to Natural Resources.

  23. Introduced, placed on calendar.

Sponsors

  • COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES · Primary

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 149 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

  • COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (149)

149 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 149 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

Shall the bill pass?

Passed 46 Yea · 0 Nay · 4 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Republican 30003
Democrat 17001
Total 47004
% of votes cast 92%0%0%8%
How each member voted (51)
Member Party Vote
Art Staed Democrat Yea
Catelin Drey Democrat Yea
Cindy Winckler Democrat Yea
Herman C. Quirmbach Democrat Yea
Izaah Knox Democrat Yea
Janet Petersen Democrat Yea
Janice Weiner Democrat Yea
Liz Bennett Democrat Yea
Matt Blake Democrat Yea
Mike Zimmer Democrat Yea
Molly Donahue Democrat Yea
Renee Hardman Democrat Yea
Sarah Trone Garriott Democrat Yea
Sarah Trone Garriott Democrat Yea
Thomas Townsend Democrat Yea
Tony Bisignano Democrat Yea
William A. Dotzler Jr. Democrat Yea
Zach Wahls Democrat Not Voting
Adrian Dickey Republican Yea
Amy Sinclair Republican Yea
Annette Sweeney Republican Yea
Carrie Koelker Republican Yea
Charlie McClintock Republican Yea
Cherielynn Westrich Republican Not Voting
Dan Dawson Republican Yea
Dan Zumbach Republican Yea
Dave Sires Republican Yea
David D. Rowley Republican Not Voting
Dawn Driscoll Republican Yea
Dennis Guth Republican Yea
Doug Campbell Republican Yea
Jack Whitver Republican Yea
Jason Schultz Republican Yea
Jeff Reichman Republican Yea
Jeff Taylor Republican Yea
Jesse Green Republican Yea
Julian B. Garrett Republican Not Voting
Kara Warme Republican Yea
Ken Rozenboom Republican Yea
Kerry Gruenhagen Republican Yea
Kevin Alons Republican Yea
Lynn Evans Republican Yea
Mark Costello Republican Yea
Mark S. Lofgren Republican Yea
Mike Bousselot Republican Yea
Mike Klimesh Republican Yea
Mike Pike Republican Yea
Sandy Salmon Republican Yea
Scott Webster Republican Yea
Tim Kraayenbrink Republican Yea
Tom Shipley Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

public-safety environment transportation
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors HF 863?
HF 863 is sponsored by COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES.
What is the current status of HF 863?
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced March 07, 2025. Enacted.
Where can I track HF 863?
Track HF 863 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

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